Royal Mail to hire 30,000 workers to crush strike

London: Royal Mail is heading for a bitter confrontation with postal workers after announcing plans to recruit an army of 30,000 temporary staff in an attempt to crush the national strike that starts this week.

In a move that stunned union leaders and raised tensions between management and workers to new levels, Royal Mail said it had ordered the biggest recruitment drive in its history "to help keep the mail moving during the strikes called by the Communication Workers Union (CWU)".

Sources inside the CWU, which has called national strikes for Thursday and Friday, questioned whether the move was legal and suggested that it could be challenged in the courts.

As householders and businesses braced themselves for massive disruption, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson appeared to give his backing, saying he was "beyond anger" with the union for obstructing change and modernisation.

"This is a matter of life and death for the future of the Royal Mail," Mandelson told the Observer. "This national strike will drive away yet further customers and further business, possibly never to return to the Royal Mail." Fears are now growing that the strikes could unleash some of the worst industrial strife since the miners' strike of 1984-85 with the focus being on possible violence at picket lines.

Police briefed on plan

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said that it was closely monitoring the situation and had issued guidance to forces on dealing with large-scale strike action.

On Thursday CWU workers at mail distribution centres across the country will come out on strike. Royal Mail insists there will still be collections and deliveries. On Friday, however, those who actually collect letters and parcels from postboxes and deliver them will strike, meaning there were will be no service to households and businesses across much of the country. Royal Mail normally employs an additional 15,000 staff in the run-up to Christmas.

Royal Mail group chief executive Adam Crozier said: "We are continuing to urge the union to halt its appalling and unjustified attack on customers. At the same time, we are absolutely determined to do everything we can to minimise delays to customers' mail."