Posties striking over pay offer that would leave many with 'enough to live on' as they face losing out due to the terms and conditions related to an offer tabled by bosses that would mean an effective 'pay cut' for many
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Royal Mail staff say they face losing out due to the terms and conditions related to pay offer tabled by bosses that would mean an effective “pay cut” for many staff and not leave “enough to live on.”
Highland staff are among 115,000 others staging what has been called the biggest strike of the summer for a “dignified, proper pay rise” at pickets across the north including in Inverness, Beauly and other areas.
Communication Workers Union (CWU) – which represents Royal Mail staff – vowed that if no agreement is reached then the CWU promises further strike action on Wednesday August 31, Thursday September 8 and Friday September 9.
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The public have all been very understanding and are 100 per cent supportive
One, Robbie Mcilwraith, told us: “The public response has been overwhelmingly supportive because unfortunately we have had people coming down here to collect from the call office so we have to regretfully inform them that the calls’ office is closed.
“They have all been very understanding of our dispute and are 100 per cent supportive, they understand why we have taken action and it has been great to see such support for not just for our cause but for the Royal Mail being a public service. During Covid we were out there day in day out delivering and people appreciate that.
“The average pay for a postie is in the low £20,000s and that is with allowances and overtime but it varies wildly as some people have 20 hour contracts or 37 hour contracts.”
He added: “Royal Mail said they offered us 3.5 per cent but that was tagged on to changes to our terms and conditions – they wanted new starts to come in on a 40 hour contract at 15 per cent less which came down to a 40 per cent reduction in wages.
“They want to take down our wages even further as they are talking about reviewing our allowances we get now so for many people if we accepted what they put forward it would be a pay cut.”
Making an already averagely paid job impossible
Rosalind White agreed, saying: “It would make an already averagely paid job impossible – you couldn’t live on what Royal Mail would actually like us to end up on, we would have a two tier workforce with people on the old contract and those on the new contract.
“The two per cent that Royal Mail have imposed without any consultation, negotiation, or by your leave. There is then a further 1.5 per cent which is dependent on us accepting these new terms.
“It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that the two per cent plus the 1.5 per cent does not come to 5.5 per cent that Royal Mail claims to have offered, and it wasn’t offered, it was imposed.
“There will then be a £500 impossibly high targets per person in 2023, next year and they say that comes to 5.5 per cent – we might be lowly paid but we are not stupid.
“Profits for Royal Mail last year were something like £700 million of which £400 million went straight to the shareholders who were not putting letters through people’s doors throughout the pandemic – they weren’t frontline.”
She said: “I think the public, from the response that we have had, have been very appreciative and cognisant of why we are actually doing this and it is not just us – it’s the bin men, the railways and the barristers, who ever thought we would see barristers on strike?”
Local MP says changes could 'negatively impact their jobs and the supply of effective postal services'
Local MP Drew Hendry visited the strikers in Inverness. He said: “Our local postal workers face changes to their terms and conditions that could negatively impact their jobs and the supply of effective postal services across the Highlands.
“This is in addition to the cost of living pressures they are experiencing. I am sure most people across the Highlands will be supporting these workers, especially given the central part they play in our communities.
“While pay disputes can be complex negotiations, I hope Royal Mail management will listen to employees, value their local knowledge and experience and re-engage with the unions on the issues these workers are concerned about, and ensure that our communities will not be negatively affected.”
