Royal Mail strike: When are the postal workers walking out?

Special delivery parcels should still get to their destination, and Covid-19 test kits and prescriptions would be prioritised, said Royal Mail. Tracked 24 parcels will also be prioritised but anything else is likely to be stuck in post boxes or at sorting offices.

Industrial action also planned for Black Friday on November 25 and Cyber Monday on November 28 in the run-up to Christmas.

In a vote on whether to take industrial action with a 66 per cent turnout, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said that 93.5 per cent of its cleaners, maintenance engineers and related admin workers voted yes.

However, Royal Mail announced on October 14 that as many as 6,000 jobs could be cut over the next year, with more at risk in the future, as the dispute continues.

Royal Mail said: “We will be starting the process of consulting on rightsizing the business in response to the impact of industrial action, delays in delivering agreed productivity improvements and lower parcel volumes.”

In response, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Postal workers face the biggest ever assault on their jobs, terms and conditions in the history of Royal Mail.

“The public and businesses also face the end of daily deliveries and destruction of the special relationship that postal workers and the public have in every community in the UK.”

So why are the Royal Mail workers striking?

When will Royal Mail workers strike and will it affect Christmas?

Royal Mail workers went on strike for 24 hours on October 13, hitting deliveries of post across the country.

A further 18 days of strike action are taking place across various dates throughout October and November, including October 20.

All striking workers are also confirmed to walk out on October 25, as well as on November 28 (Cyber Monday).

Different teams will walk out on the rest of the strike days, and a CWU spokesperson said that these stoppages will have a knock-on effect.

Why are Royal Mail workers striking?

Royal Mail workers are striking over the Royal Mail Group’s decision to withdraw from major national agreements and cut workers’ terms and conditions.

The CWU says that employees who received a Real Living Wage (RLW) adjustment in April wouldn’t receive an annual pay rise, with the majority of cleaners affected by the decision.

Mark Baulch, the assistant secretary of the CWU, explained: “They made a formal commitment back in March, in writing and fully documented, and which is jointly signed, that the RLW uplift would be applied outside of the formal pay talks and ‘without prejudice’ to the 2022/23 annual pay negotiations.

“And yet, just a few months later, that management promise was wilfully broken – it was an absolute disgrace.”

The CWU said that although a minority of cleaners were offered a 50p-an-hour pay increase, 90 per cent of cleaners didn’t receive an annual pay rise.

The union is also seeking the same rights as other Royal Mail Group employees on issues like pensions, leave entitlement, holiday pay and parental leave.

What has Royal Mail said about the strikes?

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “On September 22, Royal Mail invited CWU to enter into talks through Acas to find a resolution to our dispute on change and pay. Rather than responding to our offer of Acas talks, the CWU announced further damaging industrial action, once again taking the path of prolonging disruption over resolution.

“Royal Mail is losing £1 million a day and must change faster in response to changing customer demands. We operate in a competitive market, and our customers have choices.

“Further strikes and resistance to transformation by CWU will only make our financial position worse, and threatens the long-term job security of our postmen and women.

“The CWU has a responsibility to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business and engage urgently on the changes required.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise any delays and keep people, businesses, and the country connected.”