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Britons have been warned to post their Christmas parcels well in advance as Royal Mail strikes “could easily spiral” into the festive season.
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have planned 19 further days of strikes which could have a “dramatic impact” on the peak delivery period, including on Black Friday on 25 November and Cyber Monday on 28 November.
The last day of industrial action is currently scheduled for 2 December but negotiations have ground to a halt, meaning more strike dates further into the Christmas period are possible, i understands.
Royal Mail said it will try to keep services running but warned of “significant disruption” during the strikes and a knock-on effect across the surrounding days.
Contingency plans include requiring non-operational managers to fill the roles of striking employees and drafting in agency workers.
Royal Mail said it is aiming for services to return to normal “as quickly as possible after any strike action” by increasing its network capacity and piling on additional resources. It plans to resume deliveries and collections from business customers, Post Offices and postboxes the day after strikes.
While it is possible strike-induced delays may have resolved by late December, it is advisable to post Christmas presents well in advance this year. A Royal Mail source recommended posting parcels two or three days earlier than usual over strike days.
How to beat the strikes
When are the strikes?
There will be four days of widespread action in October involving all CWU workers, which is an estimated 115,000 people.
The 23-hour walkouts, beginning at 4am, will take place on:
- Thursday 13 October
- Thursday 20 October
- Tuesday 25 October
- Monday 28 November
Smaller groups of workers will strike on a number of other days in November and December, in action that is expected to impact all deliveries.
- Processing, distribution, international, collections and admin workers: Thursday 3, Wednesday 9, Tuesday 15, Thursday 24 November and Thursday 1 December
- Delivery workers: Friday 4, Thursday 10, Wednesday 16, Friday 25 November and Friday 2 December
- Network workers: Wednesday 2, Tuesday 8, Monday 14, Wednesday 23 and Wednesday 30 November
Latest recommended posting days
Royal Mail has released the latest recommended posting days to ensure post arrives in time for Christmas:
- Friday 16 December – Royal Mail Bulk Mail and Economy
- Monday 19 December – 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For and Royal Mail 48
- Wednesday 21 December – 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For, Royal Mail 24, Royal Mail Tracked 48
- Thursday 22 December – Special Delivery Guaranteed, Royal Mail Tracked 24
- Friday 23 December – Special Delivery Guaranteed with Saturday Guarantee
Customers are advised to check the Royal Mail website for updates in case the above dates are changed if further strike dates are added closer to Christmas.
Choose a priority delivery option
Royal Mail has said that items posted before, during and immediately after the strike would be “subject to delay”.
Certain delivery options will be prioritised on strike days, so it is advisable to pay extra to ensure your post is delivered on time.
Post sent via Special Delivery Guaranteed will be prioritised on strike days, although next-day delivery cannot be guaranteed “until our services are back to normal”, said Royal Mail.
Tracked 24 post will also be prioritised, including Covid tests and prescriptions, but delays are expected to packages sent the day before, the day of and immediately after strikes.
Can I still use Post Offices and postboxes?
Customers can still use postboxes during the strike but post will not be collected until the next day. Post Offices will be open but collections will be limited.
Delivery Offices and Customer Service Points will be closed on strike days, so customers have been advised not to try and collect or drop off items on these dates.
Last month, the union met Royal Mail CEOs in an attempt to resolve the dispute about pay cuts and the deterioration of workplace conditions but no agreement was reached.
The delivery firm announced it would be withdrawing from existing legal agreements with the CWU and handed over a letter about the modernisation of the company which involved cultivating a “high-performance culture”.
A union source said: “This dispute could easily spiral into Christmas if the CEOs don’t stop playing games and evading meaningful discussions with the union.
“They have provoked the biggest industrial dispute of the year for no other reason than they don’t think their workers are worth a decent wage.”
At the meeting, Royal Mail also asked CWU to go to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to resolve the dispute but the union declined.
A Royal Mail spokesperson described the strikes as “reckless” as the industrial action has already weakened the company’s financial position and, therefore, the job security of employees.
The company is losing £1 million a day, they said, adding that the continued strikes could tempt customers away from Royal Mail and towards other delivery services.
They said: “Our invitation to enter into talks through ACAS remains open. Our people need the CWU leadership to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business, and to engage urgently on the changes required to adapt to customer demands in a highly competitive market.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
‘I may have to close my business if the strikes go ahead’
A photographer who uses Royal Mail to ship online orders of his landscape prints said he fears he may be forced to close his business due to upcoming strikes by its workers.
The man, who did not want to be identified, claimed he lost three weeks of income after his deliveries were delayed for days during previous strike action by Royal Mail workers in August and September.
He said his overall sales are down about 50 per cent this year, while his costs are up due to the cost of living crisis coupled with a loss of sales to EU customers since Brexit.
The business owner fears he could face further financial loss if the 19 days of strike action go ahead.
He said: “19 days could just be the start and is very worrying and stressful if they don’t reach an agreement. On the seller forums, many are extremely worried and think they may go out of business or have to close for a month or two, just when we need the money most.”
“They’re not exactly protecting us much from the strikes – they still expect small sellers like me to post on strike days, knowing they’ll just get caught up in a backlog – if you have no choice but to use Royal Mail.”
The man claimed that more than 50 per cent of his sales come from online and about a third or more come from Amazon – which he fears may remove him as a seller on the site or limit his selling options due to further late deliveries.
He added that despite the strikes crippling his finances he still supports Royal Mail staff but wishes “they would come to a deal asap so I can stop worrying”.
Royal Mail has put together a contingency plan to mitigate the industrial action during the Christmas period, i understands.
Since it is just CWU going on strike, the managers – who are represented by Unite union – will still be going to work.
On weekday strikes, non-operational managers will be required to “provide cover in the operations unless they are exempt”, wrote one of the CEOs, Simon Thompson, in a company-wide email.
Agency workers will also be drafted in on strike days to try and keep the business running smoothly.
On the strike on Saturday 1 October, Royal Mail asked non-operation managers who do not usually work weekends to fill the roles of the striking employees in return for £150 and a lieu day, with a few hundred managers out of thousands taking up the offer, i understands.
A union source said members “couldn’t be angrier with the current state of affairs” because “their managers are taking £150 bribes to scab on the strike”.
Royal Mail has denied that the action amounts to bribery.
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