Vital postal workers

SIR – Just over a week ago, postal workers in Britain delivered a 94.5 per cent vote for strike action in our dispute with Royal Mail. Rather than call action, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) offered the business a period of calm, and suggested that our focus should be on the safety of our members and the customers we serve.

We also wrote to the Prime Minister, setting out how our members could help in the coming weeks and months. Postal workers can play a crucial role in keeping everyone connected and informed, delivering medical aid, checking on the elderly and vulnerable, delivering local services and supporting people working from home. We could also assist with food bank collections and the delivery of food parcels. All of this could be done while observing social-distancing guidance. Sadly, we have not received a formal reply from the Government.

This week postal workers in Ireland were asked to provide services for the elderly and vulnerable. The same needs to happen here. This isn’t about politics. It’s an opportunity to use the most extensive network, and one of the most trusted groups of workers in Britain, to ensure that this virus doesn’t leave millions of people isolated and without contact.

In times of national emergency, the universal postal service has played a vital role, and our members are ready to step up and support the country. We urge the Government and Royal Mail to take our offer. If our members are truly key workers, they should be delivering key services, not advertising mail. Dave Ward General Secretary, CWU London SW19