British postal workers Monday embarked on a second two-day strike after talks with Royal Mail negotiators failed to produce a new contract.

The two sides are at odds on pay, pension and staffing level issues, the BBC reported. The Communications Workers Union, which has 130,000 members, warned it would cause a week of "continuous disruption" to all services starting next Monday if a deal isn't struck, the network said.

"I am very disappointed that this phase of intensive talks has not resolved the dispute when real progress has been made and we have been edging toward an agreement," said Brendan Barber, the union's general secretary.

The union said management's offer of a 6.9 percent pay increase over two years while cutting pension benefits and imposing changes in work rules was unacceptable.

Adam Crozier, Royal Mail's chief executive, called the union's demands "unrealistic."

"We simply want our people to work the hours they are already paid to work across the working week using the equipment we are investing in to enable Royal Mail to compete and survive," Crozier said. "The fact that the union leadership finds this so difficult starkly contradicts their public claim to support modernization and change."  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International




Publication date: 09 October 2007   

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