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22 August 2022
ManpowerGroup UK and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) announced that the staffing firm will not provide staff to replace client employees who are supporting official industrial action.
The announcement, made on social media, comes as Royal Mail workers who are members of the CWU plan a strike over pay and conditions.
It also comes a month after a controversial law allowing businesses to hire agency workers to replace striking workers came into effect. The ‘Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 law allows businesses affected by industrial action to be able to call upon skilled, temporary staff at short notice to plug essential positions.
It is anticipated that there may be industrial action at Royal Mail Group on the following dates: Friday 26 August, Wednesday 31 August, Thursday 8 September, and Friday 9 September.
In a statement published by the CWU, ManpowerGroup UK stated, “ManpowerGroup always works in the best interests of our employees and clients. We have considered this matter very carefully including, amongst other things, disruption to public services, our commercial obligations and, importantly, the safety and wellbeing of our employees.”
ManpowerGroup said that it will not:
• Provide staff to replace a client employee who is supporting official industrial action
• Provide staff to replace an employee covering the work of a striking colleague
• Force, coerce or induce any ManpowerGroup employee to cross an official picket line
As a member of the World Employment Confederation, ManpowerGroup, one of the largest global staffing firms, is obliged not to supply workers during strikes regardless of what the law may allow in the UK.
In June 2022, prior to the law being implemented, Mark Cahill , Managing Director, Manpower Group UK, was among the leaders of 13 staffing firms and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, who signed a letter calling on the government to engage with the recruitment industry over its agency worker industrial action plans.
The CWU also said that Unite the Union have issued a set of guidelines to all managers setting out how they should not be undertaking CWU grade work during their strikes.
“We now have to front up the other agencies but make no mistake, Royal Mail Group’s plans to present a fake operation on strike days are crumbling around them,” the CWU stated.
While ManpowerGroup has stated it will not provide any new staff during industrial action, the Royal Mail Group has its own dedicated recruitment partner with Angard Staffing, which is also part of the Royal Mail Group.
Staffing Industry Analysts reached out to the Royal Mail Group and Angard Staffing, but they have not yet responded. The CWU and ManpowerGroup were also contacted for comment.
