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Members of the CWU took on the Burrator 5K to raise awareness and funds for mental health charity, Mind
Postal workers from Plymouth have raised hundreds of pounds for a mental health charity amid ongoing strikes. Many of the posties from the West Park Delivery Office took on the challenge together on Thursday.
So far, over £566 has been raised for the charity, which offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and ensures that “no one has to face a mental health problem alone”.
On the JustGiving page, one of the West Park workers explained a group of posties took on a 5k [3.1miles] together, “to show a stand of solidarity” with the 115,000 CWU members on strike and to raise awareness and funds for mental health. A post on the page added that it stood with those “going through tough times at the moment”, signing off with “we stand with all of you.”
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are striking over a long-running dispute about pay and working conditions, which is worsening as time goes on – with more strikes planned throughout December. Royal Mail says it proposed a new pay-for-change offer to the CWU at the end of October, “despite making a loss of £219M in the first half of the year”, but it was not accepted.
Speaking at the fundraiser, Ralph Ferrett, the branch secretary of the Communication Workers Union in Plymouth and East Cornwall, said it was a “fantastic effort”. He said: “They’re really concerned about the mental health of their colleagues as we go into day 12 of the dispute.
“These boys have run 5k for charity and they’ve already raised hundreds of pounds. It just goes to show what postal workers are all about. Banding together and standing up for each other and standing up for the community they live in.”
In total so far, 44 people have made donations, with many praising the postal workers for their efforts. The Bristol and District CWU said it was “inspirational”.
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Another added: “Great charity, have helped the CWU in Bristol during these tough times. Well done to all of you, inspirational and got me thinking about something we can do in Bristol.” A third said: “Important charity. Mental health issues can affect anyone. Work related stress certainly doesn’t help.”
Pressure is now piling on Royal Mail bosses to avert more strike action planned up to Christmas Eve. Bosses and the union are at odds over issues including pay, redundancies and start times. The CWU claims Royal Mail wants to become a parcel courier reliant on casual labour, and has accused chief executive Simon Thompson of refusing to attend a crucial meeting last week.
General secretary Dave Ward said: “It’s beyond me why he didn’t bother turning up to the meeting that could have averted these strikes. Simon Thompson’s obsession with forcing through the destruction of workers’ living standards has risked a national mail meltdown at Christmas.”
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He said of the backlog: “Posties are willing to bend over backwards to clear it and get Christmas back on track.” More strikes are scheduled for December 9 and 11, with 48-hour stoppages on December 14-15 and 23-24.
Royal Mail said it will deliver as much priority mail as possible on strike days and added that Mr Thompson has been involved in the talks with the CWU for seven months, including four weeks of talks at conciliation service ACAS. He was not at the meeting last week but a source within the company claimed it was held online and lasted a few minutes.
Royal Mail added: “We have the best pay and conditions in our industry. In an industry dominated by insecure work and low pay, our model sets us apart and we want to preserve it. We remain available to meet to discuss our best and final offer worth up to 9%.”
If you need non-urgent information about mental health support, you can call the Mind Infoline on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk. If you need urgent help, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, anytime.
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