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Up the Posties!

brum imcista | 25.07.2007 11:54 | Workers' Movements | Birmingham

A new phase of industrial action in the form of rolling strikes has been announced by the postal worker's union. Here are some interviews with striking posties at Birmingham's Mail Centre in Newtown. This was from the first wave of industrial action on 29th June 2007.

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Striking postal workers talk about the derisory pay offer made to them by Royal Mail plus the dirty tricks and intimidation they face on the picket lines. Another postal worker describes how Royal Mail's casualisation of the workforce has brought about a reduction in their standard of living in the form of cutting much needed overtime. Many workers at the Mail centre are employed on a part-time basis and don't have full-time contracts. They also work as little as four hours a week for a nominal sum, so they're hardly willing to risk their jobs.

Two posties talk about their boss, Adam Crozier who says they should work 40% harder but he's paid over a million pounds a year with a £380,000 bonus and works a three day week. A union rep gives some more detail on Royal Mail's so-called business plan which aims to rip the heart out of a proud public service. It will make 40,000 people jobless and Royal Mail has the cheek to accuse the union of failing to modernise, but the union doesn't see modernisation in terms of the destruction of a public service and the closure of thousands of post offices. Royal Mail claim they can't afford to pay their workers a decent pay increase but they've been allocated £2 billion of investment and Post Office Counters has had £1.7 billion of investment from the Government.

More interviews with striking postal workers from the second 24-hour strike on Thursday 12th June: Solidarity with the Posties!

brum imcista