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Post was left unsorted and parcels undelivered at the distribution centres in Wolverhampton and Kingswinford as members of staff joined the first of several days of national strike action.
Some 115,000 Royal Mail postal workers nationally have walked out on strike in a dispute over pay, with further walk-outs planned for August 31, September 8 and September 9.
Organised by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the strikes saw staff congregate outside the centres to wave flags and blow whistles in protest at a proposed pay rise of two per cent by Royal Mail and demanding a pay rise that more closely reflects the current rate of inflation.
At the Kingswinford Delivery Office, staff members stood outside the gates to the centre, while the workers at the Sun Street depot in Wolverhampton staged their protest up and down the pavement alongside the entrance, with a main gazebo near to the Great Western Pub.
The strikers were given plenty of public support, with drivers honking their horns as they passed by, as well as enjoying support from other groups and unions, including Wolverhampton South West Labour, Unite and Wolverhampton, Bilston and District Union.
Phil Reade, CWU sub-representative for delivery and postal worker at Sun Street, spoke about the reasons for striking, with pay and what he described as “unreasonable” targets from management.
He said: “This strike is mainly about pay as they have imposed a two per cent pay rise on us and we, as a union, feel we are worthy of more than two per cent.
“They’ve said they are prepared to go to 5.5 per cent, but there’s a lot of strings attached to that deal, strings that have unreasonable targets set and which are not achievable, so we’re out here for that.
“To me, it is the chairman and CEO at the higher level who are setting out unachievable targets and we are prepared to strike for as long as it takes to actually get the CEO Simon Thompson talking to the CWU.
“None of us want to lose money by striking, but we’ve had to do it and we’ve had so much support from other unions and from the public.”
Among the supporters at the strike was Wolverhampton Council Leader Councillor Ian Brookfield, who had worked as a postman in the past and is a member of the CWU.
He said: “It means a lot for me to be here and see so many people are supporting the strike because, as a former postie, it’s great to see people coming together in solidarity.
“I think that workers up and down the country are fed up with being treated as they’ve been treated and all they want is a fair deal and a fair pay for a fair days work.”
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “Today’s CWU strike thrusts Royal Mail into the most uncertain time of its 500-year history.
“It is putting jobs at risk and making pay rises less affordable. We are losing £1 million a day. We must change to fix the situation and protect high quality jobs.
“The change we need is the change the public demand of us. They want more and bigger parcels delivered the next day – including Sundays – and more environmentally friendly options.
“They want this at a competitive price, with great quality of service. We cannot cling to outdated working practices, ignoring technological advancements and pretending that Covid has not significantly changed what the public wants from Royal Mail.
“While our competitors work seven days a week, delivering until 10pm to meet customer demand, the CWU want to work fewer hours, six days a week, starting and finishing earlier.
“Their plans to transform Royal Mail come with a £1 billion price tag, are predicated on a wholly unrealistic revival in letter writing, and prevent Royal Mail from growing, and remaining competitive, in a fast-moving industry.”
The spokesman added: “The CWU’s vision for Royal Mail would create a vicious spiral of falling volumes, higher prices, bigger losses and fewer jobs.
“Our future is as a parcels business. We must adapt old ways of working designed for letters to a world increasingly dominated by parcels, and we must act fast.
“We want to protect well-paid, permanent jobs long-term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions. That is in the best interests of Royal Mail and all its employees.
“We apologise to our customers, and the public for the inconvenience the CWU’s strike action will cause.
“We have offered to meet the CWU numerous times in recent weeks, but they declined each invitation, preferring to spend their time on the political agenda of the UK trade union movement.
“We remain ready to talk with the CWU to try and avert damaging industrial action and prevent significant inconvenience for customers. But any talks must be about both change and pay.”
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