Workers walk out in pay dispute
Local employees of Royal Mail and BT Openreach join in national strike action in a fight for fair wages
TWO different sets of Newbury workers joined with thousands of others nationwide striking in disputes over fair pay.
Royal Mail workers at the Newbury Post Office took part in strike action on Friday and BT Openreach staff walked out on Tuesday.
Both groups are part of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and were on strike again yesterday (Wednesday).
Postman Ray Wilson, 63, who was part of a picket line outside the Newbury Post Office on Bear Lane, said: “Everyone out here can’t afford to strike, but at the end of the day we’ve got to stand our ground.”
One elderly woman was arguing with protesters, accusing them of being greedy.
In response, Mr Wilson, who has been a postman for 23 years, said: “We’re not being greedy at all.
“The people at the top are creaming everything off as far as I’m concerned.
“It’s not happening for the rest of us. This is the solution
we’ve got.
“We don’t want to lose money, we want to be in there working.
“We’re here for a reason. We’re here to fight for what we deserve, a fair pay rise. That’s all we’re asking for.”
The postal workers were predominantly striking over pay, but some were also striking over fears there may be a
hostile takeover of the company in the future, putting their jobs at risk.
One protester who did not wish to be named, said that the future was looking “pretty bleak”.
He said: “They want to attack our terms and conditions and remove sick pay. They also want to take London weighting away from us.”
When asked if he saw an end in sight, the worker said: “We hope so. Every day we’re out here it is costing the business about £10m.
“As you can imagine, there are letters in there for people from hospitals, there’s Covid kits; there’s all sorts we want to get in there and deliver, but at the present time Royal Mail aren’t moving from their agenda.”
On Tuesday morning, 11 BT Openreach workers were part of a picket line outside the Newbury Telephone Exchange building.
One worker from Thatcham, who has worked for BT Openreach for 21 years, said: “None of us want to be on strike. We really don’t, but they have forced us into a corner.”
BT Openreach imposed a pay rise without the agreement of the CWU, which is the main reason for the strike.
He said: “It seems to be to divide the workforce as they’re giving everybody a different percentage pay rise.”
Jon Hobson, 42, also from Thatcham, has worked for BT Openreach for 22 years.
He said: “We’re short of a 6.9-per-cent pay rise since 2020 and since the start of the pandemic, which has led us to now.
“With the rate of inflation going up and the fuel prices and everything else, they’ve kind of forced our hand.”
A bulletin from the CWU states that BT made £400m in the first quarter of this financial year, gave £761m to shareholders and chief executive Philip Jansen received a 32-per-cent pay rise to £3,460,000 in 2022.
In referral to his CEO’s pay rise, another striker said: “It’s just another kick in the teeth really.”
Mr Hobson said: “I don’t see this being the last strike either. I don’t think they’re willing to negotiate whatsoever.
“We’ll just have to keep doing what we’ve got to keep doing.”
Another added: “With the state of the country at the moment, it’s going to get worse.”