Unofficial post walkout in north London wins

Postal workers in Islington, north London, are celebrating after an unofficial walkout last week forced Royal Mail to reinstate a suspended colleague.

Around 90 delivery staff at the N1 sorting office downed tools last Thursday after managers attempted to discipline a long-standing worker, accusing him of “willful delay of the mail”.

Union activists at the office say the incident follows a number of recent provocations.

Royal Mail managers at first tried to take a tough stand against the unofficial strike, but after three hours they gave in and reinstated the suspended worker.

“It’s a complete victory,” said Mark Dolan, a senior CWU union rep in north London.

His comments were echoed by others at the N1 office, which is known as a union stronghold.

“It’s about time we took action,” said one worker. “This has been long overdue,” added another.

• Talks between Royal Mail and the CWU about job losses in London are continuing. The union won a strike ballot of workers at threatened offices last month. Bosses agreed to extend the notice period on the ballot for further negotiations.
• Postal workers in Burnley walked out in defence of a suspended colleague last week. They were angry after a worker with a 28-year unblemished record was disciplined after an argument with a customer.