communications
News and articles about work, policy and struggles in the communications sector, from telecoms to postal and delivery services around the world.
Royal Mail: Wildcat strikes spread as post piles up
Wildcat stoppages at Royal Mail offices in Scotland have now spread to thirteen offices. Meanwhile 200 million items of post are now undelivered, and official strikes and further ballots continue.
Thousands of workers at Glasgow mail centre were on an unofficial strike when thirteen drivers who refused to cross the picket line of the official strike at Edinburgh airport were suspended.
Glasgow: 5,000 postal workers in unofficial action
During the ongoing rolling strikes over pay and conditions, thousands of postal workers launched a wildcat strike in support of colleagues who were suspended.
Thirteen workers who had refused to cross a picket line at Edinburgh airport were sent home, and up to 5,000 colleagues walked out in support. The CWU said a deal was offered to bosses which would have averted the unofficial action but it was rejected. The strike began at Glasgow Mail Centre at midnight last night, followed by delivery offices shortly afterwards.
Man killed by Royal Mail scab
Tragedy struck yesterday when one of 5,000 Royal Mail managers acting as scabs drove his lorry into an Astra van, killing one and injuring a second person.
The Daily Mirror reported that a strike breaking Royal Mail boss was arrested yesterday after his lorry had a crash with a van killing the driver.
Office worker Phil Edmonds, 46, was at the wheel of the articulated truck when the vehicles collided, pushing the Astra van into the central reservation of a dual carriageway.
Royal Mail: Secret pensions robbery plan
The Mirror today revealed a secret plan of mail bosses to slash pensions for tens of thousands of workers.
The newspaper stated that Royal Mail workers will have their pensions slashed unless they work five years longer.
The move would cost staff members thousands of pounds a year. Some could see their retirement pay halved.
In addition the posties' final salary scheme would be closed to new members from next year.
Post office staff on strike in Coventry
Workers at the Post Office in Coventry were on strike Thursday over moves to shift services to WH Smith.
The decision to move Coventry's Hertford Street branch into WH Smith has led to four strikes within three weeks. The strike from 8.30am until mid-day was supposed to be the end of industrial action, however a decision was made to continue if there was no response.
Neil Robinson, branch secretary of the CWU, said: "We will keep going - we will continue the fight."
Evidence of disastrous scab work in the Royal Mail strikes, 2007
Images, stories and videos from Youtube of accidents caused by use of managers as untrained scab labour to attempt to break the postal workers strikes against deterioration in pay and conditions.
Update
Tragedy struck on 26 July when one of 5,000 managers acting as scabs drove his lorry into an Astra van, killing its driver and injuring a second person.
Other accidents
Postal workers to escalate strike action
Two weeks of continuous disruption will hit Royal Mail as rotating strike action is planned by the postal workers union CWU.
Although postal workers will individually take 2 days of strike action in the next two weeks, the strikes announced mean that there will be two weeks of continuous disruption to mail services.
The strikes call out separate functions nationally on different days and the timing is aimed at maximising the impact on mail.
Oxford postal strike continues as Abingdon wildcats
Posties on unofficial strike since Monday are due to meet this morning, as a suspended worker is re-instated after a wildcat walkout in Abingdon.
The Oxford Mail reported that millions of items of post will be left undelivered for days as 500 Royal Mail workers in Oxford continue with an unofficial strike.
The employees at the sorting depot in Cowley are involved in a dispute which began on Monday afternoon when post worker and CWU steward Steven Gill was suspended.
Postal workers' guide to action, now and in future, 2003
A leaflet written by an ad-hoc group of angry postal workers during the 2003 wildcat strikes in Royal Mail. While we do not agree with all of it we reproduce it for reference.
We are a small "underground" group of postal workers in the Southeast. We want to make a brief "address" to our fellow workers. We don't represent anyone apart from ourselves. We're not looking for new "members". Any rumours you hear about who (or where) we are, are probably untrue. For reasons that will become clear, we intend to remain anonymous.
More Royal mail strikes in Bristol
Postal workers in Bristol were on strike today over a local dispute around sick pay arrangements.
The strike was in addition to Friday's national strike, there are currently no further plans for action on this particular issue.
