London postal workers refusing to deliver BNP leaflets

The British National Party is fuming after hundreds of postal workers across South London refused to deliver election leaflets.

The Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver the leaflets but Communication Workers Union members are exercising a "conscience clause" in their contract not to carry out the work. Workers say they disagree with the controversial far-right parties policies which include voluntarily resettling immigrants. That same union today announced intentions to strike over pay.

Managers agreed to the clause and have been forced to draft in expensive agency workers to offices in Brixton, Stockwell and South Lambeth to clear the backlog.

Pollsters are predicting a "electoral breakthrough" for the party in European and local elections on Thursday with a perfect storm of voter apathy in the wake of the expenses scandal and a low turnout.

"Members won't touch them"

CWU official Martin Walsh told the South London Press: "The leaflets came in last Tuesday but our members wouldn’t touch them. We have a national agreement that states that staff do not have to deliver them but bosses still put our members under pressure. In the end, agency staff were brought in to deliver them."

Staff are "corrupting electotral process"

A BNP spokesman said postal staff are corrupting "the election process not to deliver the leaflets". Adding: "If they don’t want to deliver them they should not turn up to work, not get paid and give the money to someone else who is willing to do the job."

Exceptional circumstances

A Royal Mail spokesman would not comment on agency staff having to deliver the pamphlets, but added: He said: "Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of People Act to deliver election material, so long as the material is legal, and so we deliver all legitimate literature from all parties. In exceptional circumstances – where any individual has a genuine concern – we encourage them to discuss it with their manager and, if necessary, we make alternative arrangements.

We’re not able to comment on individual offices, however can confirm that all election material due to be delivered by the Royal Mail is being dealt with in accordance with the terms of the service paid for by customers."

London Daily News

Posties in BNP win

Sickened posties have won the right to refuse to deliver election leaflets for the racist BNP.
Hundreds objected to the European Election leaflets.

Others had been threatened, chased and spat as they tried to post it, the CWU union said.

Royal Mail — legally obliged to deliver election material — yesterday vowed to honour an agreed “conscience clause” allowing staff to choose not to post mail they find “offensive”.

It may hire casuals to help deliver the estimated 29million leaflets.

The Sun

Royal Mail advised to implement policy on posting offensive material

Royal Mail must act quickly to implement a nationwide procedure for staff to object against delivering material they find offensive or have a sensitive moral issue with, to prevent costly tribunal claims, an employment lawyer has warned.

Yesterday the Communication Workers Union (CWU) confirmed it had an agreement with Royal Mail which protected postal workers' rights to refuse to deliver election material that they felt was offensive.

Since last week, hundreds of workers have warned they will not deliver leaflets from the British National Party as they were concerned they could get abused by local residents offended by the material. The CWU said delivery workers had been threatened, chased and spat at for delivering some election leaflets.

Stephen Robinson, employment law partner at Davies Arnold Cooper, said: "It's essential a system is put in place to monitor material and a procedure is established for an employee to lodge a complaint or objection against delivery. A simple alternative would be to obey reasonable instructions to deliver mail, and failing to do so could be a disciplinary matter."

Royal Mail should also consider what other types of material could be deemed appropriate or inappropriate, in the realm of politics, religion or indeed any belief system, Robinson said.

Bob Gibson, CWU national official, said: "We have a national agreement with Royal Mail with a conscience clause which allows individuals to exercise their right not to deliver material which they find offensive or believe their customers may find offensive.

"It is not specific to any political party. We are protecting the rights of our members to be safe at work. Royal Mail has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees."

Meanwhile, Royal Mail said it had a legal obligation to deliver election material under the Representation of the People Act.

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