CWU fights for postal workers’ footwear

The CWU communication workers union is campaigning for better safety footwear, after Royal Mail delivery staff were issued with substandard boots.

According to CWU safety reps, new standard-issue “Magnum” footwear lacks grip in wet weather and on smooth surfaces. Reps say the boots have caused several minor injuries and at least one serious accident, in which a postal worker had a bad fall and sustained compound fractures on two lower leg bones.

Managers’ response to the safety concerns was to tell workers to “roughen” up the soles of their new footwear before use, in an effort to improve their grip and reduce the slip factor.

But the union argues that it is not acceptable to provide footwear in a condition that increases risk of slips, trips and falls. CWU national safety officer Dave Joyce has taken up the issue with senior managers and the HSE.