Swiss Cottage and East Finchley post offices brought to standstill in strike against privatisation
Signatures are collected on a petition outside Swiss Cottage Post Office during the strike - Credit: Archant
Two post offices were brought to a standstill as workers went on strike in an attempt to stop them being privatised.
Staff at Swiss Cottage and East Finchley post offices downed tools on Saturday (March 30).
The industrial action, which affected most of the country’s 370 crown post offices owned by the Post Office itself, was organised by the CWU (Communication Workers Union) after 88 per cent of its members voted to strike.
The action was taken over the Post Office’s plans to close 70 crown post offices – including branches in Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage, and High Road, East Finchley, and replace them with franchises in other shops.
There was also a protest outside Swiss Cottage post office, during which staff collected around 1,000 signatures.
You may also want to watch:
CWU rep Gary Watt said: “People were worried about the staff, who are loyal and dedicated and have built up a special relationship with the customers.”
The 370 crown branches are currently operating at a £40million-a-year loss.
Most Read
- 1 Lane closure scrapped after high pollution readings double
- 2 Falling stonework narrowly misses outdoor diners at Crouch End cafe
- 3 'Auto-destruction' in a train shed: how the Roundhouse made Camden cool
- 4 British fencing great Richard Kruse announces retirement
- 5 Hampstead bakery sells challah hearts for Mental Health Awareness Week
- 6 Hampstead man jailed for pub 'revenge attack' on Jewish Tory barrister
- 7 New Indian restaurant Ritu to replace Yasmeen Kitchen in St John's Wood
- 8 Owner mourns Highgate station’s beloved black cat
- 9 Camden shouldn't ignore residents, but we need low-traffic neighbourhoods
- 10 Haringey Council leader ousted by rival in Labour group vote
Bosses say franchising 70 of them will help recoup losses and enable post office services to be modernised.
It costs the Post Office £1.81 to generate every £1 of income at Swiss Cottage, and £1.60 at East Finchley – a situation it says “cannot continue”.
