Royal Mail workers continue to strike in Chipping Norton

'The strike is solid here!' was the message from the town’s posties yesterday as they gathered outside the delivery office on Station Road.

Striking workers and their supporters continued to make their voices heard over a long-running dispute with Royal Mail over pay and working conditions.

Anger has risen over recent weeks after Royal Mail chief executive Simon Thompson confirmed plans to make thousands of workers redundant if strike action continued.

“This attempt to intimidate postal workers and their families has clearly backfired on Royal Mail,” said Chipping Norton town councillor Steve Akers, who joined the solidarity picket on Tuesday, October 25.

He added: “This crude threat of thousands of job losses instead galvanised workers to turn out in even bigger numbers on the picket lines, and show their support for their union, not just here in Chipping Norton but across the whole of the UK.

“These threats from Royal Mail are shameful and I condemn them absolutely.”

Signs put up outside Chipping Norton delivery office (Image: Signs put up outside Chipping Norton delivery office)

The CWU nationally has reported a huge turnout on picket lines in support of the strike yesterday, with hundreds of pictures from around the whole country. 

For the first time, cleaners working for Royal Mail were also on strike and joined their fellow CWU members on the picket lines.

Councillor Akers and his wife Sharon, who is a UNISON rep in the NHS, have been showing their solidarity for their fellow Trades Unionists throughout the dispute.

Yesterday they served up coffee and freshly baked apple and cinnamon muffins

Councillor Akers said: “Chipping Norton posties are standing up for the whole of our community in defending the existing Royal Mail universal service.

“Everyone should get behind them to help them win this dispute.”

A town councillor has called on people to support the posties (Image: A town councillor has called on people to support the posties)

Royal Mail has stated that efforts to solve the dispute are ongoing and has blamed CWU for "inconveniencing" customers. 

Earlier this week, a spokesperson said: “To give the talks the best platform to build towards an agreement, we call on the CWU to suspend their planned industrial action. The focus now must be on overcoming the difficulties that have prevented an agreement from being reached.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause.

"We are doing all we can to minimise delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”

The next national strike day is scheduled for Friday, November 4.