Petition fights Royal Mail privatisation

A 160,000-NAME petition against the Government’s controversial plan to privatise the Royal Mail has been handed in to Downing Street, showing the “strong opposition” across the country.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Sep 2013, 17:56 BST

A 160,000-name petition opposed to the Government's controversial plan to privatise the Royal Mail has been handed in to Downing Street.

More than 120,000 of the names have been collected by Exeter postman Darren Rowbotham as part of a growing campaign against the sell-off.

Union leaders, Labour MPs and campaigners joined a delegation urging ministers to reconsider the privatisation.

The move follows an announcement by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) of a strike ballot among 125,000 of its members over issues linked to privatisation.

The ballot is due to end on October 3, with any walkout starting from a week later if there is a yes vote, threatening action in the run-up to the busy Christmas period.

Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “This petition is an indication of the strong opposition felt across the country against plans to privatise Royal Mail.”