Royal Mail and University of Winchester staff continue strikes

Workers from education and communications have taken action today.

Staff from the university of Winchester have gone on strike for a third day on Wednesday, November 30 over low pay and poor working conditions, while postal workers at Royal Mail in Winchester and Romsey took a stand for the tenth day in a bid to protect their jobs.

Also on strike have been staff at Peter Symonds College in Winchester.

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The postal strike are part of a long-running dispute between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail over pay, jobs, and working conditions. 

The union representative for the Winchester delivery office in Winnall, Stewart Hardie said: "We're here because we believe in what we're fighting for. We're fighting for the future of a business that's over 500 years old that he's [Simon Thompson, chief executive, Royal Mail] trying to destroy overnight.

"We're losing over £100 a day. I have budgeted for Christmas. I explained to my family and they understand. I turn the heating off and use as little gas as possible. It's hard, but we're here because we believe what we're fighting for."

In Romsey postmen and women picketed outside the sorting office in low temperatures. Kev Wood, 36, said: "Morale is very low and it's affecting our mental health. Financially we're all suffering. It's crippling us now. Especially at this time of year. The crucial thing is to dismantle the service and we're here to protect the service and our jobs.

"Support has been really good. People can't put their heating on at home so they're taking clothes to work to dry on radiators. People are missing direct debits and taking out extra credit cards and loans just to support the strikes because we're fighting not for today's pay but to protect the Royal Mail and our futures and jobs."

At Winchester University, the chair of the Winchester UCU branch, Gordon McKelvie has been picketing for three days along with several members of staff, from senior lecturers to cleaners. 

Staff are striking over low pay and poor working conditions while disputing zero-hour contracts. A spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous said: "This place is pretty bad for doing zero-hour contracts. 

"The uni always says they can't do anything but they're a member of the negotiating body - they can always say something but they have said nothing about what the stand says.

"They have absolutely no interest in negotiating so it seems, so we want them to say something publicly. It was a problem before but you have to have a lot of support from family if you want to be an academic member of staff now. You can't have working-class academics because it isn't enough to survive, and I think that's a real problem."

At Peter Symonds College, Graham Childs, teacher and joint rep for the Peter Symonds picket on Owens Road.

“We’re lucky enough to have actually received a pay rise but this has come from the college’s existing budget and not the government. Which means the sixth form is having to make cuts in other areas and ultimately impacting the student experience which is the last thing we want.

“It’s compulsory for students to be in education until 18 but the support from the government isn’t mirroring that. We can’t provide the service to the standard that we do without sufficient funding.

“We’re hoping that support staff will be able to join us for future strikes in late January or early February.”