Latest Bristol postal strikes begin
Postal services across Bristol will be disrupted this week in a series of strikes that began last night.
More than 200 distribution and collection drivers based at the Bristol mail sorting centre in Filton are on strike for 24 hours, which started at 8pm yesterday.
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Latest Bristol postal strikes begin
Then tomorrow, 400 workers at the regional mail depot in Severn Beach will take part in a 24-hour stoppage beginning at 4am.
Later the same day, at 11.55am, 1,000 workers at the Filton sorting centre will begin a 24-hour strike.
On Friday, about 900 workers at 19 smaller depots around Bristol will take part in a one-day strike from 4am.
The strikes are the latest in an ongoing dispute over pay, conditions and job security.
The Royal Mail wants to modernise working practices because fewer letters are being sent as customers switch to email and texts.
The Communications Workers Union says it agrees reform is necessary but wants to see better job security for its members.
The CWU is balloting its 121,000 members around the country on whether to take nationwide industrial action.
Talks between the two sides will be held next week in a bid to avert a national strike.
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by peter skinner, portishead
Tuesday, September 29 2009, 5:37PM
“what a bunch of idiots. it is clear that you're all gullible enough to believe the propoganda that rm put around about unions being against things like use of machines etc, when these new machines are already being used! the fact is that the royal mail management have provoked this dispute by their aggressive stance towards frontline low level employees saying things like we're over paid and underworked when our wages barely cover the basic costs of living and they pay them selves huge bonuses. either educate yourself to the real facts surrounding this dispute or get off this message board and take your ill informed opinions to a discussion about some other issue you know nothing about”
by John, Bristol
Tuesday, September 29 2009, 6:02AM
“Whether the CWU is Marxist or not is beside the point. It is unfortunate that unions are necessary in the present day otherwise employers would have few checks on their activities.
Employers are employers to make money for themselves and, if they have any, their shareholders. They are not, in the main, charities and their ideals are not philanthropic.
As my father-in-law often said,;
"Every employee should be in a union, the secret was to choose one that was going to sell you down the river in the longest possible time"
And he was a docker .......”
by Miss. A., south bristol
Monday, September 28 2009, 10:58PM
“personally my post hasn't been affected, I'm still getting my bills! I think you should be grateful you have a job. Everyone wants maximum benefits for minimum effort these days... there are plenty people willing to work, afterall, how hard can sorting/delivering post be??”
by MB, Bristol
Monday, September 28 2009, 9:41PM
“I'm not Mike Ford, Mr Logic.
Sorry to hear about Anne's husband's unfortunate medical ailments but what the hell has it got to do with this current postal dispute?
Is this day time TV?”
by T, South Bristol
Monday, September 28 2009, 9:10PM
“So as usual the 'real' posties who do the legwork and deliver tonnes of post door to door each year are working, but the idiots who sit around lobbing a few bags around all day are on strike. Big deal - we all hate you and your job could be done in hlaf the time for a fraction of the cost by a machine - like in any other company/country. Get over yourselves and see that the Union are taking you all for a ride on the back of their expense accounts...”