Royal Mail managers threaten strike action

Royal Mail managers at head offices across the UK are to be balloted over strike action in a dispute over plans to cut 1,500 jobs.

According to Unite union, around 8,500 Royal Mail managers will vote, along with members from subsidiary businesses Parcelforce and the Post Office.

Paul Reuter, national officer for Unite, said: ‘Unite will not allow managers to be forced out because of the poor decisions made at the very top of Royal Mail Group.

‘There have already been 5,000 job cuts over the last five years without any compulsory redundancies. Such a drastic step is not necessary now and Unite will oppose it,’ he added.

The ballot, which will run for three weeks from the beginning of November, will be the first time since 1979 that Royal Mail managers have been asked to vote over walk outs. If Unite members vote in favour of strike action then Christmas post could be seriously disrupted.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: ‘We continue talking with Unite and have stressed we will continue doing our utmost to manage any job losses by voluntary means’.

He added that job cuts are essential as mail volumes have fallen by 13 million letters a day in just five years.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents around 160,000 Royal Mail workers and has been responsible for much of the industrial unrest in the past, however is not involved in Unite's dispute.

The news comes as the government intends to debate plans to privatise the Royal Mail, plans which CWU strongly oppose, in Parliament on Wednesday.