Corby posties meet with Labour members offering support for possible industrial action over 'strings attached' pay offer

Postal workers who are considering taking industrial action over an ‘unsatisfactory’ pay offer met with members of Corby Constituency Labour Party at the Corby Cube.

Communications Workers Union South Midlands Branch members were joined by local Labour members to discuss a pay offer that they say will leave postal workers worse off in the long run.

Royal Mail has offered its workers a two per cent rise, followed by a further 1.5 per cent, if they agree to conditions including reductions in sick pay, later starts and mandatory Sunday working.

Chair of Corby Labour CLP Martyn Reuby said: “We have been informed that postal workers are in an industrial dispute with Royal Mail. Royal Mail’s pay offer of two per cent with strings attached and a further 1.5 per cent once those strings have been imposed is completely unsatisfactory.

"New entrants to Royal Mail will be offered worse terms and conditions, thereby creating a two tier workforce. We believe it's important we met with union members to listen to their views and concerns.

"We urge Royal Mail senior management to recognise their workers sacrifices and dedication during the Covid pandemic and reward them with an inflation matching no strings pay deal."

CWU political officer Paul Thomas said: “It was great to see members of Corby Labour CLP willing to support our campaign today. The offer by Royal Mail of a derisory pay deal well below inflation is simply an insult to the hard working postal workers of this country. Royal Mail’s cynical attack on our members terms and conditions and blatant attempt to create a two tier workforce is totally unacceptable."

Cllr Simon Rielly said: “I helped organise this meeting because in Corby, we see the importance of the Post Office delivery workers and the magnificent job they do in our community. The proposed pay rise will be a massive cut in living standards, and set against a background of rapidly rising fuel, energy and food prices a kick in the teeth to postal workers.

"We will be writing to Royal Mail managers and inviting them to meet us, to see sense and agree to a decent pay deal."

A previous statement from Royal Mail said: “The postal market is declining – by 2.5 per cent a year – in the face of competition from electronic communications such as email and broadband development.

“The simple fact is that rivals pay their people 25 per cent less than Royal Mail and they are 40 per cent more efficient than Royal Mail because they have already modernised so their costs and hence their prices are lower and are undercutting Royal Mail’s.

“We are very disappointed that the CWU has failed to grasp these realities of the increasingly tough commercial market we face. The challenges won’t go away and the longer we put off change, the bigger the challenge Royal Mail and its people face.”