14 December 2001
The Communication Workers' Union said it would not strike before Christmas even if its members vote to walk out in a forthcoming ballot.
A spokesman for the union told Public Finance: 'We do not intend to cause disruption to the busy Christmas period. Our gripe is with Consignia and not the public, so we will be seeking to take industrial action in the new year if that is what it takes to get the company to sit up and listen. Hopefully, it will not even come to that.'
The chief executive of Consignia, John Roberts, told the trade and industry select committee meeting on December 11 that Consignia could shed up to 15% of its workforce over the next 18 months as part of a £1.2bn savings package.
The company, which changed its name from the Post Office when it became a state-owned limited entity in March, had already announced a 12-month loss of around £395m, blaming the economic downturn and the fall-out from the Hatfield rail crash for the poor figures.
PFdec2001
