Strike ballot over Post Office pay freeze

11 February 2011

The Communication Workers Union has today (Friday) served notice for a strike ballot among members at the Post Office. The ballot affects almost 4,000 staff at crown offices across the UK in a dispute over pay, job security and the future of the post office network.

Despite increased profits of £72 million last year, awarding a pay rise to managers and increasing directors' remuneration by 21 per cent (worth £3.9 million in 2009-10), Post Office Ltd (POL) has pleaded poverty and is refusing to consider a pay rise for counter staff. The company is also refusing to extend a guarantee on the number of crown offices, which implies that further closures are being planned.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “POL's attitude is about driving a race to the bottom on terms and conditions for staff and further downsizing the post office network.

“The company has no vision – and worse still appears to have no desire – to give staff a fair and just pay settlement or to work towards a sustainable post office network. Their approach spells disaster for Post Office employees and will further wreck the services that communities rely on.

“We have written to Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene today making it clear that we remain available for talks to resolve this dispute.”

Andy Furey, CWU assistant secretary and lead negotiator with POL, said: “The Post Office is showing callous indifference to the work and living standards of hard-working counter staff while at the same time increasing pay for managers and directors. It's double standards and fat-cat economics in the extreme.

“POL has opportunistically seized on creative accounting results to plead poverty and avoid a pay rise for staff. But the £72 million profits and pay-outs for managers and directors show that the company can afford a pay rise for staff who have now gone two years without a rise.

“POL is being deliberately provocative by saying our members are overpaid compared with staff in privately run sub-post offices and franchises. The reality is that these workers are disgracefully exploited with pay rates barely above minimum wage. The refusal to guarantee the crown network is more evidence of a damaging race to the bottom which we have no desire to engage with.”

The ballot timetable is as follows:

Notice of intention to ballot served to POL Friday 11th February
Ballot papers dispatched Friday 18th February
Ballot closes Friday 4th March

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