“It is proof that postal workers will not accept their livelihoods being destroyed so that a few at the top can generate serious profits at their expense. As the CWU union secures a fresh strike mandate from its members, a company source tells Sky News there will be no improved pay offer as the demands are becoming increasingly unaffordable. “After industrial action takes place, we’ll be increasing our network capacity and using additional resources to assist with getting services back to normal,” says Royal Mail.
First individual Horizon victim to sue Post Office
Earlier this month it was reported that Sainsbury’s would be the first supermarket to partner with Royal Mail and install parcel lockers at supermarkets. Some are already operating at several stores including ones in Clapham, Kidderminster and Chislehurst. What the unions are hoping, and Kretinsky is promising, is that Royal Mail will see greater investment and over time begin to look a bit more like GLS and its European counterparts such as Deutche Post DHL. Mr Kretinsky told me during our interview that he would honour the USO “as long as I am alive”, but he is unsurprisingly very much in favour of changing its terms.
Royal Mail strike: 115,000 postal workers begin strike
The company has pointed to research by the industry regulator suggesting only minimum disruption for households and businesses should it no longer have to deliver letters on a Saturday. CWU general secretary Dave Ward said the offer represented a “devastating blow” to postal workers’ livelihoods and urged the public to “stand with their postie”. The union criticised Royal Mail’s “aggressive” stance over the talks and called for an improved pay deal, a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies and other improvements to the offer. So the company wants to switch its focus to parcels and in particular to next-day parcel delivery.
Ruling against using agency workers in strikes will not be appealed by government
Postal worker Hannah Carrol, who is part a strike at Whitechapel in East London, said she wanted to see wages rise in line with the growing cost of living. It said plans by the postal service include cutting workers’ sick pay, delaying arrival of post by three hours and inferior terms for new employees. Industrial action by more than a hundred staff is expected to impact about 50 flights each day. International Distributions Services, which is the parent company of Royal 1 year sober gift ideas Mail, saw its share price tumble by 6.75% to 195p on Friday following the announcement. Julie Macken, co-founder of natural skincare firm Neve’s Bees, told the BBC the prospects of more strike action “makes me really scared actually”.
- The company said in a statement that it had offered staff a 9% pay rise over 18 months, was committing to make Sunday working voluntary, and would make no compulsory redundancies before March next year.
- The company has pointed to research by the industry regulator suggesting only minimum disruption for households and businesses should it no longer have to deliver letters on a Saturday.
- Its plea to save money through a reduction in the universal service obligation for letter deliveries, over five days instead of six, has been met with government opposition.
- Inflation, which is the rate at which prices rise, is at a 40-year high of 9.4% and is expected to peak at 13% later this year.
These walkouts are currently set to only involve delivery workers, so collections from postboxes and Post Offices should take place. 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. 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. “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. A source said further walkouts were almost guaranteed, following the 18 days of strike action last year. The company said despite 11 months of discussions with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents around 115,000 postal workers, no agreement had been reached.
Elsewhere on the BBC
- Royal Mail said strikes had already cost the firm more than £100m and that the pay offer may need to be withdrawn if there is “further deterioration in the company’s financial position caused by industrial action”.
- Under what is called the universal service obligation (USO), Royal Mail is required by law to deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days a week to every address in the UK.
- On strike action days, Royal Mail said it will prioritise COVID-19 test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible.
The move comes as Royal Mail said the union had rejected a pay rise offer “worth up to 5.5%” after three months of talks. But while there have been calls for pay rises, there are concerns that higher trading systems wages to cope with the current cost of living could fuel further inflation. The CWU is the latest of several unions to ballot for strikes in recent weeks as the cost of living soars.
Royal Mail has announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs by next August, blaming ongoing strike action and rising losses at the business. It is losing money and market share, has been fined for missing delivery targets and has made an enemy of its own workforce through a series of bitter strikes. Customer Service Points will be closed on strike days – meaning people who have requested to drop off or pick up parcels from there must wait to collect them. Royal Mail said it will continue to accept, prioritise and deliver as many Special Delivery items on strike action days “as our resources allow”. While the industrial action will be carried out by managers, the union warned postal staff might also refuse to work in unmanaged buildings. The unions has warned of disruption to post and parcels across the UK, though the Royal Mail says it has “contingency plans” in place.
BBC News Services
People “can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks”, he added. Inflation, which is the rate at which prices rise, is at a 40-year high of 9.4% and is expected to peak at 13% later this year. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said workers would walk out on 26 and 31 August and 8 and 9 September. “Once the relationship is ‘broken’ there needs to be a reset, refresh and a coming together after the dispute is resolved,” he said. Inflation, the rate at which prices rise, hit 9.1% in May and is forecast to go higher later this year. Terry Pullinger, deputy CWU general secretary, said the union wanted negotiations with Royal Mail, but claimed this was “rejected”, leaving reps with “no choice but to fight their disgraceful imposition”.
Twenty-one dates are affected by Royal Mail strikes in September, October, November and December. The firm says it will try to keep services going to some extent but disruption and delays are likely to be significant. Postal deliveries – and collections from businesses, Post Offices and post boxes – should resume the day after each strike takes place.
The company says it’s offering 9% more over 18 months with conditions attached, though the union disputes this figure. Delivery staff are not yet involved on these days, so some people may still receive items. Tracked 24 mail, including medical prescription items and COVID tests, will also be prioritised but people are again warned to expect delays. Royal Mail says it’s “doing what we can” to keep services running but customers are warned of “significant disruption”. Twenty-one days will be affected by the strikes, which the union says will have a “dramatic impact” on peak periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the run-up to Christmas.
Royal Mail strikes: When are staff walking out and what’s affected?
“Royal Mail is losing £1m a day and must change faster in response to changing customer demands. And staff members represented by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced 19 further days of action taking place throughout October and November 2022. Royal Mail workers are staging a 48-hour strike from Friday 30 September to Saturday 1 October as part of a long-running dispute. Workers on the railways and at airports are also in pay disputes with employers, with train drivers set to strike on Saturday. Nathan Clements, chief people officer at food service company SSP Group, said the dispute served as a reminder of the importance of communication.
The union said postal workers “will not budge” until they receive a “dignified, proper pay rise”. “If they can grow the parcels business and claw back market share, there is every chance that they can add new jobs that could offset the reduction in jobs in the declining letters business,” says Mr Paterson. Under what is called the universal service obligation (USO), Royal Mail is required by law to deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days a week to every address in the UK. These are likely to be the days with the worst disruption as it involves delivery and collection staff, as well as those who sort parcels and letters. The CWU is the latest of several unions to ballot for strikes in recent weeks, as the cost of living soars.
Mike Eatwell, Unite national officer with responsibility for Royal Mail, said members have been “forced to the position of taking industrial action because those running Royal Mail refuse to see sense”. However Royal Mail says it “does not recognise” the pay cut figures and argues the job losses have been met through voluntary redundancy. “We remain committed to getting around the table with the CWU, resolving this dispute and agreeing a pay and change deal for our people. Its other efforts to reduce costs have already resulted in thousands of job losses through voluntary redundancy. They argued that the business was losing customer confidence because of the continuing dispute and risked becoming increasingly uncompetitive as it already paid its staff up to 40% more than cheaper rivals.
This will include “accelerating” the delivery of NHS and healthcare letters together with “critical Government mailings”. Customers should check they have received a notification confirming their item has been delivered to the service point before going there. Royal Mail’s Estimated Delivery Window will be suspended before, during and immediately after any industrial action to “avoid giving misleading information”.
Special Delivery and Tracked 24 parcels will also be a priority – with anyone needing to send an item urgently advised to use this service. “We committed to protecting pay for all managers who stay with Royal Mail, and the vast majority have seen an increase in their earnings. Mr Eatwell claims Royal Mail was looking to cut 700 jobs on top of 1,200 slashed last year, with managers who remain facing cuts to salaries of up to £7,000.
Royal Mail’s latest adjusted operating profit for the year to March was £416m, up from £344m previously. Inflation, the rate at which prices rise, is at a 40-year high of 10.1% and quebex expected to surpass 13% later this year. The National Education Union’s general secretary says Labour MPs could pay a ‘high political price’. At the heart of the dispute are the Waste Recycling and Collection Officers, who were paid more than some other bin workers.