Post Office Limited bosses made a major privatisation move last week when they announced that up to 85 main high street post offices would be relocated to WH Smith branches.
The CWU union warned that 3,000 of its members’ jobs are under threat and that the service would deteriorate.
Union leaders also said national strike action was possible.
Management admit that wages and conditions will be inferior for workers who are transferred to the high street retailer.
Staff working for Post Office Limited earn around £10 an hour. WH Smith pays about £6 an hour.
The size of the Crown office network has more than halved in the last 16 years, from over 1,000 in 1991 to 458 today.
In the last 12 months alone, some 40 Crown offices have been lost.
Most of these have been relocated in retail outlets such as Tesco, Spar and Co-op.
The CWU should hold a ballot, and campaign for effective strikes.
And surely it is time to admit that this government is knee-deep in privatising the post – and we should stop funding it.
A staffing crisis in the NHS
Health workers set to strike across four Manchester hospitals
Bus workers rejected an offer and came back out
