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What is the last date to send Christmas cards and parcels via Royal Mail?
Royal Mail has urged customers to “allow plenty of time” for posting items this year.
If you want cards and presents to arrive by Christmas Day, 2nd class items should have been posted at the latest by December 19, while 1st class should be sent no later than today, December 21.
Special deliveries and tracked guaranteed items should be sent by December 22. Special deliveries with the company’s “Saturday guarantee” can be sent on December 23.
Why are Royal Mail workers taking industrial action?
The dispute between the postal service and the CWU, which represents more than 100,000 of Royal Mail’s 140,000 workers, centres on pay and conditions.
In the wake of galloping inflation, the CWU argues that the company’s postal workers deserve a pay rise to match price increases. UK inflation topped 11pc last month, a 41-year high.
They are also angry about changes to working conditions that Royal Mail bosses want to make, including a seven-day-a-week parcel service, reducing letter deliveries to five days, increased automation of parcel and letter sorting and later finishing times, to allow more next day deliveries.
Royal Mail says the company is losing £1m a day and that without radical changes the business has no future. Bosses have threatened layoffs and a potential breakup of the business if striking workers cannot be brought to heel.
What if I am sending post internationally?
If you are using international economy or international standard post, you have missed the deadline for cards and parcels to arrive in time for Christmas. The deadline has also passed for sending mail to family and friends serving in the Armed Forces.
Rail passengers’ travel plans will also be hit in the run-up to Christmas by planned train strikes.
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