Council to meet with union reps over COVID workplace issues

The move was proposed by People Before Profit after SDLP Councillor Martin Reilly asked Mayor Brian Tierney to engage with Royal Mail in relation to the issues facing Derry postal staff and the impact it is having on mail being distributed locally.

Colr. Reilly’s proposal came after recent action by postal workers who held a protest over working conditions after a number of colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.

Royal Mail has said deep cleans have been and are being carried out at the Derry facility and said they are working with workers and union reps to address any additional concerns.

Speaking at the October Full Council meeting, Colr. Reilly said: “I want to put on record the SDLP’s support for the workers and the need for Royal Mail to engage proactively with the workforce to find a way of delivering letters, crucial letters to many people across our Council area, and indeed to wish all the staff - around half the staff are off on sick leave at the minute - a speedy recovery.

“I think as Mayor it would be useful if you were to engage with Royal Mail to get them to outline what there plan is not just in regards the speedy resolution to delivering of mail but what their plans are to prevent a reoccurrence in the future.”

Mayor Tierney said he had no issue engaging with Royal Mail, the union or staff directly, albeit online as he was self-isolating. “I’ll ask the Mayor’s office to start that process,” he said.

People Before Profit Colr. Shaun Harkin said that as a Council they should write to the Communication Workers Union branch commending them on the action they took. He added: “I think we as a Council need to promote the fact that workers, whether in a union or not in a union, whether it’s an individual or a collective, have the right not to work in an unsafe workplace and will not face any penalty as a result.

“We get a lot of workers contacting us asking what are there their rights in relation to this. I think we should now as a Council formally contact the local trade union reps of all the unions and invite them into a meeting with council officers to talk about their issues, their concerns and their demands, and issues they would like to see addressed during this pandemic, both the financial aspect and the health aspect.”

Sinn Fein Colr. Christopher Jackson said he and his party colleagues have been meeting with the postal workers, engaged with union reps and Royal Mail. Addressing the Mayor, he added: “We fully support yourself going forward and making representations.

“Workers across our Council area are concerned about conditions they are working in and we are supportive of the proposal council meet with trade unions. The actions taken by the postal workers demonstrates collective action can make a difference.”

SDLP Colr. Reilly urged that the council double down on social media messages about their rights as many people are returning to work for the first time in months as furlough ends.

DUP Ald. Hilary McClintock expressed support for postal workers and said the recent issues highlighted “how much we depend on our postal workers”.  

Postal problems being experienced in Strabane and the future of the sorting office in Castlederg will also be raised by the Mayor.

The proposals from Colrs. Reilly and Harkin were both carried.