Creaking UK postal service hit by strikes

STRIKES that spell misery for hundreds of thousands of people in Britain are set to worsen as Royal Mail staff threaten new wildcat stoppages which could delay millions of Christmas cards and presents.

A further 1 000 Royal Mail delivery staff could take unofficial industrial action as a separate five-day strike by 3 000 Crown post office workers started yesterday, at a time when the service is creaking under the weight of festive demand.

A source said the strike would cause absolute chaos and have a huge impact on postal services in the run-up to Christmas.

The strike is in protest at job losses and pension changes, upping the pressure on Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May.

Meanwhile, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Southern Railway started a two-day strike yesterday in a long-running labour dispute that has affected 300 000 passengers for months.

British Airways cabin crew were also holding talks yesterday aimed at averting strikes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, while Swissport baggage handlers are planning walkouts on Friday and Saturday.

May is facing calls from members of her party to intervene and tighten legislation to prevent rail strikes.

“Any change to union laws would not be able to solve the current disputes,” a Downing Street source was quoted by The Guardian newspaper as saying.

“They will be solved by mediation and we would urge the unions to get round the table,” the source said.

But Chris Philp, a Conservative MP, said: “Unions have pushed this too far. We need fresh union legislation.”

Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady said workers were still suffering from the global financial crisis and there should be more attention on “what’s wrong with these companies”.

The political row heated up after the Sunday Times published a video showing RMT union president Sean Hoyle telling a rally that trade unions were working together to bring down the government.

Industrial action has risen sharply in Britain this year, against the background of a sharp leftward turn in the opposition Labour Party under veteran socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The number of days lost to strike action in the year to October 31 totalled 304 000 compared with 205 000 days for the preceding 12-month period, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Tom Kerr Williams, employment law and industrial relations expert at consultants PWC, said the common factor in the strikes was that workers felt uncertain as a result of economic pressure. – The Telegraph, AFP