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Royal Mail workers are staging a 48-hour strike from Friday 30 September to Saturday 1 October as part of a long-running dispute.
And staff members represented by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced 19 further days of action taking place throughout October and November 2022.
This year’s previous Royal Mail strikes have caused widespread disruption to postal services in the UK – here’s what the dispute behind them is all about.
Why are Royal Mail workers striking?
Around 115,000 members are expected to take to the picket lines due to a worsening dispute over pay.
The union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, said the “significant announcement” of strikes “matches the level of anger our members feel” at their treatment. He added: “The chief executive of Royal Mail Group is treating postal workers as if they are stupid.
“These are the same people that have kept the country connected and returned Royal Mail Group to record profit. Postal workers across the UK now face the fight of their lives to save their jobs and the service they provide to every household and business in the UK.”
Calling on “everyone to stand with their local postal worker”, Mr Ward said: “We will not stand by and see the Royal Mail Group become the next P&O but we need your backing to win.”
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.
“This evening, 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 £1m 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.”
When are the rest of the 2022 Royal Mail strikes?
Four further days of widespread action involving all CWU workers have also been organised. There will be 24-hour walkouts beginning at 4am on:
- Thursday 13 October
- Thursday 20 October
- Tuesday 25 October
- Monday 28 November
Smaller groups and teams will strike on various dates in November and December, and the CWU has said the action will have a knock-on effect on all deliveries. These dates are as follows:
- Processing, distribution, international, collections and admin workers: Thursday 3, Wednesday 9, Tuesday 15, Thursday 24 November and Thursday 1 December
- Delivery workers: Friday 4, Thursday 10, Wednesday 16, Friday 25 November and Friday 2 December
- Network workers: Wednesday 2, Tuesday 8, Monday 14, Wednesday 23 and Wednesday 30 November
The union said it will have a “dramatic impact” and will cover peak mail periods such as Black Friday on 25 November, Cyber Monday on 28 November and the Christmas build-up.
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Is there post on Royal Mail strike dates?
The most significant effect on strike dates is that Royal Mail will not be delivering any letters on these days, except for those sent by Special Delivery.
Special Delivery parcels are also being prioritised, although Royal Mail adds: “However, we cannot guarantee delivery of all items by 9am or 1pm next day.”
Royal Mail has also promised to “prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible” when strikes are taking place, alongside other Tracked24 parcels.
Any items posted in postboxes or Post Offices the day before, during or following strike dates are likely to be subject to delays.
Royal Mail advises its customers to:
- Post items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates
- Continue to post items at post boxes or Post Offices, but be aware collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place
The majority of Post Offices are expected to be open on the dates walkouts are talking place, although a small number will be affected by the CWU action.
Postal deliveries – and collections from businesses, Post Offices and post boxes – should resume the day after each strike takes place.
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