Bristol's Royal Mail temp staff to double
Royal Mail is doubling the number of temporary workers it would normally recruit in Bristol over the Christmas period to help deal with the backlog of letters from the postal strike.
About 500 agency staff are usually hired in Bristol to cope with the Christmas rush.
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This year 1,000 temporary workers will be brought in to get cards and presents through people's doors in time for December 25.
And many have started six weeks earlier than in previous years to help clear the build-up of mail caused by the walkouts.
Temps are usually recruited at the start of December to help sort Christmas post at the Bristol Mail Centre in Filton.
Royal Mail refused to confirm how many extra temporary staff were being hired in Bristol, where they would work or what they would be doing.
But unions say that hundreds, recruited through the Manpower employment agency, have already begun work at a large temporary sorting warehouse set up near the South West Distribution Centre at Severn Beach.
Manpower also declined to comment on how many staff were being employed and for how long but the Evening Post understands the total will be about 500 more than normally hired in the run-up to Christmas.
The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) also said that Royal Mail managers had been drafted in from Dorset to work at a depot in Montpelier.
Dave Wilshire, secretary of the Bristol and District branch of the CWU, said: "Employment law says that agency staff should not be recruited to do the work of permanent staff who are on strike.
"We believe Royal Mail is clearly doing this at the site near the South West Distribution Centre (SWDC).
"We feel that they are just planning for even bigger failures of the mail, rather than directing their energies to resolving the dispute.
"They are spending all this money on extra agency staff and ferrying mangers around the country.
"Their efforts would be better directed to trying to reach an agreement so the people who are experts at doing the job and do it all year round can get back to work and start delivering people's mail in time for Christmas."
Talks between Royal Mail and the CWU were due to continue today, but two 24-hour strikes are planned for tomorrow and Friday are expected to go ahead.
That means 450 staff from the SWDC and 1,100 from the Bristol Mail Centre will walk out tomorrow, and on Friday 1,500 workers from 40 delivery depots across the Bristol area will strike.
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by Neil, Bristol
Thursday, October 22 2009, 11:23AM
“Dear Julraj;
I am in full time employment. I am a fully qualified accountant and have been so for twenty years. I am a socialist not a communist. We believe that a fairer world is possible for all, and in working towards that, we campaign against bullying management and incompetent politicians.
As I am quite well paid I'll treat you to a couple of newspapers that will hopefully open your eyes - where would you like me to leave them for you? Pub or Cafe in Clifton possibly?
Good thread Post readers - keep it up.”
by Claret Scott, Filton
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 11:35PM
“The Postal Dispute
Who do you trust?
The postie that delivers your mail all year, in all weathers for a pittance?
or the postal executive sitting in their warm office calculating that their bonus is going to be more than a postie's annual salary?
or Mandy planning his next yachting holiday with young george?
Claret Scott
Filton”
by Rich, Bristol
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 9:22PM
“Would somebody explain to me the benefits of striking??
Also tescos could start a postal delivery service. There are enough tesco stores to facilitate local delivery centres and they have a large fleet of vehicles that could be used. Instead of 1st and 2nd class you could have value mail and finest mail.
Anyone know the m.d's phone number??”
by who me, bristol
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 5:17PM
“the posties just want a day off, i would hapily pay more to pst a letter if it will arrive in time. at the present this stike is costing my business money and in turn jobs, we have now moved all parcels to DHL and the level of service is superb, R-Mail are slow,old and out of date, it needs a good shake up, less than 40p to send a letter from lands end to top of scotland, wake up that price is not realistic, it needs to be more to be viable, as for the temps you obviously need them as you keep saying there is too much work for you and not enough people to do it!”
by Mike, Bath
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 4:45PM
“Hannah, can you put that coat on, you know, the one with 'WELCOME' written on the back, and come and lie outside my front porch? You can jobshare with all the other doormats on here.”