Up to 1,500 Post Office workers launch 24 hour strike in row over pay with more than 100 large high street branches set to be hit by disruption
- Up to 1,500 members of the Communication Workers Union are on strike today
- The strike involves staff at Crown Post Offices – larger branches usually in towns
- CWU warning of considerable delay, but firm expecting some branches to open
- Supply chain and administrative workers are also set to walk out on Thursday
- Post Office says it has ‘contingency measures’ in place to prevent disruption
Post Office workers have become the latest group of workers to launch strike action – following a row with bosses over pay.
Up to 1,500 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are on strike today at Crown Post Offices – the larger branches usually sited on high streets.
The union said its 24-hour strike would cause ‘considerable delays’ for consumers, but the firm says it expects some of its branches will remain open.
It is not yet clear how many of the company’s 114 crown branches have been closed as a result of today’s strike.
However customers are being advised to make use of services in sub-post offices if their nearest crown branch is closed.
Meanwhile, supply chain and administrative workers will strike on Thursday. The union said this will affect sub-post offices – smaller branches often in more rural locations.
However the Post Office said it had put a range of ‘contingency measures’ in place and it expects business as usual.
The strike action by staff at the Post Office, which provides over the counter services, does not involve the separate Royal Mail.
Royal Mail managers, under Unite, are set to go on strike later this month in a dispute over pay and job cuts.
It comes amid fears of a summer of discontent in Britain, with rail workers having already taken industrial action and unions for teachers, binmen and doctors threatening strikes.
Post Office workers have become the latest group to launch strike action, amid rising fears of a summer of discontent
The strike action comes after the CWU said it opposed Post Office management’s offer of a 3 per cent pay rise for the 2022-23 financial year.
The pay offer was made alongside a one-off lump sum payment of £500, and no pay increase for the 2021-22 financial year.
The union complained the pay offer was well below the rate of inflation in the UK – which hit 9 per cent in May on the Consumer Price Index.
CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: ‘The blame for this disruption lies entirely with the senior Post Office leadership, who have repeatedly failed – and wilfully refused – to set out a sensible and fair pay agreement.
‘Everyone knows that the only solution is a fair pay rise that properly rewards members for their extraordinary efforts in serving the public and delivering a profitable Post Office, while also taking account of the extreme cost of living.
‘There most certainly is money available, but management do not want to give workers their fair share.
‘Our message to the employer today is: don’t waste our members’ time by misleading statements.
‘Stop the spin and get serious about pay. Until you do this, the strikes will continue.’
It comes as Royal Mail managers across the UK are set to take industrial action later this month in a dispute over pay and job cuts.
The Unite union says 2,400 managers will work to rule between July 15 and July 19. They will also take part in strike action from 20 July to 22 July.
Deliveries and some services like tracked items will be likely be delayed during this period, according to Unite.
Royal Mail said there were ‘no grounds’ for a strike and it had contingency plans to minimise disruption.
Unite says the strike action is over Royal Mail’s plans to cut 700 jobs and cut pay by up to £7,000.
It follows strikes by members of the RMT at Network Rail last month which caused disruption on the railway.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the National Education Union, last month said more than 450,000 teachers were also considering strike action if they are not handed a pay rise of up to 12 per cent.
She acknowledged there was ‘a risk’ that her union’s pay demands could fuel inflation, but added: ‘The risk if you don’t pay teachers properly is greater.’
Meanwhile, nurses have warned the new Health Secretary that they must be given an immediate pay rise as they threaten to strike.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) wants Steve Barclay to end a three-month delay and award its members a double-digit pay deal.
The union said a survey of almost 1,500 people in England showed that public support for nurses taking industrial action has risen sharply.
In May, 42 per cent of respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ likely to back nurses but this has now risen to 49 per cent.
In its evidence to the Pay Review Body, the RCN called for a pay rise of 5 per cent above the level of RPI inflation, which is currently over 11 per cent.
Unison members and members of the public take part in a TUC national demonstration outside Parliament to demand action on the cost of living. Nurses are one of many groups threatening to strike including teachers, following the rail and Tube strikes in June
But ministers have suggested a 2 per cent to 3 per cent award.
Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary, said: ‘Lack of staff is putting patient care at risk. The pressure on nursing is unrelenting and now soaring inflation means staff are struggling to pay the bills and going to food banks.
‘They are leaving the profession in their droves – the incredible financial hardship they face is proving the final straw.
‘After a decade of pay cuts by government, nursing cannot afford to wait any more. Nursing is a highly skilled profession and must be recognised as such – investing in the profession must start with fair pay.
‘No nurse ever wants to take industrial action but nothing is off the table for our members. Nursing staff may feel they have no other choice to protect patient safety.’
Sara Gorton, head of health at the union Unison, said: ‘The Government’s leadership vacuum is no excuse for further delay on putting NHS pay right.
‘The Government is already months behind its own timetable.
‘Surging costs are having a terrible effect on staff and helping them should be top of the priority list for the new Secretary of State, not an afterthought.
‘Pay is crucial in making sure the NHS is properly staffed and able to provide the care that patients need.
‘Making a proper wage award will show that ministers are serious about protecting the health service and the millions who rely on it.
‘It’s high time the Government released the PRB reports to let nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, paramedics, cleaners and all the other vital NHS employees know if the inflation-busting pay rise they deserve will be delivered.’
A government spokesman said it is ‘considering the recommendations’.
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