The British Communication Workers Union has tentatively set the first week of March to strike if no progress is made in its pay dispute with Consignia, the U.K. postal service.
The disagreement was exacerbated after Consignia management in London and Dartford summarily dismissed two workers, in violation of recently agreed-to labor-management principles, the union said in a statement.
A strike could cripple the country’s postal system.
Last week, union members voted in favor of strikes but delayed setting dates in the hope an agreement could be reached with Consignia, formerly known as Royal Mail.
The union, which represents 145,000 postal workers, wants a 20% pay rise over the next two years, taking workers’ basic earnings to 300 pounds ($423) a week. Consignia has offered 2% to 2.5%, as reported Feb. 11 in DIRECT Newsline.
The union stressed however, that it would not disrupt the flow of mail over the Easter and Mother’s Day holidays.
Consignia has 18,000 branches and more than 200,000 employees in the U.K. It delivers more than 80 million items daily.
Network
