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COMMUNITIES should be at the heart of Royal Mail strike discussions as workers are left “struggling to make ends meet”.
That’s the view of Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman who wants bosses to “stop the threats of job cuts” after the company announced its intention to slash 10,000 roles.
In a joint letter sent to the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chapman alongside his SNP colleagues wrote that it was “unacceptable to see the language employed by Royal Mail in threatening its workforce with job losses because they dare to ask for a fair work package.”
He said: “Postal workers across Dunfermline and West Fife are struggling to make ends meet in the face of the cost-of-living crisis while Royal Mail shareholders benefited from bumper profits in the millions.
“It is understandable that postal workers find the argument that there isn’t money for them to have a fair wage unpalatable when there are millions of pounds of profit for shareholders, who should share the burden – when hard working postal staff are struggling to put food on their table this winter.”
Postal workers who are part of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have been on strike since Wednesday (yesterday) until tomorrow (Friday, November 4) with more dates planned on November 8, 9, and 10.
They are demanding that Royal Mail Group make an adequate pay award that covers the current cost of living increases – as inflation soars to 11.7% – for members.
In August the Press reported that a ballot for strike action saw 77 per cent of members vote with 97.6 per cent in favour.
Mr Chapman continued: “Royal Mail staff in Dunfermline and West Fife and their families need financial security. The decision to strike will not have been easy for any of them, but this is about more than pay; it is also about protecting the universal mail service we all expect and value.
“Royal Mail need to get back to the negotiating table – in a meaningful way – and put our communities at the heart of discussions.”
The company says that they are losing up to £1 million a day and are looking to resolve the ongoing dispute, calling for the CWU to suspend planned industrial action while talks take place.
A spokesperson said: “We remain hopeful of continuing talks with the CWU through Acas to resolve our dispute on change and pay.
“This is the only way to get a resolution and secure Royal Mail’s future and jobs for our people.
“To give the talks the best platform to build towards an agreement, we call on the CWU to suspend their planned industrial action.
“The focus now must be on overcoming the difficulties that have prevented an agreement from being reached.
They continued: “We want to protect well-paid, permanent jobs long-term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions.
“The CWU rejected our offer worth up to 5.5% for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years.
“In a business that is currently losing £1 million pounds a day, we can only fund this offer by agreeing the changes that will pay for it.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause.
“We are doing all we can to minimise delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
Customers are advised to post items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates, continue to post items at Post boxes or Post Offices, and visit royalmail.com/latest-news for the latest detailed information on services.
