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ITN
Post leaders announce strike date
Post leaders announce strike date
Postal workers' leaders have called a 24-hour-strike on June 29 in a bitter ongoing row over pay and conditions.Up to 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union are expected to take part in the first national postal strike in a decade.Workers based in main post offices will also strike and there will be further industrial action in the first two weeks of July unless the dispute is resolved.The union has rejected a 2.5 per cent pay offer and warned that the Royal Mail's modernisation plans would lead to a cut in postal services and the loss of 40,000 jobs.Dave Ward, the union's deputy general secretary, accused the Royal Mail of "deliberately misleading" the public by claiming that the union was demanding a 27 per cent pay rise and opposing modernisation.Mr Ward said: "What Royal Mail are doing is not modernisation. The truth is, they are intent on cutting services, cutting jobs and cutting pay. We have tried to reach an agreement but Royal Mail are refusing to negotiate."He continued: "The union remains committed to reaching an agreement and we have given Royal Mail a further week to conclude a deal before any strike action becomes necessary."Mr Ward urged Royal Mail chairman Alan Leighton and chief executive Adam Crozier to "stop sitting on the sidelines" and become involved in serious negotiations.He rejected complaints that strike action would damage Royal Mail and said it was the company's modernisation plan which was hitting postal services."The reason Royal Mail is losing work to competitors is that they are running away from competition."The real reason they are losing work is their own mismanagement. They can afford a decent pay rise."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | June 21, 2007
