Engineers at Royal Mail vote for strike

Hundreds of engineers who maintain lifts and other equipment in Royal Mail offices have voted to go on strike in a row over tracking devices used to monitor their movements.

Members of the Communication Workers Union, who are employed by the company Romec, backed industrial action by 9-1, claiming that managers were misusing information from the devices in engineers’ vans and hand-held devices.

More than 700 staff are affected.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “This is an overwhelming ballot result which shows how strongly our members feel about the controversial issue of misusing tracking devices.

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“While our members are clearly prepared to take strike action, we are now asking Romec management for urgent talks to resolve this issue and avoid the need for strike action.”

Ray Ellis, CWU national official and lead negotiator with Romec, added: “Given the potential for misuse, these tracking devices must be used in accordance with clear procedures to protect individuals and maintain compliance with the law, including not using the data to initiate disciplinary action.

“However, Romec has stated in a memo to its buildings service maintenance engineers its intention to use them for that purpose.

“We hope the company will come to the table to avoid the need for strike action.”