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A third possible national strike by Royal Mail workers in 2022 has been announced.
Adding to the wave of national industrial action that is set to cause disruption throughout the UK this summer, Royal Mail workers in Liverpool have announced that they will go on strike next month.
Following other industries such as rail and air travel which have both seen their fair share of strike action so far in 2022, Royal Mail is the latest on what is slowly becoming a long list.
In what is set to cause various problematic delays for customers throughout the Liverpool and Merseyside region, here is everything you need to know about the Royal Mail strikes; from when it will take place and which Liverpool City Region post office branches will be affected.
Why are Royal Mail striking?
Workers from around 100 different Royal Mail post office branches throughout the United Kingdom are set to take strike action in July 2022.
Specifically the Crown Post Offices – which are the larger post offices commonly located on city high streets – account for over 1,500 workers and 114 branchest directly managed by Post Office Limited.
Members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) revealed that the strike action is in dispute over pay rises.
The union has said that its members are said to have rejected a pay rise of 3% from April 2o22, following a pay freeze in April 2021, as well as a £500 lump sum.
The CWU have described this move from Royal Mail as ‘woefully inadequate’ as it is well-below the level of inflation, which currently stands at a 40-year high of 9.1 percent.
It is believed that The Post Office has made around £35 million profit in the 2021-2022 financial year alone, so unions feel like this should also mean a hike in employee wage.
When are the strikes going to take place?
Members for the union across the more than one hundred branches of Crown Post Offices will now vote on whether to go on strike action for one day next month.
It is scheduled to take place on Monday, 11 July.
The walkout of more than 1,500 workers will cause ‘severe disruption’ and various delays for consumers of affected post offices.
Parcel collection is one of a number of services that will be unavailable.
Are there any Royal Mail post offices in Liverpool City Region going on strike?
Out of the various post offices taking part in this national industrial action in July, there are only two that are in and around the Liverpool City Region area. These are as follows:
- Breck Road Post Office – The Mall, Breck Road, Liverpool, L5 6SW
- Old Swan Post Office – 489 Prescot Road, Old Swan, Liverpool, L13 3BU
What is the full list of Crown Post Office locations going on strike?
The following is the full list of Crown Royal Mail post offices going on strike in 2022:
Customers that are affected by the closure of a branch during the day of strike action are advised to find an alternative post office via the Royal Mail finder.
What has the CWU said?
The union’s assistant secretary, Andy Furey, has issued the following statement following the announcement of industrial strike action:
“No worker wants to be in this situation, but Post Office bosses can’t be surprised that callous decisions are challenged by our members,” he said.
He added“This dispute is about dignity and respect for hard-working employees – essential public servants who, as key workers, provided unprecedented customer service during the pandemic.
“Our members feel betrayed and will not tolerate their living standards being smashed by people in charge of a public service that due to our members’ efforts made tens of millions of pounds in annual profits.
“There is more than enough money for a reasonable pay rise – implementing this pay cut is a management choice, not a necessity.”
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