When is the next strike and which planned dates are cancelled

On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Royal Mail employees will go on two 48-hour strikes as a long-running dispute about wages, jobs, and working conditions continues.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) had previously withdrawn walkouts due on November 2,3, 4, 8, 9 and 10.

They had been due to form part of its continuing dispute over pay and conditions, which includes opposition to the company’s modernisation plans.

The union said that after receiving a letter from Royal Mail’s legal team, it had decided to withdraw industrial action notices for the next two weeks.

A series of strikes have taken place over recent weeks, and strike action will resume on Thursday, November 24.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “We recognise the deep frustration felt by many members over this decision.”

The strike action involves more than 115,000 workers, the union said.

The CWU has been locked in a long-running dispute with the company around pay increases keeping up with the soaring cost of living and working practices.

During strike days, special delivery parcels should still get to their destination, and Covid-19 test kits and prescriptions would be prioritised, said Royal Mail. Tracked 24 parcels will also be prioritised but anything else is likely to be stuck in post boxes or at sorting offices.

Industrial action is also planned for Black Friday on November 25 and Cyber Monday on November 28 in the run-up to Christmas.

In a vote on whether to take industrial action with a 66 per cent turnout, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said that 93.5 per cent of its cleaners, maintenance engineers and related admin workers voted yes.

However, Royal Mail announced on October 14 that as many as 6,000 jobs could be cut over the next year, with more at risk in the future, as the dispute continues.

Royal Mail said: “We will be starting the process of consulting on rightsizing the business in response to the impact of industrial action, delays in delivering agreed productivity improvements and lower parcel volumes.”

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In response, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Postal workers face the biggest ever assault on their jobs, terms and conditions in the history of Royal Mail.

“The public and businesses also face the end of daily deliveries and destruction of the special relationship that postal workers and the public have in every community in the UK.”

So why are the Royal Mail workers striking?

When will Royal Mail workers strike and will it affect Christmas?

Royal Mail workers are set to strike on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 November.

They plan to walk out again on Wednesday 30 November and Thursday 1 December. Cyber Monday is on 28 November.

Different teams will walk out on the rest of the strike days, and a CWU spokesperson said that these stoppages will have a knock-on effect.

Following the resumption of the walkouts, these less extensive strikes are scheduled to take place on the dates below:

• Processing, distribution, international, collections and admin workers: Tuesday 15, Thursday 24 November and Thursday 1 December

• Delivery workers: Wednesday 16, Friday 25 November and Friday 2 December

• Network workers: Wednesday 23 and Wednesday 30 November

It could be worth reading our guide on how to keep track of Christmas deliveries to avoid any disappoints this festive season.

Why are Royal Mail workers striking?

Royal Mail workers are striking over the Royal Mail Group’s decision to withdraw from major national agreements and cut workers’ terms and conditions.

The CWU says that employees who received a Real Living Wage (RLW) adjustment in April wouldn’t receive an annual pay rise, with the majority of cleaners affected by the decision.

Mark Baulch, the assistant secretary of the CWU, explained: “They made a formal commitment back in March, in writing and fully documented, and which is jointly signed, that the RLW uplift would be applied outside of the formal pay talks and ‘without prejudice’ to the 2022/23 annual pay negotiations.

“And yet, just a few months later, that management promise was wilfully broken – it was an absolute disgrace.”

The CWU said that although a minority of cleaners were offered a 50p-an-hour pay increase, 90 per cent of cleaners didn’t receive an annual pay rise.

The union is also seeking the same rights as other Royal Mail Group employees on issues like pensions, leave entitlement, holiday pay and parental leave.

What has Royal Mail said about the strikes?

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “On September 22, Royal Mail invited CWU to enter into talks through Acas to find a resolution to our dispute on change and pay. 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 £1 million 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.

“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.”