ABOUT a hundred York posties - said to be angry at missing out on bonuses enjoyed by other postal workers in the area - staged a lightning one-hour strike.
A man claiming to be a postman told the Evening Press that sorters and delivery people based at the York West sorting office, in Leeman Road, took unofficial industrial action between 6am and 7am yesterday, staging a sit-in in the canteen.
He said posties were angry because they still had not hit efficiency targets which would trigger bonus payments worth more than £25 a week.
He said these bonuses had long been achieved by staff in the York Central sorting office, who were based in the same complex in Leeman Road, but York West workers felt their targets had been unfairly set. He claimed that workers in the York North offices, based at Birch Park, Huntington, had also now hit the targets - linked to the introduction of single deliveries a day - and were achieving the bonus payments.
The man also claimed that deliveries in the York West area, which included Acomb, Dringhouses, Woodthorpe, Foxwood and Boroughbridge Road, were hit by yesterday's action, which he predicted would be repeated next week.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman confirmed that "unofficial and unlawful" action had been taken by York West sorting office staff between 6am and 7am, but denied that this had affected deliveries to customers. She said the company had not been notified of any further industrial action.
The spokeswoman said Royal Mail was continuing to talk with unions on a number of issues, including single daily delivery.
Efficiency targets had been set locally and negotiations were continuing to work towards achieving them.
A spokesman for the postal workers' union, the UCW, was unavailable for comment, but earlier this month leader Dave Dowling warned that a ballot for industrial action could be called over the bonus payments issue if a satisfactory deal was not offered.
He said York West and North posties had missed out on hundreds of pounds over the last few months because of "unrealistic" targets.
Updated: 08:40 Saturday, July 31, 2004
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