POSTAL workers in Huddersfield are set for further strike action this weekend – as union leaders warned of an escalation of the national dispute.
Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said there was “every prospect” of industrial action being stepped up after talks aimed at resolving the row collapsed yesterday.
Mr Hayes also said the union was close to making a decision on whether or not to take legal action over Royal Mail’s move to hire 30,000 agency workers to deal with the backlog of mail caused by the strike.
The warning came at the start of a fresh wave of strikes which is causing major disruption to mail deliveries for the second time this month.
Picket lines were mounted outside mail centres across the UK, with workers “solidly supporting” the walkouts.
Mr Hayes said: “We will be upping the dispute. We will not be scaling it down. There is every prospect that we will increase the action and we could be looking at longer strikes.”
The warning raises the threat of huge disruption to Christmas post unless the bitter dispute over jobs, pay and modernisation is resolved.
Up to 120,000 union members are taking part in a three-day strike over Royal Mail plans for jobs, pay and modernisation.
Staff at delivery offices in Huddersfield, Bradford and Wakefield are due to take part in the stoppage tomorrow , with pickets on duty at the Northumberland Street office.
Andy Lee, CWU regional official, said that meant no deliveries tomorrow with a likely knock-on effect to deliveries on Monday.
He said support for the strike was still strong, adding: “We had a 98% turnout last week and we are expecting the same level of support this time.
Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson said he was “very concerned” about the effect of the strikes on customers, but claimed disruption would be “limited.”
David Ward, postal deputy general secretary of the CWU, said the union and Royal Mail needed to have a “shared vision” of changes to the company.
He said there were three main issues to be resolved – job security, working conditions and what constitutes a fair day’s work.
The union leader also said they want the conflict resolved before Christmas. adding: “It would be very difficult for us as people who have spent our lives in this industry to call a strike right at Christmas. I’d rather sort this out now than have people think we’re holding them to ransom. It would be a very difficult call for the union to take strike action at Christmas, we’ve never done that.”
Strike breaker predicts workers will not win
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‘Strike will not succeed’
A STRIKE-breaker claims postal workers will end up agreeing to Royal Mail plans for reforming the service.
The worker, who asked not to be named, said the strikers would not win any of their demands just as they failed to win previous disputes.
He said: "I have been involved in a number of postal strikes and every single time the union has lost. People are going to end up accepting the changes because Royal Mail will not give in."
He said some postal staff were continuing to work at local offices, but claimed they were not crossing picket lines at Huddersfield because they felt intimidated.
But he added: "As we get nearer to Christmas, people are going to be looking at big holes in their pay packets and they will start to drift back."
The worker said the union was right to seek the best possible terms for employees made redundant by new technology, but insisted: "Royal Mail is a fantastic company to work for.
"There are 2.5m unemployed people out there who would gladly come in and do the job."
And he added: "We are losing business right, left and centre. It is going to private couriers and it will not come back. The customer is king and without the customer there will be no Royal Mail. Without Royal Mail there will be no jobs."
