Postal workers at 114 branches directly owned by the Post are staging a day-long strike over pay disputes.
The 114 Crown Post Offices will be closed for a 24 hour period with no cash deliveries or collections from the UK’s 11,500 sub-post offices.
Communication Workers Union (CWU) members are upset about a wage freeze in 2021-22 and a 2% increase in 2022-23.
The Post declined to comment on the salary offer or the negotiations.
The Post said the vast majority of its 11,000 branches were unaffected by strikes and would be open as usual.
A statement said: “There are 114 branches – typically in city centers – across the UK managed directly by the Post Office.
“Posters are put up showing where the nearest alternative branches are. Customers can also visit postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder for more information.”
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The CWU said post office managers had insisted on a pay freeze for 2021-22 “despite the company having turned a profit over the last two years through the efforts of its key workers during the pandemic”.
“Insultingly, the Post has only offered a 2% pay rise – plus a one-off payment of £250 (pro-rated for part-time workers) for 2022-23,” added a CWU spokesman.
The union said this offer was not enough to keep up with the rapid rise in the cost of living, which is currently rising at 7% a year.
The CWU said its members voted 97.3% in favor of a strike, with a turnout of 70.2%.
Post office assistants – a significant sector of the workforce – currently make less than £24,000 a year, the CWU continued.
Had management strictly adhered to government policy, these workers would have received at least a £250 increase in wages, but they did not.
Deputy Union Secretary Andy Furey said: “Management at the Post insists they simply follow government policy on public sector pay policies.
“But they have repeatedly contradicted themselves and also said it is their decision to impose a pay freeze.
“We know the Post Office has generated tremendous profits over the last few years – management can afford to give our members a reasonable raise if they so wish.
“This is not a question of affordability. It is about the power play of a management that unnecessarily alienates its most important employees.”
The union said it had a mandate for more strikes in the coming weeks.
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