Postal workers in Craigavon, Lurgan and Portadown out on strike today on the 5th day of industrial action over pay

Staff from Lurgan, Portadown and Craigavon united to demonstrate close to the picket line at the Highfield depot on Thursday, joining 115,000 posties on strike.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) – who represent Royal Mail workers – are in dispute with Royal Mail over senior management’s proposals for structural change, which it claims, ‘would effectively see 115,000 employees in secure, well-paid jobs be turned into a casualised, financially precarious workforce overnight’.

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A CWU spokesperson said: “One proposal includes delaying the arrival of post to members of the public by three hours – an idea workers believe is playing reckless with their lives, given that it would leave them vulnerable to serious health and safety trouble in the height of summer and the depth of winter.

"Other proposals include a dramatic reduction in workers’ sick pay, inferior terms for new employees, the enforcing of ‘total flexibility’ on workers and other dramatic changes.”

Relations between the union and Royal Mail have deteriorated recently and as a result, the unon announced a further 19 days of strike action in the build up to Christmas – a lucrative time for the Royal Mail.

CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “Postal workers face the biggest ever assault on their jobs, terms and conditions in the history of Royal Mail.

“The public and businesses also face the end of daily deliveries and destruction of the special relationship that postal workers and the public have in every community in the UK.

“It is insulting the intelligence of every postal worker for Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson to claim that their change agenda is ‘modernisation’.

“It is nothing more than an asset stripping business plan that will see the break-up of the company and the end of Royal Mail as a major contributor to the UK economy.

“Royal Mail Group claim to be losing £1m a day. The CWU believe these figures need to be scrutinised," said the Communications Workers Union General Secretary.