communications
News and articles about work, policy and struggles in the communications sector, from telecoms to postal and delivery services around the world.
Exeter postal workers to vote on Christmas strike
Devon post workers are to vote tomorrow (Friday) on whether to take industrial action over the Christmas period in an ongoing row over flexible working and overtime.
The Mid Devon Star reported that more than 400 members of the Communication Workers Union at Exeter Mail Centre are due to take part in the ballot, which will last for two weeks.
In a statement, the Royal Mail said that ballot was "disappointing." A spokesman said: "We would rather resolve the issue amicably."
2003: Postal workers wildcat strike
A short history of the largely successful wildcat stoppage of thousands of postal workers in the UK, and the developments which led to the strike.
Background
Wildcats return with a roar - postal wildcat strike, 2003
Article about the Royal Mail wildcat strike and other wildcat actions in the UK in 2003.
We could have borrowed this headline of last weeks English Anarchist publications, but we actually nicked it from the Financial Times of the 6 November. The wildcat strikes are back, after the work stoppages at Heathrow airport, there have been wildcat actions by the postal workers and the fire fighters in the last two weeks. How can this be?
Canadian posties refuse to deliver homophobic pamphlet
Postal workers in Canada have refused to handle a homophobic pamphlet that was produced by a Christian fundamentalist group.
Neither rain, nor hail, nor sleet, nor snow nor refusal to deliver an anti-gay pamphlet will keep the mail from getting through.
That seemed to be the message yesterday from Canada Post in reacting to a brief walkout over the letter carriers union's refusal to deliver a pamphlet the union regards as "homophobic" and "hate mail."
Exeter postal strike update
A wildcat strike involving 300 workers at Exeter Mail Centre continues after talks between bosses and unions failed to end the unofficial dispute.
The initial trigger for the walkout (previously reported by libcom.org here) was the disciplining of a union official for his sickness record in a manner workers said violated normal procedures.
Exeter: Posties wildcat strike
300 workers wildcat at the Exeter Mail Centre, “severely disrupting” postal services.
Staff at the sorting centre walked out in support of a union official being disciplined over his sick leave - workers allege proper procedures have not been followed. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have fulfilled their statutory obligation to state they are trying to get the workers back to work, while management have been scabbing.
Posties pique - Royal Mail workers out on wildcats
With postal workers already angry at the Royal Mail's decision to impose a 2.9% pay offer, two small wildcat strikes have broken out in Oxford and Wolverhampton
As they were underway, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced its intention to ballot for industrial action.
5,000 jobs to go at NTL
Cable company NTL will tomorrow announce a jobs cull, axing almost a third of its British workforce as it pushes for £250m in annual cost savings from its £3.4bn merger with rival Telewest.
Around 5,000 jobs are expected to go from the combined company's workforce of 17,000 over the next few years.
