Postal Strike Delivers Chaos Says The MEN

"POSTAL services across Greater Manchester ground to a halt today as Royal Mail workers joined the nationwide strike."

This was the headline in the Manchester Evening News today 22nd October) as the CWU's programme of industrial action started acrossd the country today.

Featuring comments from postal workers and members of the public, the article also showed a picture of the picket line fronted by Kieran Quinn, North West Regional Political Secretary of the Communication Workers Union at the Royal Mail sorting office in Ancoats.

The article continues:

" Around 30 people - including mail workers, students and representatives from other unions - stood outside the mail centre from 6am. Dozens of rush hour motorists honked their horns and punched their fists in support as they passed.

Dad of two Steve Connell, 54, from Failsworth a Royal Mail mechanic said: "It's the first time I have been on strike in 35 years. We are not here because we are frightened of modernisation we have seen a lot of it before. But we are normally involved in it. Now we are just being dictated to. I think most members of the public will be sympathetic to the union. They don't want to see private firms come in."

John Reed, 38, a Royal Mail worker from Ashton said: "It's a sorry time. No one wants to go on strike, lose their wages, and provide a bad service but we feel we are being bullied every day and we have no other choice."

Eleventh-hour talks between Communication Workers Union bosses and Royal Mail collapsed last night. The union warned of further strikes and blasted business secretary Lord Mandelson saying he was working "hand-in-hand with Royal Mail to undermine the dispute".

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today urged postal workers and management to "sit round a table" adding that it was "a self-defeating" strike. There have been a series of regional strikes since June but today's action is the first national strike in two years.
Around 1,000 mail centre staff across Greater Manchester are not working today. A further 3,000 postmen and women will strike tomorrow."

You can read the full article here

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