Royal Mail restarts international deliveries following cyber-attack
Royal Mail has resumed international deliveries following a damaging cyber-attack on its business, and revealed that recent strikes by postal workers cost it £200m and pushed it into a hefty operating loss.
The company said it has restarted overseas tracked and signed-for services to all destinations for customers buying online after the attack by a Russia-linked ransomware gang named Lockbit.
We’ve resumed International Tracked & Signed and International Signed services to all destinations for customers buying postage online. This includes parcel, large letter, and letter formats of these services
The group’s owner, International Distributions Services, said Royal Mail’s operating losses rose to £295m in the first nine months of its year so far, as the company was hit hard by 18 days of strikes, including walkouts in the run-up to Christmas.
Its outlook for the full year (a loss of £350m to £450m) is based on no further days of strike action in its fourth quarter and on the Communication Workers Union (CWU) accepting its “best and final” pay offer, it said. Royal Mail bosses are back in talks with the union in an attempt to resolve a long and bitter dispute, but the CWU launched its third ballot for industrial action this week.
In its trading update, the group reported further pressures in the embattled Royal Mail business, as revenue fell 16.7% in its third quarter to 31 December, with letters down 7.5% and parcels down 23.6%.
It also said the number of voluntary redundancies needed under plans to axe 10,000 roles by August will be “significantly” lower than the 5,000 o 6,000 it initially expected because of staff turnover and cuts to variable full-time staffing.
Asda announces changes to night shifts with 300 job cuts
Asda has announced sweeping changes to people working nights and the closure of in-store pharmacies, which will affect more than 4,000 workers and could result in about 300 job losses.
The supermarket plans to move overnight restocking shifts at 184 supermarkets to the daytime, putting 211 night shift manager roles at risk.
It said the changes will also affect 4,137 night workers who are paid by the hour, as their shifts will be moved to daytime and they will lose their night shift pay premium of at least £2.52 per hour.
It also announced a 25% cut to the opening hours of 23 in-store Post Office shops, and will shut seven in-store pharmacies, which employ 14 pharmacists and 48 other workers.
A worker pushes shopping trolleys at an Asda store in West London. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
Toyota boss to step down after 14 years
Akio Toyoda is to step down after 14 years at the helm of Toyota as the world’s largest carmaker battles to keep its leading position amid a global shift to electric vehicles.
Toyoda, 66, is the grandson of the Japanese company’s founder and has led it as president (similar to CEO) since 2009. He becomes chairman on 1 April, and will be replaced on that date by Koji Sato, 53, Toyota’s chief branding officer and head of the Lexus luxury car division, who has been with Toyota for 30 years.
The carmaker has been slow to move to electric vehicles. Toyoda said Sato’s mission would be to transform Toyota into a “mobility company” without giving further details.
