Around 1,300 Royal Mail Group (RM) drivers have gone on strike for 24 hours in protest over "unacceptable" workloads, says the Communication Workers Union (CMU).
According to the union, the protest began at 4.30am today (Wednesday 19 August) and is part of a week of strikes that started on Monday 17 August. They are due to end on Monday 24 August.
Affected depots include the Birmingham Vehicle Operation Centre (VOC), Coventry, East London Regional Distribution Centre (RDC), East London VOC, Essex RDC, Greenford VOC, Northampton National DC, Nine Elms VOC in Vauxhall, Peterborough VOC, Princes Royal DC and VOC in North London, Bristol DC and the Yorkshire DC and VOC.
CMU deputy general secretary Dave Ward says: "The company knows the workload is unaccepatble, but they are bullying people to attempt to tackle impossible workloads. The simple way to resolve these issues and bring an end to strike action is for the Royal Mail to agree to negotiations that agree an approach to modernisation taking into account job security fears."
However, the Royal Mail contests that it has had more than 50 meetings with the union in recent months, and the door for talks with the union remains open.
"Well over 90% of our people, and more than 90% of our operational units, are working normally today; and we again urge the union to call off its strikes and to join Royal Mail's drive to complete the modernisation of the business, as we tackle the intensifying competition from electronic media and the impact the recession is having on mail volumes, which are now falling at around 10% a year," a spokesman says.
Royal Mail has previously warned that more strikes over jobs and services could push key clients to look elsewhere for parcel couriers.