Talks between the
Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union are continuing today in an
attempt to end the wildcat strikes involving 10,000 employees.
Post boxes across
the country are being sealed to avoid them overflowing because 19 of the 73
sorting offices are on strike along with 82 of the 1,400 delivery depots.
The strikes have
been prompted by proposed changes to the shift pattern at the Watford mailing
centre.
“Both the union and
the Royal Mail believe that it is in the best interests of both customers and
the employees that there is a speedy return to work,” said a Royal Mail
spokesperson.
The CWU today
called on all parties to sit down and work towards a positive solution.
“What we need is
national level negotiations to hammer out the Watford dispute which has lead to
this unofficial action,” said John Keggie, the deputy general secretary of the
CWU.
Keggie claims that
local level industrial relations are at an all-time low. He said, “The board do
not seem to realise that they will fail if they do not engage their most
valuable asset – their workforce.”
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