Post Office strike vote

LOCAL Post Office staff are to set to vote on strike action over pay and future security of branches.

Around 4,000 employees, including 20 at the Lord Street branch in Oldham, will be balloted from Friday.

The vote will affect counter staff at Crown offices — larger offices usually based in high streets — across the country.

The Communication Workers Union has accused the Post Office of not considering a pay rise and failing to guarantee that there will be no more branch closures.

Angela Bottomley, CWU area representative, said: “Counter staff are the only members in the whole of Post Office Ltd that haven’t been offered a pay rise. The Post Office has said there is no money available but it has found it to give a raise to everyone else, including management. It is very unfair. At the moment, there are 373 Crown offices in the country and the guarantee to keep them open expires in March. We were hoping this would be extended for another 12 months to allow for proper talks about how to move forward but this guarantee has not been given.”

The ballot result will be announced two weeks after papers are sent out and if members vote in favour of a strike, a week’s notice will be given.

A Post Office representative, who said that Crown offices are losing £55 million a year, added: “We regret the fact that the CWU is unwilling to engage in a constructive dialogue about tackling this unsustainable financial position. Any form of industrial action will only harm our customers and do nothing to resolve the urgent need to reverse losses.”