The UK's most up-to-date social housing and public sector news website
Royal Mail workers vote to strike
Workers in four Royal Mail distribution centres have voted in favour of industrial action over allegations of "heavy handed" management, threatening disruption to post deliveries, it was announced tonight.
The Communication Workers Union said 1,000 of its members in Essex, London, Nottingham and Crick in Northamptonshire backed a campaign of action after accusing the company of imposing changes to working practices and failing to honour agreements.
National officer Terry Pullinger said: "The current managerial leadership of Royal Mail see working with the trade union as a challenge to their managerial prerogative.
"Against that backdrop they would appear to prefer an adversarial model of industrial relations which is harmful and destructive in the workplace and smacks of the past.
"Our members live in the same real world as everyone else and can ill afford to forego their wages to make a point or to ensure that their interests are represented by their trade union.
"That simple fact should demonstrate to everybody how strongly they feel by voting yes for industrial action.
"Observers would be amazed at how easy it would be to resolve this matter. Hopefully the ballot result will now focus people on that resolution. It's Royal Mail's call."
Copyright Press Association 2006.
