Just when you think it can’t get any worse, a union representing Royal Mail managers has threatened to ballot its members on strike action. Unite, which represents 12,000 managers, says that RM is trying to take pension rights away from its members. Royal Mail has denied any such intentions, though it does intend to close the extremely expensive current scheme, which guarantees members a percentage of their working salary on retirement, to new members. It all sounds like a playground scrap over a misunderstanding to me.
Currently of course, it’s only a threat, but during recent industrial action by the CWU, managers have stepped in to cover for striking staff. If even that option is lost to those of us relying on RM for our own businesses – well, Royal Mail, their workers and their management have probably just lost any last drop of sympathy I had for them.
