By Bill Heaney
Jackie Baillie has backed postal staff striking for fair pay and conditions as she attended the picket line at Alexandria Sorting Office on Friday.
The Dumbarton constituency MSP joined members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) as they took industrial action with further strikes set to hit before the end of the year, if the dispute is not resolved.
They are striking after being handed a two percent increase while inflation is 10 percent and facing changes to their working conditions including mandatory Sunday working.
Jackie Baillie said: “I was pleased to support our local posties by joining the picket at Alexandria Sorting Office despite the wild weather on Friday morning.
“The postal staff were in good spirits as they rightly fight for a pay rise more in line with the rate of inflation as costs are increasing across the board.
“These hard-working people continued in their daily duties throughout the pandemic and kept the spirits up among many local people. They deserve much more than a derisory two percent increase and unfair changes to working conditions.
“I fully back them and hope that Royal Mail bosses can get round the table, listen to their demands and reach a settlement sooner rather than later.”
Kenny Paton, CWU union rep, said: “Nobody wants to go on strike but we were offered two percent which in the current circumstances isn’t good enough. People are getting fed up with the pay rates.
“Our union is not against change. We have moved from two deliveries to one delivery, from letters to parcels. Our union has never walked away from change but they are planning to bring in a two-tier workforce, paying some people less than others when they are doing the same job and enforcing Sunday working with no enhanced pay. That is why we are striking.”
Jackie is pictured on the picket line at Alexandria Sorting Office with Kenny Paton, centre, and his colleagues.