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Royal Mail workers are to hold a further 19 strikes in October and November in a deteriorating and long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced that the industrial action in the run up to Christmas will be a mixture of single days and rolling action across Royal Mail Group’s network.
The union said it will have a “dramatic impact” and will also cover peak mail periods such as Black Friday on 25 November and Cyber Monday on 28 November.
It added that the decision follows a threat centred around the “outrageous” decision by Royal Mail Group’s senior management to withdraw from major national agreements, push ahead with cuts to workers’ terms and conditions and “completely sideline” the union.
The CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “This is a significant announcement, but it is one which matches the level of anger our members feel at the way Royal Mail Group has treated them.
“The chief executive of Royal Mail Group is treating postal workers as if they are stupid. These are the same people that have kept the country connected and returned Royal Mail Group to record profit.”
Royal Mail workers staged strike action over three days in August and September.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said on 22 September it invited CWU to enter into talks through Acas, the arbitration service, to find a resolution to our dispute on change and pay.
The spokesperson added: “This evening, rather than responding to our offer of Acas talks, the CWU announced further damaging industrial action, once again taking the path of prolonging disruption over resolution.
“Royal Mail is losing £1m a day and must change faster in response to changing customer demands. We operate in a competitive market, and our customers have choices.
“Further strikes and resistance to transformation by CWU will only make our financial position worse, and threatens the long-term job security of our postmen and women.
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“The CWU has a responsibility to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business and engage urgently on the changes required.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise any delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
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