Post by Salem6 on Oct 30, 2003 7:41:35 GMT
Talks to try to resolve unofficial strikes by thousands of postal workers are expected to resume on Thursday.
With a backlog of mail mounting in London, the action over proposed changes to working practices has spread to parts of Essex, Berkshire and Oxford.
The strikes have spread outside London
And Royal Mail is warning that hundreds of post boxes in London could be sealed by the end of the week, if the dispute continues.
Special delivery services in the city are being suspended from Thursday.
The strikes began in Southall, west London, when workers took action after a driver was suspended.
Colleagues at nearby Greenford walked out after Royal Mail tried to move delayed post to other offices.
"This does not look like coincidence to us " Adam Crozier Royal Mail chief executive.
Communication Workers' Union (CWU) deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the strikes had taken place because local managers had been "attacking, humiliating and belittling" union members who took part in official action two weeks ago in a row over London weighting allowances.
"The union is not backing unofficial strike action - but neither can we deny that this amount of management provocation almost guaranteed a reaction from our members," he said.
The CWU is likely to suspend all official industrial action in the dispute over London weighting, while the wildcat strikes continue, a union spokesman said.
But Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier accused CWU officials of organising the unofficial strikes, saying: "This does not look like coincidence to us.
'Unofficial and unlawful'
"What we're seeing is a concerted campaign, orchestrated by union activists, to try to force Royal Mail to increase its London weighting payment over and above the existing offer. This is unofficial and unlawful."
Mr Crozier told BBC News Royal Mail had "a huge amount of respect" for its workers but they were being "led astray, intimidated and encouraged to go out in the belief it will get more money, which it won't".
Talks between the CWU and Royal Mail aimed at putting a stop to the 12-day dispute were adjourned on Wednesday evening without agreement.
Mr Ward said he hoped the two sides could find a sensible way forward at the conciliation service Acas but, he added, Royal Mail seemed intent on increasing its demands by scrapping local practices and ending national agreements.
Customer appeal
In response the company said it wanted more flexibility from the workforce and to end abuses of the overtime payments system.
It insisted that changes to jobs and shifts would not be radical.
As the dispute spread with no sign of a breakthrough, Royal Mail was forced on Wednesday to ask customers in London not to post anything while it lasted.
The company says it will also progressively seal up post boxes in affected areas of the city as the week goes on to prevent "a massive backlog of letters with nowhere to go".
Video:-
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39508000/rm/_39508671_post06_garvey_vi.ram
With a backlog of mail mounting in London, the action over proposed changes to working practices has spread to parts of Essex, Berkshire and Oxford.
The strikes have spread outside London
And Royal Mail is warning that hundreds of post boxes in London could be sealed by the end of the week, if the dispute continues.
Special delivery services in the city are being suspended from Thursday.
The strikes began in Southall, west London, when workers took action after a driver was suspended.
Colleagues at nearby Greenford walked out after Royal Mail tried to move delayed post to other offices.
"This does not look like coincidence to us " Adam Crozier Royal Mail chief executive.
Communication Workers' Union (CWU) deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the strikes had taken place because local managers had been "attacking, humiliating and belittling" union members who took part in official action two weeks ago in a row over London weighting allowances.
"The union is not backing unofficial strike action - but neither can we deny that this amount of management provocation almost guaranteed a reaction from our members," he said.
The CWU is likely to suspend all official industrial action in the dispute over London weighting, while the wildcat strikes continue, a union spokesman said.
But Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier accused CWU officials of organising the unofficial strikes, saying: "This does not look like coincidence to us.
'Unofficial and unlawful'
"What we're seeing is a concerted campaign, orchestrated by union activists, to try to force Royal Mail to increase its London weighting payment over and above the existing offer. This is unofficial and unlawful."
Mr Crozier told BBC News Royal Mail had "a huge amount of respect" for its workers but they were being "led astray, intimidated and encouraged to go out in the belief it will get more money, which it won't".
Talks between the CWU and Royal Mail aimed at putting a stop to the 12-day dispute were adjourned on Wednesday evening without agreement.
Mr Ward said he hoped the two sides could find a sensible way forward at the conciliation service Acas but, he added, Royal Mail seemed intent on increasing its demands by scrapping local practices and ending national agreements.
Customer appeal
In response the company said it wanted more flexibility from the workforce and to end abuses of the overtime payments system.
It insisted that changes to jobs and shifts would not be radical.
As the dispute spread with no sign of a breakthrough, Royal Mail was forced on Wednesday to ask customers in London not to post anything while it lasted.
The company says it will also progressively seal up post boxes in affected areas of the city as the week goes on to prevent "a massive backlog of letters with nowhere to go".
Video:-
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39508000/rm/_39508671_post06_garvey_vi.ram