Labour man joins the posties on picket line (From Yeovil Express)

Labour man joins the posties on picket line

6:00pm Monday 26th October 2009

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THE Labour parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Lee Skevington, joined striking postal workers on the picket line at the town's sorting office in defiance of Government opposition to the strike.

Mr Skevington said the strike was of the Royal Mail's "own doing" after rejecting offers from the Communication Workers' Union.

"The CWU have offered deals time and again to the Royal Mail and each time they have rejected them," he said.

"This strike is of the Royal Mail's own doing and I commend the postal workers for taking the necessary action to safeguard both their industry and their jobs.

"I am demanding the Government put pressure on the Royal Mail to put the situation right."

Mr Skevington added: "I am backing the postal workers because I believe the deal they have received has been a disgrace.

"The postal workers have been threatened with a 25% pay cut while their managers take bonuses of up to £9000 and force employees to work extra hours.

"The Royal Mail have tried to introduce compulsory sackings; they have completely excluded the union from modernisation plans and workers run the risk of losing their pension scheme.

"And on top of it all, the Royal Mail are gradually turning the industry into one with no job security which operates on entirely casual part-time labour."

Phil Chadwick, secretary of the Western Counties branch of the Communication Workers Union which covers the South West, said: "There is much scaremongering going on from Royal Mail.

"No one can work out why they would attack their own workforce in this way.

"Royal Mail are also continuing to claim that their workforce is 25% overpaid.

"They want a pay freeze to be the first step towards reducing pay for postal staff and their families."

Mr Skevington has contacted Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, and asked for the establishment of a long-term independent review on the future of the Royal Mail.

Mr Skevington has made it very clear to the Government that the way forward must be to modernise the service with the consent and participation of management, workers, the union and those who use the service to ensure all stakeholders have a say in the Royal Mail's future.

If the latest talks being held this week in London between the Royal Mail and the union fail to reach a decision postal workers plan to walkout again this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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