Posters and placards outside the Mount Pleasant Sorting Office in London during the Royal Mail postal disputes, October 2007.
The dispute centers around 'modernisation plans' which Royal Mail says are required to remain competitive, however the CWU believes that these will lead to around 40,000 job losses. Additionally there are disputes surrounding flexible working hours, pay rises and pensions. Royal Mail position Royal Mail claims that flexibility is vital to the business, and that it is entirely reasonable for employees normally employed in one capacity to cover other roles as required to cope with variations in the work levels in each area. The company is also adamant that increased automation (and fewer employees) are necessary to bring costs under control. The unions are accused of retaining numerous Spanish practices which prevent flexible working. CWU position The CWU has accused Royal Mail of treating its employees as slaves, and regards a level of flexibility which would see employees doing different jobs on a daily basis as unacceptable. Government position The CWU has called on the government to "intervene in a positive way". Until early October the government maintained its stance that this was a matter for Royal Mail and the union to sort out. However, in early October Gordon Brown called on the CWU to reach an agreement on the terms offered, a move that was condemned by the TUC. Public view Public opinion has been divided, with some strongly in support of the Postal Workers, and others condemning the disruption caused by the strikes.
Size: 5256px × 3504px
Location: Mount Pleasant Sorting Office, London
Photo credit: © Poppy / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: communication, cwu, dispute, employment, line, mail, mount, office, picket, pleasant, post, postal, postman, postwoman, rights, royal, service, sorting, strike, union, unions, workers
