Bristol posties say no to delivering BNP leaflets

About 30 Bristol postmen and women are refusing to deliver election leaflets promoting the British National Party.

They have complained to their bosses after being told to take the leaflets with normal mail.

The postal workers have accused Royal Mail bosses of bullying them into delivering the material.

But the party, which is constitutionally opposed to racial integration, campaigns for an immediate end to immigration and the voluntary resettlement of immigrants living legally in the UK "to their lands of ethnic origin", says the Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver its election addresses.

It says the postal workers should not "pick and choose" what they deliver.

All the complaints have been made by postal workers during the past three days.

They say Royal Mail bosses are failing to honour an agreement made with the Communications Workers' Union in 2005, which allows staff to refuse to deliver literature they find offensive.

One postal worker, who has a round in Fishponds, has refused to deliver the BNP material.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: "We are being forced by management to give out the BNP material even though it's against my beliefs – everyone knows what they stand for. We are being made to dish out this rubbish.

"There's an agreement in place which says that if we don't believe in the material or what it stands for, we don't have to deliver it. But Royal Mail are ignoring that.

"Fishponds borders one or two areas where there is an ethnic population and it's concerning we are being made to deliver this stuff.

"I've spoken to other posties around Bristol and it's been going on in other units in the city as well.

"I've read the BNP literature and although there isn't anything on it which is fascist or racist, it does say 'no to immigration' on it."

Postal workers were first asked to start delivering the BNP leaflets earlier this week ahead of the European elections on June 4.

Dave Wilshire, spokesman for the Bristol branch of the Communication Workers' Union, said he had been contacted by nearly 30 postal workers about the leaflets.

He said: "Because a large number of our members are from ethnic minorities, the union negotiated something called a conscience clause in 2005.

"If workers don't want to deliver something because of their personal beliefs or if they feel they would be putting themselves in danger by delivering something, we agreed Royal Mail would deal with it sympathetically.

"In those circumstances, it was agreed that casual staff would be asked to deliver it or it would be delivered by someone who doesn't have a problem with it.

"I have been inundated with calls in the last 48 hours from people who want to use the clause. They have been told they must deliver the material regardless of their beliefs.

"They say they are being bullied and intimidated. We think there's no common sense being used.

"We are saying to our members that if they want to exercise their right not to deliver the material, we will fully support them."

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "Where possible we will try to be flexible and sensitive to individual personal circumstances or beliefs.

"However, we need to balance this with Royal Mail's legal obligations, under the Representation of People Act, to deliver election material."

John Walker, spokesman for the BNP, said the Royal Mail was legally bound to deliver the party's election material.

He said: "The Royal Mail are duty-bound by law to make sure it's fully distributed and it's up to them to get the material out by whatever means.

"We will be monitoring all the areas to make sure we get the right coverage. It's not for postal workers to pick and choose which election leaflets they hand out."

According to its constitution, the BNP is "wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples" and "committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent the overwhelmingly white makeup of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948".

The constitution also restricts membership to 'Indigenous Caucasian' people.

It says: "The British National Party represents the collective National, Environmental, Political, Racial, Folkish, Social, Cultural, Religious and Economic interests of the indigenous Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Norse folk communities of Britain and those we regard as closely related and ethnically assimilated or assimilable aboriginal members of the European race also resident in Britain."