Scottish postal workers join national strike over pay

HUNDREDS of postal workers in Scotland have joined a national one-day strike today in an escalating row over jobs, pay and services.

Royal Mail said 479 people at 11 delivery offices were involved in the walkout in the east of Scotland.

Around 150 collection and delivery drivers were also understood to be taking part in the dispute.

The action is the latest stage in a series of strikes to hit parts of the country in recent weeks.

Around 12,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) were taking part in a 24-hour strike at locations across the UK today, including Bristol, Darlington and Plymouth.

The CWU claims Royal Mail is cutting the pay and jobs of postal workers without agreement and reducing services.

The union also says modernisation problems need to be resolved and it is seeking meaningful discussions on the issue.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: "We need genuine talks on how to modernise the Royal Mail.

"Our offer of a three month no-strike deal stands and we hope that Royal Mail will take that up in return for talks on modernisation."

Delivery staff from Alloa, Anstruther, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Cowdenbeath, Dalkeith, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Grangemouth were involved in today's action.

Collection and delivery drivers in Edinburgh were also taking strike action.

Kenny Logan, the CWU's area delivery representative for Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders, said support for the union was increasing.

Looking at the situation across the UK, he said: "There are over 160 offices that are able to take this industrial action today.

"There are another 200-plus offices currently linked into the ballot process, so support for the union is growing day by day."

He also called for face-to-face talks with Royal Mail bosses.

He said: "We accept the current services that are offered at the moment are possibly not fit for the 21st century. We believe as a union we could sit down and agree a new delivery system."

Royal Mail said "almost all" postal services were working as normal.

Only 11 delivery offices out of a total of 180 in Scotland were affected by the CWU strike, the organisation said, adding that the network of Post Office branches was not affected.

The company said there were 479 postmen and women taking part in the strike action out of a Scottish workforce of 12,000.

Royal Mail condemned the CWU for striking over "much-needed modernisation and change".

It said changes implemented at most offices were covered by a 2007 agreement drawn up to end the last national strike and were "working well".

The company said: "The union claims to support modernisation, yet acts to destroy it.

"The CWU's claim to have offered a three-month 'moratorium' is deliberately misleading and is nothing more than an attempt, backed by the threat of escalating strike action, to actually halt the modernisation of the mails business.

"Any moratorium on further change at Royal Mail – at a time when we urgently need to up the pace of change in the face of a 10% decline in UK mail volumes – can only worsen that decline."