The union representing Royal Mail workers has said national postal strikes could begin on Thursday 22 October. The action is expected to take the form of rolling strikes, affecting different parts of the organisation on different days, rather than an all-out national strike by postal workers.

Meanwhile John Lewis announced it was working with other carriers in order to avoid disruption to its online deliveries from a Royal Mail strike. Good for them.

From our friendly postal ‘workers’. It’s called ‘Service’.

http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/strike-action-for-week-commencing-12th-october-2009.html

Below is a list of postal strikes for the week commencing 12th October 2009. All action is for 24 hours unless stated otherwise. Further detail is available on the Royal Mail dispute page of this website: www.cwu.org/royal-mail-dispute.html

Monday 12th October – Avonmouth PDO, Axbridge SPDO, Brentwood delivery office, Essex. Bristol North, South, East, and South East delivery offices: City PDO, Clevedon PDO, Clifton PDO, Fishponds PDO, Keynsham, Kingswood PDO, Portishead, Nailsea PDO, Westbury on Trym PDO, Woolavington SPDO, Yatton PDO, Yate. SW London Offices: Earls Court DO, Fulham DO, South Kensington DO, Stockwell DO, West Brompton Earls Court DO, Battersea DO, Barnes DO, Mortlake DO, Streatham DO, Wandsworth DO, West Wimbledon DO, Wimbledon DO.

Wednesday 14th October 2009 – South London Mail Centre (sic) Victoria SW1 DO, East London MC Distribution East London MC Processing, Rathbone Place Distribution W1/ WC, Mount Pleasant Deliveries/Processing/ Distribution, EC Deliveries LAMU, Cricklewood NW2 HUB Distribution, E1 Collection HUB Distribution, E10 Collection HUB, E14 Collection HUB, E15 Collection HUB, SE1 Collection HUB
SE No5 Collection HUB, North Finchley HUB, The Hyde HUB Collections/DO, SW11 Hub (Collections PM)
SW19 Hub (Collections PM), Willesden NW10 HUB Distribution, Wimbledon HUB Collections, Battersea HUB Collections, Cricklewood NW2 HUB Distribution, Greenwich Collection HUB, Kensington Inner HUB
N1 Distribution & HUB, Tottenham N17 HUB Distribution, NW1 Collection HUB & Distribution, Acton Outer Hub, East London Distribution, East London VOC Transport Network, Greenford VOC
Nine Elms CCS Garage VOC Network, PRDC Network, PRDC VOC, Woolwich SE18, Southwark DO SE1
East London DO (E1), Hampstead DO, Hornsey DO, Islington DO, Kilburn DO, Muswell Hill DO, NW1 DO
Poplar Docklands DO, Southwark DO, Stratford DO, Willesden DO, Woolwich DO, Abbey Wood & Thamesmead DO, Acton DO, Anerley DO, Balham DO, Barnes DO, Battersea DO, Bethnal Green DO
Blackheath DO, Bow DO, Brixton DO, Brockley DO, Camberwell DO, Catford DO, Charlton DO, Chelsea DO
Chingford DO, Chiswick DO, Church End DO, Clapham DO, Clapton DO, Cricklewood DO, Deptford DO,
Dulwich DO, Ealing DO, Earls Court DO, East Dulwich DO, East Finchley DO, East Ham DO, Putney DO, Rotherhithe DO, Shepherds Bush DO, South Kensington DO, South Lambeth DO, South Norwood DO, South Tottenham DO, South Woodford DO, Southgate DO, St John’s Wood DO, Stockwell DO, Stoke Newington DO, Streatham DO, Sydenham DO, West End D.O (Rathbone Place) W1-WC DO, ELMC Victoria Docks DO, Eltham DO, FinsburyPark DO, Forest Gate DO, Forest Hill DO, Fulham DO, Golders Green DO, Greenwich DO, Hackney DO, Hammersmith DO, Hanwell DO, Hendon DOHerne Hill DO, Highbury DO, Highgate N6 DO, Holloway DO, Homerton DO, Kennington & Walworth DO, Kensington DO, Kentish Town DO, Lee DO, Lewisham DO, Leyton DO, Leytonstone DO, Lower Edmonton DO, Maida Vale DO, Manor Park DO, Mill Hill DO, Mortlake DO, New Cross DO, New Southgate DO, North Finchley DO, North Kensington DO, Norwood DO, Tottenham DO, Tooting DO, Notting Hill DO, Paddington DO, Palmers Green DO, Peckham DO, Plaistow DO, Putney DO, Upper Edmonton DO, Upper Holloway DO, Walthamstow DO, Wandsworth DO, West Brompton Earls Court DO, West Ealing DO, West Kensington DO, West Norwood DO, Whetstone DO, Wood Green DO, Chelsea SW3 DO, Balham DO, Brixton DO, Clapham DO, Putney DO, South Lambeth DO, Tooting DO.

Royal Mail workers vote to strike. After a series of regional strikes around the country in recent weeks that have created a backlog of millions of letters, postal workers voted three to one in favour of strike action meanign that British customers are unlikely to see any post in the near future.

Now is the time for the government to act and break the monoloy of the Royal Mail. There are many alternative providers in todays market but these are prevented from competing on an equal playing field because of arcane rules. If workers are the Royal Mail choose to refuse to modernise and walk out on strike then the time is right to let this institution die. There’s a great demand for postal services in the UK and it’s time that the market was allowed to provide them without hinderance.

With the rise of internet shopping, web sites like ebay and amazon are creating new demand for postal services so lets ditch the Royal Mail and move on.

Up to 900 members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) in 15 local centres may take part in the one-day stoppage this weekend August 7th. The union says it has been forced to strike because cuts are being applied in the Bristol area without agreement. Royal Mail accuses the union of reneging on a 2007 deal over modernisation of the service. Post services in the BS post code areas 1, 3, 4, 8-11, 13-16, 20, 26, 31, 37,41 and 48 are liable to be disrupted.

If the Royal Mail continues like this then more and more users will seek alternative ways to deliver their communications. In an age where there are so many alternatives you might think that the Royal Mail would be competing to gain your business not walking out and losing it.