Northern Ireland posties are up in arms after bosses docked their wages BEFORE they went strike today.
Royal Mail staff in the Communication Workers Union downed their post bags early this morning today(Friday) in a dispute over pay.
But sources say that when staff got their pay dockets earlier this week their wages had already been cut due to ‘unpaid absence’.
Read more: Northern Ireland nurses to be balloted for strike action
One postal worker told Belfast Live: “We usually get our docket on Tuesday ahead of pay day on Friday so you can check overtime has been paid right, but we got them on Monday night because payroll staff are taking action. People checked their wages and saw they’d had their pay docked already because of what Royal Mail are calling ‘unpaid absence’.
“I said to a manager about and was told we’ll be reimbursed if we don’t go on strike. People are fuming about it. All it’s done is to make people even more angry and determined to go out on strike for better pay.”
Reacting to the news People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll slated Royal Mail. On Wednesday, the West Belfast representative held discussions with postal workers who reported having their pay deducted even though the strike had not yet taken place.
Around 115,000 postal workers, who are CWU members, began the first of a four-day industrial action today. Around 5,000 are based in Northern Ireland. Gerry Carroll called for staff to be given a “real pay rise”.
He added: “Royal Mail is doing everything within its power to break the will of the postal workers who want nothing more than a decent pay rise. The timing of this pay deduction is incredibly suspect, particularly since these workers have not yet taken strike action.
“While I have no doubt that postal workers will turn out for strike action in numbers, Royal Mail has once again demonstrated its intransigence. Its offer of a real terms pay cut gives postal workers no other option but to strike.
“These workers are clearly up for the fight and no number of punitive measures from Royal Mail will dissuade them. This company recently paid around £400 million to its shareholders so it can comfortably afford to give the postal workers an above inflation pay rise.”
Royal Mail have been contacted for comment.
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