Salford Royal Mail staff are planning continued strike action in the run up to Christmas.
The strike action by the Communication Workers’ Union is in response to Royal Mail insisting that cost-cutting measures are necessary. CEO Simon Thompson has said that up to 10,000 jobs could be cut by next August, with remaining workers receiving a wage increase of just two per cent.
The CWU says a two per cent increase is unacceptable given that inflation is at around 10% and claims Thompson recently received a £140,000 bonus on top of his £596,000 annual wage.
Royal Mail has posted profits this year and has handed out £2 billion to shareholders since it was privatised in 2013.
Royal Mail trying to sack 25,000 staff, have paid out £2bn in dividends and can’t even guarantee staff a proper pay rise. #StandByYourPost https://t.co/If9Z0HZwkR
— The CWU (@CWUnews) November 26, 2022
Despite this, Mr Thompson claims the company staff cannot afford a wage increase in line with inflation, and says the run of strike action has increased financial losses.
MP for Salford and Eccles, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, have expressed solidarity and support for the striking workers.
Total solidarity with @CWUnews members locally, regionally and nationally and the brilliant posties serving our communities across the City of Salford and the wider Greater Manchester.
A win for the posties is a win for everyone!#StandByYourPost https://t.co/18Nh0dmwul
— SalfordMayor (@salford_mayor) November 27, 2022
Carl Webb, the North West lead for the CWU, has been at the heart of the strike action at the Salford collection centre.
1/ Huge support again this morning for Royal Mail @cwunews @NWCWU workers on strike in Salford ✊ pic.twitter.com/OZBhn1mJBm
— Rebecca Long-Bailey (@RLong_Bailey) November 25, 2022
He called the strike action a last resort.
He said: “Obviously no one wants to take strike action because you’re losing money and you’re impacting on customers, but we have been left with no choice.
“The only thing we can do as workers is withhold the labour, and show the strength of feeling.”
He said nearly all postal workers had been out on strike.
Mr Webb said there was a severe lack of confidence in CEO Simon Thompson among Royal Mail staff.
He said: “He seems to have benefited from the company making vast amounts of profit, that they declared in early 2022. The shareholders have benefited too. But the workforce have not earned that profit back. He calls everyone his team, but he is not a team player.
“All the workers are trying to do is get a cost-of-living pay rise so we can turn the heating on, buy food and look after the kids. These are people who worked through Covid, delivering to the elderly and the vulnerable.”
Updated list of Royal Mail Group strike dates. #StandByYourPost pic.twitter.com/bwv2oT6tsz
— The CWU (@CWUnews) November 18, 2022
Mr Webb said: “When you speak to people on these picket lines it is not all about the money. Thompson wants changes to happen, like us working on Sundays and working longer hours. We have children and families that our job has to work around.
“When I first started, I worked from 5am until 12.30, now people are working until 14.30-15.30.”
The CWU has offered to engage in further negotiations after unanimously rejecting the latest proposed agreement.
🚨 BREAKING: CWU make further attempt to resolve ongoing Royal Mail Group dispute with offer of urgent negotiations.
The ball is firmly in the court of Royal Mail Group CEO, Simon Thompson. #StandByYourPost pic.twitter.com/jc2WXxTYNU
— The CWU (@CWUnews) November 27, 2022
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