Santa mail strike threat

Christmas deliveries could be hit by a strike by Oldham postal workers.

Their union wants management to agree to improved terms and conditions for sorting staff facing job losses.

Talks are being held nationally between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union, over plans to close, merge or move 10 sorting offices.

The CWU said that up to 1,000 jobs could be lost, 150 of them at Oldham’s Hamilton Street processing centre.

The Oldham delivery which shares the Hamilton Street site, is not affected.

Oldham, Bolton and Stockport sorting offices could close with work moved to Manchester and Preston.

There are 150 sorting staff out of 450 employees at Hamilton Street, but all 600 are being balloted for industrial action.

Forms went out last week to be returned by December 3.

Local CWU branch official Des Carney said the union accepts that the Oldham sorting office will close, but the talks are about terms and conditions for staff who will be transferred or leave.

He added: “Ballot papers have gone out in Oldham, Bolton, Crewe, Liverpool and Stockport, about strike action.

“Talks are going on now at national level. They are also about the people remaining in Oldham, and also about the Royal Mail’s plans for the impact this will have on deliveries in the Oldham area.

“One of the big issues is that this is being done on an area basis, and even the Royal Mail does not have the full picture.

“What impact is this going to have on people left behind and how do they plan to manage those people or decide what future the business has?

“The UK’s universal service is on the brink of collapse.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail is continuing to talk with the CWU and is therefore disappointed by the union’s decision to ballot.

“However, it affects fewer than 5 per cent of our workforce, and means that the vast majority of our operational sites and people would be unaffected by any action.”