Bridgwater Royal Mail Postal Strike

 From Bridgwater Trades Union Council:

100 postman and women at Bridgwater Royal Mail Delivery Office walked out on unofficial strike this morning.

The CWU members are angry that Royal Mail are using the Covid 19 crisis as a screen to attack the strong trade union organisation at the Friarn St office.

Specific grievances are:

1. A manager who has previously twice been removed from Bridgwater DO has been put back in charge.Staff believe this manager's aggressive and anti-union behaviour make him the worst possible choice, when they just want the support of managers to get out and deliver letters and packets to local people as best they can, with many staff on self-isolation and/or sick, and working with, and supporting, some inexperienced casuals.  

2. Staff have been threatened with disciplinary action for "Wilful delay of the mail", which could lead to dismissal, when all they have done is work to their contracted finishing time.

3. Union activists have been followed around the building by managers who have tried to prevent them talking to members at work. 

4. Royal Mail have given notice they wish to rip up all current local agreements with the CWU-agreements that give local postman and women some of the best conditions in the country.

5. The current manager has deliberately tried to provoke trouble by removing the majority of cycles from the office-Bridgwater is the last office in the UK to use them.

The action this morning was supported by 100% of the union members at Bridgwater-a workplace where 99.7% of postman and women are union members

They have taken this action as a last resort-Royal Mail must now re-consider their whole management strategy at Bridgwater and appoint managers who are prepared to work with the union, not try and destroy it.

At 12.30pm this afternoon CWU members voted to go home for the rest of the day.

The strike will now go into its second day.

Senior CWU Officials are now involved to try and resolve this serious situation."

Further info Dave Chapple, Bridgwater Trades Union Council  on 07707869144

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