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Royal Mail wrote to the CWU last Tuesday saying that if the union offers a commitment to remove the threat of strike action for the rest of 2019 it will enter into talks without any other preconditions. It also said it would extend the life of the ballot result by the same amount of time as the pause of industrial action. CWU rejected this offer.
Shane O’Riordain, Royal Mail’s managing director of regulation and corporate affairs, said: “In the event of industrial action in the run up to a general election, election mail will be our number one priority.
“We will invest significant resource to seek to ensure a seamless process for the handling of postal election material.
“Royal Mail volunteers will also work on the processing and delivery of election mail.
“Royal Mail is also meeting the CWU as a matter of urgency to discuss the union’s request for an increase in the dedicated payments postmen receive for delivering each poll card and individual item of candidate mail.
“The recent ballot result for industrial action does not necessarily mean that industrial action will take place.
“In addition, Royal Mail continues to believe that a binding commitment from the CWU to remove the threat of strike action during the period of any general election is vital to ensuring a seamless electoral process in relation to postal votes.”
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “This ‘offer’ from Royal Mail is nothing more than a stunt and this union will not be falling for it.
“Our priority is defending our members and we will do whatever it takes to do that.
“If Royal Mail is serious about avoiding disruption to the postal service they will put an offer on the table that protects our members’ jobs, terms and conditions and the service they provide to the public and businesses.”
Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “CWU’s threat to ruin Christmas and disrupt the postal system during the General Election is just a preview of things to come if Jeremy Corbyn is ever allowed near the keys to Number 10.
“The timing of this threat is clearly politically calculated and would disrupt both the election and people’s Christmas deliveries.”
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