Some 115,000 members of the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) have received ballots and will vote in the coming weeks on whether to launch an industrial campaign. The result of the vote is expected on July 19. The union said it could be “the biggest strike” in a summer of unrest as thousands of workers from various sectors leave to demand wages in line with rising inflation. Railway workers went on strike for three days last week. The CWU called on Royal Mail to negotiate with the union to secure a “straight, unbundled” increase in workers’ wages. He said the administration intended to impose a 2% pay rise which would be a “dramatic drop in real wages” due to the rapid rise in inflation. A union spokesman said: “British postal workers are being forced to accept huge pay cuts from the same people for whom they have made incredible profits. “Our members go to food banks, while the bosses are rewarded with advance bonuses.” A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We believe there is no reason for industrial action. We offered a deal worth up to 5.5% for CWU-grade colleagues, the largest increase we have offered in many years, which was rejected by the CWU. “We need to reach an agreement on the changes needed to ensure that Royal Mail can grow and remain competitive in a fast-growing industry, securing jobs for the future and maintaining our position as the industry leader in remuneration. and the terms and conditions “. Meanwhile, about 150 members of the Aslef syndicate on London’s tram network, formerly known as Croydon Tramlink, became the most recent railway staff to take action, going on strike on Tuesday and Wednesday after a 3% bid was rejected by operator FirstGroup . Subscribe to the Business Email daily email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk Finn Brennan, organizer of Aslef in London, said offering a salary for tram drivers would mean a reduction in real wages for people struggling to cope with rising living costs, noting that the retail price index for inflation is high. from 11%. He said: “Our members do a difficult and demanding job, working 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. They deserve a fair reward. “ He said FirstGroup’s profits had skyrocketed and that it was returning 500 500m to shareholders and paying τα 840,000 to its CEO last year. While the trams are funded by Transport for London, Brennan said the company “prefers to use the money it receives from TfL to inject cash into shareholders and wealthy executives, rather than pay its staff a fair wage”. A spokesman for First Group’s Tram Operations Ltd said: “It is difficult to understand how Aslef could justify the strike, as he benefited from a change in terms equivalent to a 5% increase in November alone. “Aslef must cancel these strikes and return to negotiations.”
