Sort it out!
THE CURRENT OXFORD postal strike, now in its seventh day, has left thousands without mail and forced businesses to turn to other, more inconvenient methods of delivery. The action is the third of its kind in six months and was sparked last Thursday by events which have been described by the Royal Mail as "petty". Eighteen workers were asked by managers to sort mail by postcode rather than by delivery route. The workers refused and after half an hour walked out, returning twenty minutes later. The Royal Mail refused to pay them for the time working on the wrong line, and threatened action, which resulted in the spreading of the strike to 900 workers.
When asked what the Royal Mail was doing to prevent similar disruptions in the future, spokesperson Floyd Jebson placed the onus in the hands of the Communications Workers Union, despite the fact that they have been keen to distance themselves from the action. Jebson pointed out that whilst the action, which he described as "wildcat, unlawful and unofficial", is not the result of a Union ballot, all the strikers are to his knowledge members of the Union. At the time of going to press Senior Officials from the CWU were in negotiation with Royal Mail officials in the hope that the deadlock will soon be broken.
8th Feb 2001