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| Brawl Mail |
ROYAL MAIL has set itself up for a further bitter clash with the postal workers’ union by hiring 30,000 casual staff to clear the backlog caused by strikes.
The dramatic move — which could massively reduce the impact of the walkouts — was announced last night by chief executive Adam Crozier.
It is sure to anger members of the Communication Workers Union and its militant leader Billy Hayes.
The part-time staff will NOT do the posties’ work while they are on strike, but will help clear the log-jam of 200 million items between walkouts.
Five additional sorting centres will also be created to keep the country’s mail moving. And around 5,000 managers will be sorting and delivering mail during the strike.
Writing exclusively for the News of the World, right, Mr Crozier calls CWU’s action “industrial suicide”. He vows: “We’ll do all we can to deliver for our customers during this dispute.”
The CWU is staging a two- day walkout on Thursday and Friday involving 120,000 workers in a row over modernisation plans.
Bosses will spend an estimated £10 million on temporary staff to keep Britain’s post moving. That compares to the £120 million cost of the strike in lost business, estimated by consultancy Post-Switch.
Mr Hayes, right, has warned of further strikes up to Christmas. That prospect has led several major firms to cancel multi-million-pound contracts with Royal Mail.
Mr Crozier said Mr Hayes had refused at least 12 invitations to meet and discuss a way forward. Royal Mail has had almost 80 meetings with the unions in recent months.
The strike could cripple small businesses.
The number of letters and parcels Royal Mail delivers is falling by ten per cent each year as people switch to email.
Mr Crozier has tried to push through modernisation using electronic sorting and cutting staff levels.
But his efforts have been bitterly opposed by unions.
When Royal Mail made an operating profit of £321 million last year it was the first time in 20 years it had not made a loss.
It employs 180,000 — down from 230,000 in 2002. There were 18,393 Post Offices in 1999, and that will be cut to around 12,000 outlets after modernisatation.
Last night The CWU declined to comment.
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