Royal Mail Strike: Royal Mail employees begin wave of strikes over working conditions, wages

In a heated disagreement over wages and conditions, Royal Mail employees have begun a wave of strikes that will last until Christmas Eve. More than 115,000 workers walked out on Friday, the 13th day of strike action this year, with more to come in the coming days. While millions of pieces of mail will be processed, many will remain undeliverable until the strikers return to work.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU), which has scheduled six days of strikes on December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23, and 24, has organised a rally outside the Houses of Parliament on Friday as the dispute with management escalates. The CWU said at least 15,000 of its members marched to Westminster on Friday for what it called the largest postal workers rally in history.

Workers holding signs demanding the resignation of Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson gathered at the Mount Pleasant Mail Centre in London on Friday – the company’s biggest sorting centre in the UK.

The most recent conflict erupted this summer when Royal Mail rejected union proposals for a salary increase that matched inflation, which is at 11.1%. Royal Mail has struggled as it transitions from its old business of delivering letters, which is no longer sustainable, to the rapidly expanding world of package delivery.

Royal Mail has said that during strike days, it would not carry letters or door-to-door mail, but will deliver “as many Special Delivery and Tracked 24 items as possible”.

FAQs:

1. Is Royal Mail in trouble?
   The company lost £92 million in the first quarter of this year, with sales decreasing by 11% as the Covid delivery surge faded.
2. Who controls the Royal Mail?
   The government owns the post offices, which runs the 11,500 post offices in the United Kingdom. Private stockholders own Royal Mail, which handles post collection, sorting and delivery.