Christmas Mail and Packages Are Piling Up at Royal Mail Centers

The Royal Mail postal worker strike is getting uglier, and as we have warned for some time now, this will affect the timely delivery of holiday gift shipments.

Now entering its fourth month, more than 115,000 Communication Workers Union (CWU) postal workers are planning to strike on six more days in December:

• Friday, December 9
• Sunday, December 11
• Wednesday, December 14
• Thursday, December 15
• Friday, December 23
• Saturday, Christmas Eve, December 24

And according to the CWU, mail and packages are already piling up in Royal Mail centers from earlier walkouts. On Twitter, the CWU claims with videos that Christmas mail is piling up.

CWU / Royal Mail Feud Getting Personal

The CWU’s feud with Royal Mail has even become personal in its attacks against Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson. For example, in this tweet, the CWU claims Thompson is getting answers written for him during an interview.

But more importantly, the union feels Thompson is misleading the public about Royal Mail’s long-term intentions, which, among things, include moving more jobs to contractors, away from employees.

Royal Mail isn’t the only business in the UK that is dealing with a labor dispute. In December, planned walkouts will affect trains, busses, driving tests, and cash handling as well.

Dave Ward, the general secretary of the CWU, said in an interview with The Telegraph that Britain is facing a “de facto general strike.”

While an official general strike has to be coordinated by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ward said the CWU is working with other unions.

The UK is in Strike Chaos this holiday season, and the disputes are bitter, with little hope of finding a resolution anytime soon.

For businesses that rely on Royal Mail to deliver orders during this year’s holiday season, the situation will only get worse.

But it’s not just British businesses that have to deal with this situation. It impacts shippers globally, from the US to Australia, that ship with their domestic postal service mail and packages to the UK.

After customs clearance, all postal shipments entering the UK are delivered by Royal Mail. And with no resolution in sight, the backlog of mail and packages will just get larger, delaying holiday gifts.

Looking beyond Christmas. How much longer can the strike last? The CWU says it’s ready to continue for as long as it takes to get its demands met.

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