Royal Mail: postmen given shares will 'take the money and go on strike'
Postmen who have been given free shares in Royal Mail while tens of thousand of people have missed out will "take the money and go on strike", a union leader said
By Steven Swinford, and Christopher Hope
8:50AM BST 11 Oct 2013
A total of 149,632 postmen – equivalent to 99.75 per cent – have been given £2,200 worth of free shares as part of the privatisation of the 500-year-old company.
However, on Wednesday the Communication Workers Union will announce the result of a ballot for industrial action.
Billy Hayes, the union's leader, said that the free shares will not make a "scintilla of difference" to the outcome of the ballot.
He said: "Why not [take the money and then go on strike]? These executives make big killings and run down a service. It's about greed.
"There's no celebrations in delivery offices throughout the country. We have got Sovereign wealth funds. Kuwait has bought shares in Royal Mail, Singapore has bought shares. We're going to have a situation where the royal family in Kuwait has more influence over the postal service in the UK than the royal family in this country."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-mail/10371642/Royal-Mail-postmen-given-shares-will-take-the-money-and-go-on-strike.html