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Royal Mail has confirmed that a cyber attack is to blame for ongoing disruption to postal services.
The attack is believed to have already left more than half a million letters and parcels stuck in limbo, according to reports last week.
The attack is suspected to have come from a Russian-linked ransomware gang called Lockbit, though this is yet to be confirmed.
Here’s how the attack is affecting postal services, and when Royal Mail says it will be fixed.
How is the cyber attack affecting post?
Royal Mail is continuing to ask customers not to post items overseas while it investigates the cyber attack.
The company said it was experiencing “severe disruption” to its international export services and is temporarily unable to dispatch items abroad.
A Royal Mail distribution centre in Northern Ireland revealed its printers began “spurting” out copies of a ransom note on Tuesday, saying “your data are stolen and encrypted”.
In a statement issued on Monday, Royal Mail said: “To support faster recovery when our service is restored and to prevent a build-up of export items in our network, we’re asking customers not to post international items until further notice.”
“Items that have already been dispatched may be subject to delays.”
The company has been hit by disruption in recent months, with postal workers staging walkouts in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
It has caused havoc for businesses who rely on the delivery services, with major retailers such as Moonpig, Card Factory and Asos partially blaming the strikes for a drop in sales towards the end of 2022.
When will the cyber attack be fixed?
Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, told a parliamentary select committee on Tuesday: “We’ve confirmed that we’ve had a cyber attack.”
He was unable to provide a date for when the issue will be resolved, telling MPs: “The team have been working on workarounds so that we can get the service up and running again.”
He added there would be “more news to share” soon.
Mr Thompson said he could not discuss any details of the attack, saying it would be “detrimental” to the ongoing investigation.
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Will there be more Royal Mail strikes?
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is balloting its members at Royal Mail over further strike action.
Royal Mail workers staged 18 days of national strikes in 2022 in a dispute over pay and working conditions, causing disruption over key periods including Christmas and Black Friday.
There are no further strike dates currently confirmed for 2023, but the dispute between Royal Mail and the CWU shows little sign of reaching a conclusion.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward told MPs during the business select committee meeting on Tuesday that the union was “still not confident we are in a place that we can reach an agreement”.
He added: “The union will be re-balloting members. This is the most brutal attack on any group of workers the UK has seen in decades. It is a fight for every postal worker’s job.”
Ballot papers will be dispatched on 23 January and the ballot will close on 16 February.
Royal Mail tabled its “best and final” offer to workers in late November. It said the offer included “extensive improvements” that were made during the negotiations with the CWU, including an enhanced pay deal of up to 9 per cent over 18 months, offering to develop a new profit share scheme for employees, and making voluntary redundancy terms more generous.
The union countered with its own offer, which Andy Furey, the CWU’s acting deputy general secretary, said had been “thrown back in our face”.
Royal Mail claims the strike action last year cost it in excess of £100m, and has said it needs to cut as many as 10,000 jobs by August.
Mr Ward said: “We believe there are thousands and thousands more jobs at risk than the 10,000 the company has put forward. They are waging war on the current workforce. Psychological warfare to make the job not worth it. To force people out and replace the workforce.”
He said striking workers had been “threatened” by bosses, adding: “Over 200 representatives and members have been suspended.”
Mr Thompson rejected claims the company was intent on “union-busting”, and said: “It is about getting the changes that we need to win. We have spent £900m investing to compete in the parcels market. What we really need now is a change in working practices to compete in that hyper competitive market.”
The company is looking to transition more towards parcel delivery and away from delivering letters, which have dwindled in popularity. It previous made a request to the Government to stop delivering letters on Saturdays, which was denied.
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