Save Mount Pleasant Nursery Demo

17^th May 2011
For immediate release
Demo to save Mount Pleasant nursery
Royal Mail staff, parents and children will protest outside Mount Pleasant between 12 and 2:30pm on Thursday 19^th May in opposition to plans to close the on-site nursery which provides subsidised childcare for postal workers across London.
  Royal Mail has condemned the nursery to closure by the autumn, has not consulted staff or parents and has not responded to concerns raised by the Communication Workers Union about the closure, including the impact on equality. Postal workers are among London's lowest paid workforce making subsidised childcare a vital asset for families. For many Royal Mail staff it's the difference between being able to work or having to give up in order to care for young children.
 Local MPs Emily Thornberry and Frank Dobson are supporting the campaign to keep the nursery open.
Mount Pleasant CWU branch secretary Roger Charles said: "The Mount Pleasant nursery is really important because it's a unique facility. It offers affordable childcare for shift workers as it's open from 6am to 10pm. It's the only facility like it in Royal Mail and makes a huge difference to the lives of working families.
“We know that some people will have to resign if this nursery closes. That’s why we’re demonstrating on Thursday – to make it clear that this nursery is valued by Royal Mail staff and to urge the company to re-think the closure and find a way of keeping it open. This cost saving will cost the livelihoods of our members if it goes ahead.”

Details: Demonstrators will be outside Royal Mail’s Mount Pleasant sorting office at the Rosebery Avenue entrance between 12noon and 2:30pm on Thursday 19^th May 2011. Parents, children and supporters will hold placards and be gathering signatures on a petition against the closure.

  Parents and the CWU are appealing to Royal Mail Chief Executive Moya Greene to reconsider the decision but no response has yet been received.
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Mount-Pleasant-Nursery/118247551583530#!/pages/Save-Mount-Pleasant-Nursery/118247551583530

Notes to editors:

·         The Child's Play nursery is run by Kiddicare. It opened in 1994 to great fanfare as the first dedicated crèche facility for Royal Mail staff across London.
·         It caters for up to 30 children at any one time and at its peak provided care for around 70 children. 
·         Parents pay £112 a week for full-time childcare. This is up to eight hours a day, on any shift time between 6am and 10pm. Part-time childcare costs £68 a week for up to four hours a day.
·         The average full-time postman or woman's wage starts at £371 a week before tax in London, so affordable childcare is a real issue for families
·         Staff believe that Royal Mail has been deliberately running the nursery down and even discouraging new entrants.
For more information please contact:
Sian Jones, Press Officer, tel: 020 8971 7267, mobile: 0779 3314249, e-mail: sbjones@cwu.org
Roger Charles, Mount Pleasant Branch Secretary, tel: 020 7239 2214, mobile: 07738 579327, e-mail: mountpleasantinternational@btconnect.com
Kevin Slocombe, Head of Communications, mobile: 07714504413, e-mail: kslocombe@cwu.org
www.cwu.org              www.cwutv.org
From Sian Jones | Press Officer
Email sbjones@cwu.org | Direct line 020 8971 7267 | Mobile 0779 3314249
Communication Workers Union  The communications union

Headquarters 150 The Broadway | Wimbledon | SW19 1RX

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