Royal Mail staff to delay strike action over coronavirus

Royal Mail staff will delay going out on strike despite an overwhelming vote in favour on Tuesday, and could instead act as a “fifth emergency service” to deliver food and medical supplies to the elderly, union leaders said.

The ballot on Tuesday, in which more than 90 per cent of the Communication Workers Union who did vote supported strike action, is the latest in a protracted dispute over pay and working conditions at the former postal monopoly.

However, the escalating coronavirus outbreak means “it is not the right moment for us at this particular point to take industrial action,” said Dave Ward, CWU general secretary.

Mr Ward mooted the idea that Royal Mail’s postal workers could help the elderly who have been urged by the government to stay at home to reduce the risk of catching the virus. Royal Mail employs 143,000 people and delivers letters and parcels to millions of homes and businesses across the UK.

Even though strike action looks set to be delayed, the result of Tuesday’s ballot marks a victory for those staff who backed industrial action in October. A month later, the FTSE 250 company won a High Court injunction to block the walkout that had looked set to disrupt the UK general election and Christmas.

On a turnout of 63.4 per cent of the more than 111,000 members of the CWU, 94.5 per cent backed strikes, the union said on Tuesday.

Royal Mail has been wrangling with its workers for months and has previously warned that the dispute will lead to the company missing its financial targets. As consumers shift more of their shopping online, the 504-year-old company is attempting to reinvent itself as a parcel delivery business.

The union has opposed many changes which it says will leave workers worse off.

In a statement, Royal Mail said it was “disappointed” about the ballot result and added it had changed parcel handling procedures to protect employees and customers since the coronavirus crisis started. The company added that it was “ready to continue the dialogue to agree a framework to try to find a resolution to the current dispute . . . We want to reach agreement.”

Shares in Royal Mail closed 3.7 per cent higher on Tuesday, but the stock has shed more than a third of its value this year.