by DAVID BROWN

Disciplinary action against two union officials alleged to have broken strike laws has been dropped in an "extraordinary step" by the Royal Mail.

A 24-hour strike planned by staff at Harrow sorting office on Friday last week in protest at the disciplinary action was cancelled when the dispute was settled.

The Royal Mail has now agreed to review industrial relations across its south central region, which employs 14,000 staff, following complaints by the Communication Workers' Union.

Harrow sorting office in College Road has been at the centre of controversy after disciplinary action was started against the union representatives following a wildcat strike. Managers alleged the men initiated the illegal, unballoted strike, a claim the men and the CWU deny.

Union bosses backed the men and a ballot of members at the sorting office supported industrial action by 257 votes to 12. The planned action was cancelled on Thursday last week after agreement was reached.

"We are taking the quite extraordinary action of reviewing industrial relations because of the perceived situation throughout the region, Harrow is not an isolated incident," said a Royal Mail spokesman.

"We are also taking the extraordinary step of stopping disciplinary action against two staff members at Harrow. We just want to resolve the perceived industrial relations problems and present any repetition of unlawful industrial action."

The review, with union representatives and Royal Mail managers from the south central region, which stretches from Oxford to Southampton and from Swindon to Harrow, will start on August 27 and is expected to conclude by the end of September.

A spokesman for the CWU in Harrow said: "The management was attempting to use two reps as scapegoats. This is just one example of how bad industrial relations have become. We have disciplinary procedures that are agreed with us and the management and we have a management that seems to think this is an agreement which is flexible when it suits them.

"We are pleased that the management has now accepted that there is a problem and that with us they are going to look at the industrial relations in this area."

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