CWU General Secretary says that the Tories are to blame for the decline of the British Highstreet.
His comments come following a poll the CWU commissioned after the Post Office announced the closure of 74 branches, including the Crown Post Office in Beverley.
The poll found that 60pc of people felt they should have the power locally to block the closure of Post Offices. It also found that 12pc of people support the privatisation of the Postal service.
Locally politicians from all sides came together as they looked to try and save Beverley’s Crown Post Office. Ironically, MP Graham Stuart, whose party are under attack from CWU backed their campaign, even handing in a petition.
British High Street In Decline Under The Tories
Commenting on the results of this polling, CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said:
“This polling confirms what many have been talking about over the last few years. Under the Tories, we have seen the decline of the British high street. With jobs lost and services closed as the Government fail to get to grips with the changing nature of the world at work.”
“What is also clear is that there is massive support for the CWU campaign to save Post Offices. It is encouraging to see respondents support the idea of a local community having the power to veto the closure of a local branch.”
“There is obviously no support for the privatisation agenda. There is overwhelming support for our aim to create a new service within the Post Office. One that would serve the needs of the local community.”
“It is high time that the Government listened to the results of this poll. They need to pull their finger out, and get to work in resuscitating the high street.”
“No more closures, no more privatisation and no more outsourcing of good jobs and local public servants. This is just the beginning of our campaign to protect the Post Office and the wider British high street.”
His views are also shared by Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary, who visited Beverley in January. He also says people are concerned with how the government is allowing services to be privatised.
Tories Face The Full Brunt Of Union Backlash Over Post Office Closures
Andy said;
“The British public is clearly concerned about the backdoor privatisation of our publicly owned Crown Post Offices to a private company such as WH Smith. They have been voted the worst or second worst retailer on the high street for 8 consecutive years.”
“The professional service afforded by Crown Office staff who have many years of experience is being replaced with an inferior service by inexperienced staff. Counters are stuck at the back or sometimes in the basement of a WH Smith store with reduced accessibility.”
“Also, of grave concern is the serious misuse of public money to fund this privatisation and to prop up an ailing business. Over £30m of taxpayers’ money is being used to pay off our members with a settlement agreement. As a result, this is creating a TUPE avoidance position.”
Post Office bosses say that the relocation of the Post Office in the Beverley to WH Smith is a commercial decision. They also say by doing this it will be better for customers. If it goes ahead customers will benefit from longer opening hours and more services.
