Guest post by Jon d
I’d been wondering why I’d not received any political bumf from any parties in the run up to the Euro election, not even the famous identity fraud leaflet. I was starting to feel I was being taken for granted by the parties; doesn’t my vote matter to them? Not even to the Tories, whose blood seems to be up in every other part of the nation? The mystery deepened when it turned out none of my friends nearby have had so much as a sniff of a political mailsshot and neither had anyone at the pub quiz received item one of the anticipated blizzard of postal communication from the candidates.
I’m pleased, nay proud to report there’s a rational explanation to the mystery.
Royal Mail workers have refused to deliver British National Party election leaflets as their union accuses Royal Mail of breaking a ‘conscience clause’ allowing staff to refuse to deliver literature they find offensive.
A number of the 160 delivery staff at a postal depot in Macclesfield told bosses they would not distribute the material. Some postal staff in Prestwich, Bury, Glossop, Wilmslow, and Alderley Edge have also objected to delivering the leaflets.
Sian Jones, spokeswoman for the Communication Workers Union said: “At Macclesfield staff were apparently told by delivery depot manager that if they did not deliver the BNP leaflets they would not be allowed to deliver any political leaflets, and so would lose money, as they get extra for delivering them. That is a clear breach of the clause we agreed.”
