Perth and Kinross postal workers to strike on Black Friday as pay and conditions dispute continues

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Postal workers in Perth and Kinross are set to stage two 48-hour strikes around the busiest shopping days of the year as a long-running row over pay, jobs and conditions continues.

The CWU (Communication Workers Union) informed Royal Mail its members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters will walkout on November 24-25 and November 30 to December 1.Black Friday falls on November 25 and Cyber Monday on November 28.CWU had called off a number of walkouts planned from November 2-23 as negotiations with the national postal services ramped up.Royal Mail proposed a new conditional offer worth nine per cent, which includes a seven per cent salary increase over two years and a lump sum payment of two per cent of pay this year.But CWU members will continue with industrial action until a pay rise is agreed that “fully addresses the current cost of living”.The dispute has become more heated after CWU said Royal Mail company leadership reneged on the ‘Pathway to Change’ agreement’s key principles and has begun to impose changes “without negotiation and without agreement”.The CWU’s general secretary Dave Ward added the 48-hour strikes were partly in protest at introducing “Uber-style owner-drivers”, mail centre closures and changes to Sunday working.The median pay at Royal Mail is £32,465 a year, with the average pay for a postal delivery worker lower than that at £25,777.The strike action is expected to have a significant effect on festive shoppers.It comes after Royal Mail last month announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs by next August, blaming ongoing strike action and rising financial losses.

MP for Perth and North Perthshire Pete Wishart then sent a joint letter to the CEO of Royal Mail Simon Thompson slamming the