This Thursday (July 14) supply chain and administration workers will take industrial action over an effective pay cut at a time when inflation has reached record levels. Communication Workers Union (CWU) members working across the remaining Crown Post Office branches are demanding a pay rise that matches inflation instead of the current offer of 3 per cent.
Workers in Nailsea and Yate will be joining their colleagues across the UK in what will be the sixth day of industrial action this year. The Nailsea branch was closed on Monday while in Yate there was a reduced service during the 24 hour national strike over pay.
There is likely to be more strikes from Post Office workers this year if an agreement is not reached soon. 97 per cent of members had voted in favour of industrial action after working throughout the pandemic with a 0 per cent pay increase.
READ MORE: Post Office workers in 24-hour strike in pay row with warnings of more to come
This Thursday morning there will be a picket line at the Bristol distribution centre in Patchway from 7-10am which will result in limited services. Bristol CWU branch Secretary, Ben Watts told Bristol Live that the union didn’t want to go on strike but had no choice due to the Post Office management's unwillingness to negotiate a fair deal.
Following the first strike on May 7, 2022 Post Office Ltd lifted the pay freeze and offered employees a 2 per cent pay rise which has now increased to 3 per cent with a £500 lump sum for full-time workers. Both offers were rejected by the CWU who would like to negotiate an increase in line with inflation and a back payment that makes up for the loss in earnings over the pandemic.
The last time the union sat down to negotiate with Post Office management was on June 30 in a discussion that Mr Watts describes as “unproductive”. With the cost of living crisis set to deepen in October when energy bills increase again, the 3 per cent offer was viewed by the union as a collapse in living standards.
The CWU branch secretary, Mr Watts who lives in Nailsea himself believes the Post Office is not treating workers fairly. In March postmasters and mistresses at the Post Office won a legal battle over a major miscarriage of justice involving imprisonment, financial ruin and deaths after they were wrongly convicted due to failures in the Horizon computer system.
Mr Watts said: “Inflation was at 11.7 per cent in May so 3 per cent is effectively a pay cut. This is in the backdrop of the Post Office spending millions and millions in court, defending the indefensible over the Horizon scandal where [more than] 700 postmasters were wrongly convicted.
“Out of £35 million profit, £1.8 million would secure a decent, acceptable pay rise for the 1,400 members. We’re not asking for all of it, we’re a sensible union.
“That profit has been made off the backs of workers and quite often their bosses were in Zoom meetings messaging them during the pandemic when they’ve been in the office risking taking Covid home to their own families. It’s a big ask that needs rewarding as well.
“Our members were the key workers who were working throughout the pandemic. Our bosses were clapping us on a Thursday night and then absolutely nothing when it comes to profits.
“The people in the Nailsea office have worked there for decades, they are people who have served their community. [Going on strike] is the last thing they want to do but they’ve got to a point where enough is enough.
“We want a negotiated deal, we don’t want to be holding up people’s day. Our members are losing pay, it’s not something we take lightly.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We’re disappointed that the CWU have made the decision to strike and apologise to customers who usually use our Nailsea and Yate branches which were both closed on Monday. We remain hopeful that we can reach a pay agreement soon. We don’t comment on pay negotiations in public. We speak directly to the CWU.”
Post Office staff worked throughout the pandemic while banks and the majority of high street shops were shut down. The unprecedented demand in passport applications and the range of services offered by Post Offices at a time when high street banks are closing down has put an increased pressure on staff.
The vast majority of Post Offices in the UK are now run by private companies whose employees will not be joining in the strike action despite having lower pay rates and worse working conditions than their counterparts in the remaining Crown Post offices. Legally the CWU does not have recognition in these Post Office franchises, Ben Watts said their hands are tied so the support they can currently offer these staff is limited.
Mr Watts said: “Every time we’re losing Crown Offices we’re losing members. They’re going from earning £24,000 to earning £17,000, the pensions are worse and the terms and conditions are worse.
“What would you do if you worked somewhere for 25 years, it’s quite a daunting experience to start out fresh. They carry on working, unfortunately on worse terms.
“This is what we’re trying to fight. We’re trying to get a fair day’s pay for a fair day's work, it’s as simple as that, we’re not going above and beyond.”
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