Postal strikes hit services in Leighton Buzzard this week as staff call for better pay deal

Postal workers have gone on strike once again after rejecting the 5% pay offer made by the Post Office.

Workers in Leighton Buzzard Crown Post Office (CO) supported the national strike action on Monday and Tuesday December 12 and 13.

This is the 7th and 8th days of continuing industrial action in Crown Post Offices since March. The pay offer from POL is a 5% pay rise and lump sum off £500.

But the union says with the increasing rate of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, this is woefully inadequate.

A further day of strike action has also been announced for Christmas Eve in a bid to break the deadlock.

Post Office keyworkers worked throughout the Pandemic, keeping the postal network running.

Tim Pavelin, CWU Representative for Post Office members in Anglia & Midland regions, said: “Post Office can well afford to provide our members with a reasonable pay increase. They have made £74million of profit over the past two years. Paying the managers millions of pounds of bonuses shows this is not an issue of affordability – it is a power play where the Post Office think they can get away with it.”

Tim added: “Across the country CWU members have made their dissatisfaction known. Royal Mail may have greater numbers of CWU members on strike which is more headline grabbing, but POL members of the CWU are continuing to support the Union in getting a fair wage rise for Post Office workers.

“We thank the public, who have given us massive amounts of sympathy and solidarity, and we urge Post Office to get back around the table and resolve this long running dispute. This is a debt of honour and Nick Read, the CEO, should listen to the voice of the Post Office workers prepared to strike time and time again until a sensible offer is made”.

The Post Office said the Leighton Buzzard office on Church Square was expected to stay open during the action but there could be some disruption to letters and parcel collections.