Coventry’s post service was
at a standstill today as unions staged a 24-hour walk-out on the
busiest day of the year.
Only special and guaranteed
deliveries were being made today by managers and temporary staff.
Post boxes around the city
were being emptied, but it is expected to be Thursday before the
backlog of deliveries is cleared.
Around 500 members of the
Communications Workers’ Union were on strike in a dispute over
working hours. They say a national agreement to reduce the number of
working days from six to five a week has not been implemented in
Coventry.
Mike Dalton of the Royal Mail
said that the post would be back to normal in time for Christmas, as
the last first class posting day was Thursday.
He said although the union’s
grievance was a genuine one, they were being criticised for the timing
of the action.
He said:
“There
was no need to take this action at this time, nor to do it in a way
that would affect customers.”
