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Crunch talks between Royal Mail and the CWU have been extended, with “progress made in some areas”.
The fresh negotiations between the two parties had been set to conclude on Sunday (12 March), with the goal of securing a new agreement to end the damaging and long-running industrial dispute.
The new talks are being facilitated by former TUC general secretary and ACAS chair Brendan Barber, supported by ACAS chief conciliator Marina Glasgow.
Royal Mail non-executive directors Maria da Cunha and Shashi Verma are also involved to provide oversight to the group’s board.
A Royal Mail spokesperson told Printweek: “Talks continued this weekend. Progress has been made in some areas and it has been agreed to extend the talks into this week.”
In a statement, the CWU said: “Both parties reiterate the importance of the full adherence to the joint statement and appendix agreed on Thursday 2 March and the need for workplace tensions to be reduced.
“Both parties confirm that, as agreed, local disagreements on revisions will be referred to the fast track escalation process set out in the annex to the joint statement and that any unagreed changes will not be implemented during this process.”
We completely agree. These talks are tough. 18 days of action, the future of the company at stake, 115,000 jobs. We have to get this right.
Our objective has to be to reach an agreement.
Stand with your union. https://t.co/jLiEJTz0nU
— The CWU (@CWUnews) March 13, 2023
Royal Mail has put a £200m price tag on the 18 days of industrial action that took place last year. A further 24-hour strike planned for February was cancelled after a Royal Mail legal challenge.
However, since then, CWU members have voted in favour of further action in what the union described as the biggest mandate for strike action since the 2016 Trade Union Act.
Royal Mail expects to report an adjusted operating loss of between £350m-£450m in its current financial year, which runs to 31 March.
