Oxford Green Party's Parliamentary Candidates and the local party's Trade Union Group are supporting the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in its industrial action against Royal Mail planned for Friday 29th June.

The CWU is seeking to defend postal services and is calling for an end to Post Office closures, unfair competition and a decent living wage for postal workers.

Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon, Chris Goodall, said: "The systematic dismantling of our postal services has a huge cost to vulnerable groups everywhere. Three years ago there were four Post Offices in North Oxford. Now there is one. Similar trends are occurring across the whole Oxford area and we must fight to retain this vital service."

Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, Peter Tatchell said: "The postal workers are fighting to save vital local post offices and letter delivery services. They deserve our support.

“The government's endorsement of post office closures is another Labour attack on local people and communities. Planned job cuts will inevitably mean poorer services.
Most postal workers are already low paid. Now the government expects them to take what is, in effect, a pay cut. It is offering a below inflation wage increase. This is no way to treat essential service workers.

“Instead of wasting billions on Trident nuclear missiles and ID cards, the government could spend the money on reversing post office closures, improving letter deliveries and giving postal workers a decent wage”.

Royal Mail has offered a below inflation wage increase and is changing working practices, so that already low waged workers will no longer be able supplement their basic take home pay through working overtime. In effect this amounts to a further cut in their wages.

Royal Mail has spurned the chance to work with the CWU to develop a plan that secures the future of the service and looks after the interests of its staff. Instead it is pushing ahead with plans that will see up to 40,000 jobs across the country go and cuts to pay and pensions. Apart from the human cost, if such a plan is allowed to be implemented, the public will suffer too. Post offices form vital community hubs and many will be closed and deliveries affected.

The Royal Mail must restart negotiations. In Oxford, as in much of the South East, postal workers provide a crucial service, which many take for granted and with hardly a thought to low wages earned by postal workers.
Greens will continue to support CWU in its fight to protect those who work for the Royal Mail and the vital services they provide.