The CWU and GMB unions call into question the legality of the Royal Mail's plan.

The Royal Mail's decision to bring in 30,000 temporary workers to minimise the impact of this week's proposed national strikes could be breaching the law, it has been claimed.

A Communication Workers Union official said the body will be consulting legal experts to see whether the Royal Mail has broken the law, which could mean that consumers may need to seek alternative parcel delivery services such as those offered by Parcel2Go.com.

Paul Kenny, leader of the GMB Union, echoed the representative's concerns, saying that legislation exists which states that bringing in casual labour during times of industrial action is not allowed.

"There are strict laws that forbid employers and employment agencies using agency staff to break a lawful dispute and it is the job of Lord Mandelson's department to enforce those laws," he stated.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail operations director Paul Tolhurst told GMTV he is hopeful that a breakthrough can be reached before any industrial action takes place.

Written by Lucy Pritchard


Article Added: 19/10/2009 09:32:51