leahortez86: Engineers walk out in van tracking row at Royal Mail depot

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Engineers walk out in van tracking row at Royal Mail depot

WORKERS who maintain Royal Mail offices could take further industrial action in a row over the use of tracking devices in their vans, union representatives have warned.

Members of the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) employed by Romec at its depot in Leek Road, Stoke, joined hundreds of their colleagues in a half-day strike yesterday.

It followed an overtime and call-out ban which came into force at 4pm on Friday.

Romec, which carries out building, maintenance and electrical repair work for Royal Mail and other companies including Tesco and Sainsbury's, employs around 20 people at Leek Road.

The CWU claims that information from the tracking devices, including clocking-on and off times and travel details, is being used in disciplinary cases, against an agreement reached two years ago with the company.

Romec is owned 51 per cent by Royal Mail and 49 per cent by Balfour Beatty.

CWU regional representative Tony Donkin said: "The company is refusing to adhere to previous agreements and we've also got a pay offer pending from January.

"There are a lot of issues – they want to renegotiate agreements but they are refusing to stick to the current ones, and talks have broken down.

"If there are longer strikes which I expect there will be, we will be picketing the major mail centres."

The CWU said April's ballot on the issue attracted a 75 per cent turnout, with 95 per cent voting in favour of action short of a strike and 92 per cent saying yes to a strike.

More than 550 members took part in the action across the country.

CWU national official Ray Ellis said: "Experienced engineers with good service records are being victimised through a misuse of tracking technology. The company is abusing a raft of procedures in the pursuit of cost savings and in the attempt to reduce headcount without following legal redundancy arrangements.

"We believe Romec is breaking data protection laws and using tracker information to harass and victimise engineers. Managers are trawling data for tiny indiscrepancies dating back over eight months or more and then vigorously and unreasonably interrogating staff, and in some cases disciplining and even sacking them.

"Letters which have been sent direct to Romec engineers – attempting to bribe them to leave and forego their employment rights – have raised the stakes.

"Engineers are angry and prepared to take further industrial action unless the company enters into meaningful talks with CWU to resolve these issues."

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, added: "We understand that Romec is under great pressure to reduce its cost to Royal Mail by over �10 million this year, but that doesn't exempt the company from good employment practice or legal obligations on redundancies and harassment.

"Our message to Royal Mail is – you might be able to outsource Romec, but you can't outsource the CWU."

A spokesman for Royal Mail said last week that the group was confident the "robust contingency plans" it has in place would ensure that the industrial action would have no impact on its customers.