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Post strike could affect services for months

6:00pm Thursday 8th October 2009 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter

Homes and businesses in Sussex could face months of severe disruption from postal strikes, which could start in just a week.

Postal workers today voted in favour of a national strike in a bitter row over pay and jobs.

The Communication Workers Union said its members backed a nationwide walkout by 3-1.

Hundreds of postmen and Royal Mail staff at post offices, delivery offices and sorting offices across the county could walk out in just seven days time if the union and bosses cannot reach an agreement.

CWU regional secretary Terry Jackson said it was regrettable that Sussex residents could be badly hit by any industrial action.

Comments(19)

lee paul says...
6:35pm Thu 8 Oct 09

eerr, not if the fair and reasonable demands by the Unions and their members are met by the management. What a cheeky article.

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Brian Sewards says...
6:53pm Thu 8 Oct 09

Thats it no xmas box this year sunshine

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wole says...
8:18pm Thu 8 Oct 09

I bet these lazy posties are working at Christmas though in the hope of getting a tip! How hard can it be to put a letter in a letterbox?
They will not be getting a penny of me!!


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I'm gonna pretend you're the New York Knicks says...
8:30pm Thu 8 Oct 09

What, you mean inflated pay and working practices that are a throw back to the dark ages?

News Flash: every other business in the world has to modernise. Why not Royal Mail? It should either be a publicly owned company (100%) or the contracts for different regions should be auctioned off like the railways.

unions are RUINING trade:

eg:
A Company employs 2000 people. The company needs to get rid of 200 to survive and offer no pay rises this year.

Unions get involved and demand no culls and massive pay rises:

A) the company dismisses 200 people, 1800 still have jobs, still get paid and the company goes on
B) the company keeps the 200, puts pay up, goes bust and 2000 people are out of work.

Which do YOU think is the better option?

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paulbton says...
9:03pm Thu 8 Oct 09

If you don't think your postman has done a good job this year don't tip him but please don't jump on the if you strike you won't get a tip bandwagon. This isn't all about money, we had no wage rise this year but we didn't strike Royal Mail made over £350mil profit last year and still they want your postman to be a part-time living in your area with some spare time to fill. The dream is housewifes or young mothers with kids at school students that want to go out in all weathers for 3 half hrs a day. This is what you are having a go at your full time postman for He just wants to keep his job so he can keep his family, not asking much is it?

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TrollOP says...
9:58pm Thu 8 Oct 09

A lot of my post gets "lost", a lot of the post I send gets "lost". I have to send items recorded to make sure they arrive.


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roast says...
11:14pm Thu 8 Oct 09

I don't get my post till midday now, what are they doing that takes so long to deliver letters, a monkey could do it quicker, I for one will be keeping my hands in my pocket come Xmas time!

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bonkersbarfly says...
11:36pm Thu 8 Oct 09

Boycott Royal Mail and the lazy sods will ALL be out of a job.

There are alternatives you know. Slightly pricier but at least the item gets there.

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jyan says...
12:01am Fri 9 Oct 09

paulbton wrote:
If you don't think your postman has done a good job this year don't tip him but please don't jump on the if you strike you won't get a tip bandwagon. This isn't all about money, we had no wage rise this year but we didn't strike Royal Mail made over £350mil profit last year and still they want your postman to be a part-time living in your area with some spare time to fill. The dream is housewifes or young mothers with kids at school students that want to go out in all weathers for 3 half hrs a day. This is what you are having a go at your full time postman for He just wants to keep his job so he can keep his family, not asking much is it?
What about my job and the people I employ? My small business could possibly close down because of this. I'm already getting a multitude of complaints about the bad postal service - very delayed deliveries occurring, post not even arriving after weeks, postmen not even bothering to put 'while you were out' cards through doors just leaving at sorting office. As I see it we have 2 choices - either to find a cost-effective alternative delivery service and that may be a permanent move (so Royal Mail loses out completely) or my business is not viable and will have to close (and again Royal Mail loses out completely). Would you be happier about? Knowing you are possible forcing small businesses to close and putting other people out of work or losing business for the Royal Mail hence forcing more postmen to lose their jobs? I'd be very happy to hear a postmans reply.

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tilburyre says...
8:50am Fri 9 Oct 09

Email is killing letter post. Parcel post will just be taken over by ther courier services. Yet again totally moronic union leaders are burying their heads in the sand and failing to see reality.

Amazon have alreay placed one contract elsewhere and there is talk of more going the same way. Other firms will follow suit.

Go ahead you union idiots and strike yourselves out of a job.

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D Merrett says...
10:26am Fri 9 Oct 09

It is a fact that the Public will not tolerate Union action at this current time of suffering from loss of employment and high energy bills. We can understand people wanting to improve their life-style but now is not the time and the public will react against any Union action. This government will not be abe to control the reaction that may occur and breakdown in community relations.

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cockles & mussels says...
11:30am Fri 9 Oct 09

I heard some stuff on the radio about 'outdated spanish practices' being operated by the union - perhaps some postal worker could tell us what this entails ?? I heard something about signing in and out at work the minute they arrive in work ? and other stuff that seemed to be from the 70s where these things were the norm

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Realdeal says...
11:56am Fri 9 Oct 09

Hurray - I'm one of the lucky ones who has been able to arrange for business post elsewhere. It will remain away from the Royal Mail forever. I sympathise with all of those who have no choice in the matter.

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Hugh Rinall says...
12:00pm Fri 9 Oct 09

The UPW need to remember what the unions did to our docks and our car industry. Royal Mail is unfit for purpose, if mail isn't late, it gets stolen. Time to dump it and start afresh!

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jakiB says...
12:06pm Fri 9 Oct 09

I have no complaints abut the postal service, I think it's good value for money for getting items delivered to the door. In the USA my friend has to travel miles to a depot to collect her post - now that would be worth complaining about!!!

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Andy R says...
1:18pm Fri 9 Oct 09

If you actually want to know what's really going on on the post (and with some contributors I realise that's a very big "if") try googling "Roy Mayall" and then having a good read....

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Wilftop says...
2:11pm Fri 9 Oct 09

Poasties say they want job security & the pay rise they haven't recieved this year. What makes you so different to any other employee working for a firm. It's 2009 not 1970!

Nobody has job security these days & most companies did not give thier employees a pay rise this year. My employer didn't & this has ment no redundancies are being made at the moment.

If they go on strike I will ensure my husbands company hire one of the other firms to handle all of thier postal work & never return to royal mail.

The unions crippled this country then & they are trying to do it again.

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notaconspiracy says...
2:28pm Fri 9 Oct 09

I've already made arrangements to have my business mail and some personal packages to be delivered.

I'm paying a bit more, but they'll get there on time.

Goodbye Royal Mail.

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jyan says...
3:28pm Fri 9 Oct 09

I've just done a deal with a courier who will be now properly delivering most of my mail. So long Royal Mail you're losing good business... and for good.

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