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Royal Mail workers in Dumfries and Galloway are set to stage four days of strikes as they battle for better pay.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is demanding a “dignified, proper pay rise” for staff following mail bosses imposing a two per cent rise that the union say was without agreement.
Union officials also pointed to shareholders being paid £400 million and huge profits as they become the next union to head towards strike action.
Industrial action will take place on August 26 and 31 and September 8 and 9.
It comes after 77 per cent of members voted overwhelmingly, 97.6 per cent, to strike. The union said the latest pay rise doesn’t address rising inflation and the cost of living crisis.
CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly, but postal workers are being pushed to the brink.
“There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve.
“We can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use foodbanks. When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758m in profit and shareholders pocketing £400m, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company.
“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple – there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay.”
This will be the first Royal Mail strike in 13 years unless an agreement is made before August 26. Mail bosses apologised to customers and said the CWU rejected an offer worth up to 5.5 per cent. However the union said the terms and conditions, and targets which would trigger a £500 award, are “unachievable”.
Royal Mail’s chief executive officer, Simon Thompson, received an overall annual pay and perks package worth £753,000 this year.
Ricky McAulay, operations director at Royal Mail said: “After more than three months of talks, the CWU have failed to engage in any meaningful discussion on the changes we need to modernise, or to come up with alternative ideas.
“The CWU rejected our offer worth up to 5.5 per cent for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years.
“In a business that is losing £1m a day, we can only fund this offer by agreeing the changes that will pay for it.”
