Royal Mail managers have voted to strike over job cuts and a redeployment programme to bring worsening terms and conditions. Members of the Unite union in Great Britain backed walkouts by 86% and 89% in Northern Ireland in the dispute, which involves over 2,400 managers across more than 1,000 delivery offices. Strike dates are to be announced later this week, according to Unite.
Sharon Graham, the union's general secretary, said enough is enough and that Royal Mail shareholders have been seizing profits.
Royal Mail is awash with cash, there is no need to sack workers, drive down pay or pursue this ill-thought out redeployment programme.
These plans are all about boardroom greed and profiteering and nothing whatsoever has to do with securing this vital public service.
Shareholders have been seizing the Royal Mail profits, while our members have been holding the service together. Our Royal Mail members are guaranteed to receive 100% of Unite's support in any industrial action they take this summer to get the company off this ruinous path. A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are disappointed that Unite members have voted in favor of both industrial action and industrial action short of a strike, also known as work to rule."
Unite have stated that they will be informing us in due course about the terms of any industrial action.
The head office of Unite misled members about additional job losses throughout the ballot process. This is not true. Unite has ignored our request to correct these claims.
There is no justification for industrial action. The extended consultation on these changes concluded earlier this year, and the restructuring is complete.
We committed to protecting pay for all managers who stay with Royal Mail, and the vast majority will see an increase in their earnings. The workers' union CWU members started voting on Tuesday on whether to stage a campaign of industrial action, with the result expected to be on July 19 in a poll of about 115,000 postal workers.
The CWU said it could be the biggest strike in what is shaping up to be a summer of discontent, as thousands of workers from different industries walk out to demand awards to keep up with the soaring inflation.