Royal Mail: No Acas talks unless union calls off strike action

Published on Monday 19 October 2009 21:57

TALKS between the Royal Mail and union leaders over threatened strike action ended in stalemate last night, with the employer adding it would only go to mediation if the looming walkout was dropped.

Representatives for both sides were to resume talks today after negotiations were adjourned.

Pressure is mounting on the Communication Workers Union to call off the strike, planned for Thursday and Friday. But an early resolution looked unlikely after Royal Mail said talks at the dispute resolution body, Acas, would only be considered if the CWU scrapped its strike.

Unions are incensed by Royal Mail's decision to advertise for 30,000 temporary workers, which the employer claims is simply to cover for the busy Christmas period rather than to replace striking staff.

So far, 85,000 people have applied to fill the posts, which pay 5.95 an hour – a sign of job seekers' desperation in the midst of a recession.

Royal Mail operations manager Paul Tolhurst insisted that the company was "not trying to break the union".

He said: "We recognise the CWU has a vital role to play. But the most important thing for us is to keep the mail moving. The (strikes'] purpose is to damage customer service."

The union threatened legal action over the hiring of temporary staff.

CWU general-secretary Billy Hayes said: "We would welcome a move to Acas, but Royal Mail has so far not committed to this without preconditions. Any third-party involvement needs to be on an entirely transparent basis with a joint intention of reaching an agreement."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the sides to resolve their conflict as soon as possible. He said he was "very concerned" about the impact of a strike. His official spokesman said that if the Royal Mail continued to lose business, it would be "extremely difficult" to get it back.

"The Prime Minister is monitoring the situation very closely," the spokesman said. "The sooner the two sides get together and sort it out, the better."

But shadow business secretary Ken Clarke urged politicians not to interfere in the dispute.

"I would resist the idea of any politician interfering. The person I would worry about is Gordon Brown, who is always inclined to give in to pressure," he said. He added that if management gave in to union demands, "the business is probably doomed", and warned: "It's a terrible threat to the future of the Royal Mail if the strikes go ahead".

Mr Clarke urged the government to bring a bill which would see part-privatisation of the Royal Mail to the House of Commons – a move that was championed by Lord Mandelson.

Mr Clarke added: "I've always thought it should be privatised, and the government thinks that."

He said the future of the Royal Mail was "private-sector management, private-sector capital and facing up to the modern world".

Up to 120,000 union members will strike on Thursday and Friday, threatening massive disruption to mail deliveries just weeks from Christmas.

Last night, 98 MPs had signed a motion calling for urgent talks to avert the strike.