Royal Mail faces legal action over temporary postal staff

Royal Mail will face legal action from a union over the recruitment of agency staff during the postal strike.

The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) will take the company to the High Court on Friday, claiming it has broken the law because it is illegal to take on staff to do the work of people involved in a lawful industrial dispute.

About 1,000 agency workers – double the number of temps usually hired at this time of year – are working at a temporary sorting warehouse set up at the South West Distribution Centre, at Severn Beach.

Royal Mail denies these staff, some of the 30,000 temporary workers hired around the country, are being used to break the postal strikes. It says they are dealing with the backlog of post left by the strikes – in Bristol currently at about 2.25 million items – as well as preparing for the Christmas rush.

But the GMB union says the law has been broken.

It has also threatened the Government with legal action if it does not investigate claims that agency staff have been unlawfully hired.

Royal Mail said they were acting within the law.

A spokesman said: "The up-to 30,000 directly engaged, fully vetted temporary workers being hired by Royal Mail to help us clear any mail delayed by strikes and help with Christmas volumes are entirely in line with all employment law."

The union's move came as both sides continue to study proposals aimed at resolving the wrangle over jobs, pay and modernisation.

Further walkouts by 3,500 postal workers in the Bristol area are planned for Friday and Monday.