Royal Mail workers walked out on strike at the East Oxford delivery office yesterday in a bitter dispute over pay.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) mounted picket lines outside Royal Mail offices across the country.

The action follows a walkout last week and there will be further stoppages on Thursday September 8 and Friday September 9.

On its website, the East Oxford depot said it had "well-developed contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce.

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"We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption."

 

 

On days when strike action is taking place, it said, it will deliver as many Special Delivery and Tracked24 parcels as possible, and will prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible.

The CWU tweeted: "What a picket, Oxford. Great to see a ton of supporters as well #StandByYourPost."

The action is in protest at a 2 per cent pay rise, although the company has said more money is on offer.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “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 food banks.

“Postal workers won’t meekly accept their living standards being hammered by greedy business leaders who are completely out of touch with modern Britain.

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“They are sick of corporate failure getting rewarded again and again.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The CWU’s self-centred actions with the wider trade union movement is putting jobs at risk, and making pay rises less affordable.

“We are losing £1 million a day and the CWU’s strike action is making our situation worse. We want to protect well-paid, permanent jobs long term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions."

It said the CWU failed to respond to its latest invitation to meet to discuss change and pay.

“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 act fast.

“We cannot cling to outdated working practices, ignoring technological advancements and pretending that Covid has not significantly changed what the public wants from Royal Mail.”

 

 

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