28 September 2007 - Householders across York and North Yorkshire will see a huge drop in the amount of junk mail posted through their letter boxes.
The Press today reports that postmen in North Yorkshire have been told not to deliver any unsolicited mail over the next three weeks. The decision has been made in response to union plans to stage two 48-hour strikes. According to a Royal Mail spokesperson, the strikes "will make it impossible for us to deliver the services normally to our customers".
The main postal union, the Communication Workers' Union (CWU), announced yesterday that its 130,000 members will walk out for 48 hours between noon on Thursday 4 October and noon on Saturday 6 October. A second 48-hour strike will take place from 3am on Monday 8 October to the same time on Wednesday 10 October.
At the centre of the dispute is the CWU's objection to the Royal Mail's 2.5% pay offer and modernisation plans, which according to the union will put 40,000 jobs at risk.