Royal Mail workers in Salford’s distribution centre remained defiant on the picket line today as they took part in their seventh day of strike action in four weeks.
They say they are fighting for better pay and working conditions and will not be put off by the threat of redundancy.
Chris Mcardle, sub-representative for Royal Mail Salford, said: “We don’t want to leave our jobs.
“Mr. Thompson (CEO of Royal Mail) last week came out and threatened us, if the strikes continue, with 10,000 redundancies.
“We’re still here on the picket line today.”
Chris has worked for the company for 35 years and claims to have seen and experienced unjust treatment from the delivery company multiple times.
He said: “This is mostly about our pay terms and conditions. So, at the moment, we are also talking about changing our start times.
“We have a set pattern of working hours, which we want to do away with and introduce flexible hours, we have compulsory Sunday work, and they want to remove our full sick pay benefits.
“So that’s all the terms and conditions we want to get rid of.”
Royal Mail has seen its estimated losses go from £250 million to £450 million since the strikes began in late September, which means job cuts are now a danger.
This strike has become one of the biggest in Royal Mail’s history with 165,000 workers joining, sparked by frustration towards a lack of wages to meet a cost-of-living standard and alleged “poor treatment”.
Workers like Jason, who worked 10 years for Royal Mail, and David, for 43 years, complained that this will not only affect present workers but also future ones.
The strike also wants to bring awareness to the current rumours of Royal Mail selling itself off to Luxembourg and rebranding to become a new national postal company, a rumour which has yet to be confirmed.
Chris said: “That’s why we’re fighting, because without this now, there won’t be a Royal Mail.
“I mean, there won’t be a postman on the street six days a week.
“For me, it’s not about the pay, terms and conditions and certain things, yeah, I’m not happy about stuff like that, but for me, it’s about saving the Postal Service for the country, that’s what’s most important.”
In response to the strikes, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We remain hopeful of entering talks this week with the CWU through ACAS to resolve our dispute on change and pay.”
Strikes are set to continue throughout the first week of November with possibilities of carrying on until Black Friday.
People expecting packages those days may face a disruption and will see late deliveries as well as distribution centres closed.
For more information and updates, check the Royal Mail’s website.
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