Union to unveilmore mail strikes
MAIL misery looks set to continue after negotiations aimed at ending the postal dispute ended without any agreement and further strikes were announced.
Officials from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail managers have met for eight consecutive days to try to reach a deal in the long-running row over pay, jobs and pensions.
Some progress was made at the talks, held under the chairmanship of TUC general secretary Brendon Barber, but the negotiations ended last night with the row still deadlocked.
The union has also announced further industrial action with a series of 24 hour strikes by different departments starting next Monday.
The rolling action is designed to disrupt services while ensuring workers lose only one day’s pay.
It could also see businesses lose millions, as post is continuously delayed as a result of the knock on effect of different departments striking on consecutive days.
The union said there had been “real progress” in many areas but none had led to an agreement.
A spokesman for the CWU said: “The offer includes a pay increase of 6.9% over two years but this is subject to linking unacceptable strings including a reduction in pension benefits.
“Royal Mail’s proposals also include flexibility proposals that mean, among other things, that postal workers will not know what job they are doing from one day to the next.”
The Royal Mail said it was “hugely disappointed and extremely concerned” that the talks had not resolved the dispute.
The firm said in a statement: “After a weekend of intense negotiations, the CWU is still refusing to accept the flexibility that Royal Mail urgently needs if it is to modernise and survive.
“Royal Mail has offered both short and longer-term solutions on pay within the 2.5% we can afford for pay this year.
“We have now been talking to the union for seven months on pay, modernisation and pensions, but rather than accept a solution the union continues to table unrealistic proposals that fail to deliver the efficiency needed if we are to compete in today’s challenging market place.”
