Royal Mail and CWU reach agreement on pay and conditions

COMMUNICATION Workers Union (CWU) negotiators have reached a deal in talks with Royal Mail bosses after months of dispute.

Details of Saturday’s agreement have not been made public, but the union said its postal executive will meet tomorrow and Tuesday to consider it.

Should the package, brokered by conciliation service Acas, be endorsed, CWU will “put in place a full plan to engage members,” the union confirmed.

The privatised firm’s workforce, who first downed tools in late August last year, were thanked for their “support and patience” by CWU general secretary Dave Ward and deputy general secretary Andy Furey.

Acas director of dispute resolution Kate Nowicki said: “I want to thank the parties for their commitment and patience in talks that allowed us all to find a positive way forward.”

The surprise development comes after talks broke down earlier this month.

CWU declined to name fresh strike dates after bosses claimed a return to industrial action could result in the 500-year-old service going into administration.