Published: Monday, 22nd June, 2009 12:11pm

Cowden postal workers walk out

by Peter Swindon

Workers at the Royal Mail"s Cowdenbeath delivery office walked out on Saturday in a dispute over job cuts and services.

They joined more than 300 staff who took strike action at offices across Scotland.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said eleven of Cowdenbeath"s eighteen-strong workforce walked out.

'We cleared everything and met our Universal Service Obligation to deliver mail to every address,' she added.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) claim Royal Mail cuts break a national agreement and threaten modernisation.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said, 'We are now seeing cuts but not modernisation in the postal industry and there"s only so long before this is going have a major impact on services. Many rural services in Scotland will be put under threat unless a plan can be secured for the future of Royal Mail.

'The company is failing on the big picture. Machinery is not being brought in and deliveries have not been re-designed.

'We are offering Royal Mail and the government a three month no-strike deal if they fulfil the agreement to engage the CWU over modernisation and move to get the company on a sound footing for the future.'

Royal Mail said it had honoured existing agreements.

The Royal Mail"s spokeswoman added, 'These agreements cover the improvements we need to make as mail volumes fall by 10%. Royal Mail has already made exactly the same changes in a number of other offices across the country to help us become more efficient in the increasingly competitive marketplace.

'Industrial action will not modernise Royal Mail - it will simply disrupt the service, annoy customers and lead to an even greater loss of business, leaving Royal Mail less able to protect full time jobs - and the Universal Service in the competitive marketplace.'

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