Postal workers to strike again (From Oxford Mail)

Postal workers to strike again

7:48pm Thursday 5th July 2007 in News By Andrew Smith

Postal workers in Oxfordshire are to join colleagues nationwide in another day of strike action on Friday, July 13.

Management and unions have failed to reach agreement to end a dispute on pay and restructuring.

Officials from the Communication Workers' Union said if it was not for national action, staff at the Oxford Mail Centre at Cowley would be on strike anyway.

CWU representative Bob Cullen said: "If the national strike was settled tomorrow, the Oxford workers would walk out."

Mr Cullen said staff were angry about not being allowed to work overtime to clear the backlog of last week's strike. Messages from chief executive Adam Crozier played on newly-erected plasma-screen TVs in the depot have been dismissed as "propaganda".

Workers have rejected a 2.5 per cent pay offer, with the union claiming 40,000 job cuts will take place nationally under modernisation plans.

Royal Mail spokesman Sue Dakin said the Oxford branch of the CWU had not raised any issues about industrial relations locally and it was not felt right to pay overtime to clear the strike backlog. She said that screens were installed to communicate with staff quickly and effectively.