Vic: Postie action stops "letters to Santa"

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2009
Vic: Postie action stops "letters to Santa"

By Steve Lillebuen and Michelle Draper

MELBOURNE, Dec 16 AAP - Illegal strike action is stopping Australia Post trucks at
several Victorian facilities, the company says.

About a quarter of staff did not show up for work on Wednesday as part of the on-going
industrial dispute.

Pickets blocked trucks in at least five major mail sorting centres in the state and
in one case a manager was allegedly assaulted, company spokesman Alex Twomey says.

"We think this is outrageous behaviour and we're going to be taking that up with the
police," he told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Union action blocked trucks across the state in Ballarat, Dandenong, Melbourne Airport,
Geelong and Ardeer.

In Melbourne, a manager was allegedly punched at the city's main airport sorting facility,
he said.

"Let's be clear. This is an illegal picket," he said.

"This is not a peaceful picket and when you start blocking trucks in and out that becomes
an illegal picket."

In CCTV footage released by the company, one truck is seen being blocked from accessing
a mailing facility by several people. Later, a man in a neon yellow vest that says "union"

stops a truck from leaving by resting his back against it.

Mr Twomey blamed the activity of a handful of individuals.

"We're really having a few individuals, less than 20 in a few key areas, stopping the
whole of people's Christmas presents, letters to Santa, Christmas cards not going through
the mail."

Mr Twomey said if such action continued beyond Friday, customers would see major issues
in postal delivery next week.

CEPU Victorian branch secretary and treasurer Joan Doyle said at 1pm (AEDT) on Wednesday
about 70 people were on the picket line outside the Dandenong Letters Centre, in Melbourne's
southeast.

"Every shift that comes through joins the picket line in the mail centre," Ms Doyle
told AAP from the picket line.

"Basically nothing is coming in or out," she said.

"We don't think there is any product in the centre."

Ms Doyle said the picket line would end at 4am on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a community picket line at the Geelong Mail Centre was said to have clashed
with a postal truck on Tuesday evening.

Geelong Trades Hall delegate John Cameron, who was observing the picket line at the
time, said no one was injured during the incident about 10.30pm.

"The truck just came through, slowed, then rammed right through them," he told AAP.

He said the people on the community picket line, which included members of unions other
than CEPU postal workers, who were standing to one side, were forced to grab hold of the
truck to avoid slipping underneath.

AAP sbl/gfr/srp

KEYWORD: POSTIES VIC (SUPPLIED PIX AVAILABLE)

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