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Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are walking out after having held a series of strikes in recent months that Royal Mail claims cost £100m.
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Cages of mail have built up outside at the Bristol Mail Centre in Filton as industrial action continues (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA)
Workers most recently walked out on Friday and Sunday last week. They also went on strike over Black Friday, one of the year’s busiest shopping dates, and on Wednesday 30 November and Thursday 1 December, coinciding with Cyber Monday post.
Post will continue to be disrupted in the lead-up to Christmas. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s strikes, and dates for future action in December.
When are the Royal Mail strikes?
The CWU has formally notified Royal Mail it is calling on its members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action. The strikes involve roughly 115,000 workers. They are set to walk out on the following dates:
- Wednesday 14 December
- Thursday 15 December
- Friday 23 December
- Saturday 24 December
How is post affected on strike days?
Despite “well-developed contingency plans”, Royal Mail has acknowledged that these “cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce”, with significant disruption on strike dates.
The most significant effect is that Royal Mail will not be delivering any letters or parcels on these days, except those sent by special delivery.
Royal Mail has promised to “prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible”, alongside other Tracked24 parcels.
Are post offices open?
Most post offices are expected to be open on the dates walkouts are taking place, although a few will be affected by the CWU action. But any items posted in postboxes or post offices the day before, during or following strike dates are likely to be subject to delays.
Royal Mail, which has a full, in-depth list of FAQs which you can find here, advises its customers to:
- Post items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates;
- Keep posting items at post boxes or post offices, but be aware collections will be less frequent on strike days.
Postal deliveries – and collections from businesses, post offices and postboxes – should resume the day after each strike takes place.
Why are Royal Mail workers striking?
On the eve of the latest round of strikes, Royal Mail said it had made its “best and final offer” aimed at resolving the dispute. The company said this included “extensive improvements” that had been made during the negotiations with the CWU, including an enhanced pay deal of up to 9 per cent over 18 months.
Simon Thompson, Royal Mail’s chief executive, said: “Talks have lasted for seven months and we have made numerous improvements and two pay offers.”
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail bosses are risking a Christmas meltdown because of their stubborn refusal to treat their employees with respect.
“Postal workers want to get on with serving the communities they belong to, delivering Christmas gifts and tackling the backlog from recent weeks.
“But they know their value, and they will not meekly accept the casualisation of their jobs, the destruction of their conditions and the impoverishment of their families.
“We are disappointed that instead of reaching a compromise to avoid major disruption, Royal Mail have chosen to pursue such an aggressive strategy.”
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