Royal Mail and CWU have agreed to jointly engaged with ACAS facilitation in an attempt to resolve the current disputes on pay and change. There is a commitment on both sides to reach a resolution. An opening session took place on Tuesday 25 October followed by further sessions and then moved into intensive talks on 7 November 2022. The talks which had been scheduled to conclude on 15 November are continuing to allow more time for a resolution to be reached.
On Monday 31 October, Royal Mail proposed a new conditional pay-for-change offer to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) worth 9% for CWU-grade colleagues which includes a 7% salary increase over two years, plus a lump sum payment of 2% of pay this year. The offer is subject to agreeing a programme of change with the CWU.
The union says Royal Mail bosses “need to wake up” and realise it won’t back down over its 2% pay offer, while a spokesman for the company insists “the change we need is not optional”.
Royal Mail workers are to stage six more strikes next month, including on Christmas Eve, in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) said its members would walk out on 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24 of December.
That is in addition to strikes already notified for November 24, 25 and 30, and 1 December.
The CWU said it still wanted a negotiated settlement but that bosses needed “to wake up and realise we won’t allow them to destroy the livelihoods of postal workers”.
It said a 2% pay deal had been imposed at a time when inflation had hit 11.1% and the company is making hundreds of millions in profit.
But there is assurance from the Royal Mail office:
On days when national strike action is taking place:
- We will deliver as many Special Delivery and Tracked 24 parcels as possible
- We will prioritise the delivery of COVID test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
- We will not be delivering letters (with the exception of Special Delivery)
What you can do:
- Post your items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates
- Continue to post your items at Postboxes or Post Offices, however collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place
