Royal Mail December 2022 UK strike

Royal Mail workers across the UK, including in Leeds, are set to go on strike in the weeks leading up to Christmas, which could interrupt the busiest period of the year for online Christmas shoppers. Last week, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the postal workers are set to go on strike on December 23 and Christmas Eve, meaning last-minute Christmas presents won’t be delivered on time.

In an additional wave of industrial action, the strikes are the result of ongoing conflicts over compensation, working conditions, and job safety. The CWU stated that it will not allow Royal Mail bosses to “destroy the livelihoods of postal workers.” New strike dates have been scheduled for December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23, and 24. Additionally, postal workers will go on strike on November 24, 25, and 30, as well as on Black Friday, December 1.

A statement on the Royal Mail website reads: “The CWU has formally notified Royal Mail they plan to call on their members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action on Thursday 24, Friday 25 and Wednesday 30 November and Thursday, December 1, 2022.

“Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but we cannot fully replace the daily efforts of our frontline workforce. We’ll be doing what we can to keep services running, but we are sorry this planned strike action is likely to cause you some disruption.” Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the CWU said: “The CWU wants a negotiated settlement with Royal Mail Group and will continue to engage the company to that end.”

CWU acting deputy general secretary Andy Furey said: “This dispute has always been about a company having respect for dedicated public servants who, as key workers, provided unprecedented customer service during the pandemic. The determination of these people hasn’t swayed, and nor has their sense of betrayal.

“They won’t accept their living standards being smashed by people running a service that generated tens of millions of pounds in profit out of our members’ efforts. There is more than enough money for a reasonable pay rise – implementing this real-terms pay cut has always been a management choice, not a necessity. We urge management to see sense, get into real negotiations and cut a fair deal to avert these strikes.”

On strike days, the Royal Mail says it will prioritise the delivery of Covid-19 test kits and medical prescriptions “wherever possible”. They will also aim to make sure as many Special Delivery and Tracked 24 parcels reach their destination on time – however, they won’t be delivering any letters on strike dates.

Now that Christmas is just around the corner, the Royal Mail has encouraged the people to post items or make deliveries before the strike dates to avoid any delays as it will take longer than usual for mailed items to arrive during the strikes.

A Royal Mail spokesman said the organisation has proposed a new pay-for-change offer to the CWU worth 9% over two years, despite making a loss of £219 million in the first half of the year. He said: “The CWU have been in talks with us at Acas and claim they are open to change but they now need to show it. Instead, the CWU has announced four days of strike action which will damage our business further at our busiest time of year.

He added: “The CWU is playing a dangerous game with its members’ jobs and the future of Royal Mail. We urge CWU to withdraw these strikes for the good of our customers and our people. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”