Belfast postal workers on wildcat strike

Two hundred postal workers in Belfast walked out earlier today apparently over the sacking of some of their colleagues. The unofficial action shut down deliveries for most of the city.

Submitted by Steven. on February 1, 2006

BBC news reported:
Postal workers have gone on unofficial strike
Postal deliveries in Belfast have been disrupted after workers at Royal Mail's main delivery office in the city staged a walk-out.

More than 200 employees who work at Royal Mail's Tomb Street depot went on unofficial strike on Tuesday morning.

The strike meant deliveries in north, west and south Belfast were cancelled. The east of the city was unaffected.

Unions representing staff say they will not go back to work until the company deals with outstanding issues.

Postal workers in the north of the city were the first to go on strike, but they were quickly joined by their colleagues in the south and west of the city who held a picket outside the depot.

The unofficial action is being blamed on difficulties between staff and management over disciplinary procedures and other issues in the north Belfast section.

The strike action is illegal and Royal Mail have said they will not enter into negotiations about the dispute until the workers return.

Talks between management and the Communications Workers' Union aimed at settling the dispute broke down on Tuesday afternoon.

Union representatives said they felt they had been threatened with disciplinary action by management if staff did not return to work.

It now looks likely that postal deliveries to north, south and west Belfast will be disrupted again on Wednesday.

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