Workers at Royal Mail have overwhelmingly voted for strike action in a dispute that could disrupt deliveries across the UK during the forthcoming pre-Christmas peak season in the first national postal strike for a decade.
Moreover, Parcelforce Worldwide deliveries could also be halted by industrial action over restructuring plans.
The Communication Workers Union announced that its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of national strike action with a yes vote of 97.1% following a ballot of roughly 110,000 UK postal workers. A high 75.9% of union members took part in the vote.
The union’s Deputy General Secretary (Postal), Terry Pullinger, said: “Just over one year ago the Royal Mail Group Board and the CWU agreed a blue print agreement for the future, a progressive agreement that included an historic pension solution, a mutual interest driven relationship and a joint vision for a successful postal service with social aims.
“Today, the new RMG leadership are breaking that agreement. Our members take honour seriously and have voted to fight for that agreement against those who now seek to break up the great British Postal service in the interest of fast track profit and greed. Integrity and pride still matter and we will not stand aside and see what we have spent our working lives building destroyed,” he declared.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward added: “This result sends a clear message to Royal Mail Group: Our members will not stand by as you rip up their terms and conditions and destroy the service they give to the public and businesses of the UK.”
He continued: “We would urge Royal Mail Group to now enter serious negotiations with this union. We also call on the public to get behind this dispute and your postal workers. We are very proud of our members today. They have stood by their union in record numbers and given hope to workers across the nation.”
The CWU also announced that, in two separate ballots for CWU members in Parcelforce Worldwide, outcomes of 95% and 94.7% in favour of industrial action were returned. This ballot was over possible restructuring measures at the express parcels subsidiary.
In response, Royal Mail said it was “very disappointed” that the CWU had chosen to ballot for industrial action.
But the postal operator emphasised: “A ballot result for industrial action does not necessarily mean there will be industrial action. We are still in mediation with the CWU.”
No industrial action can be taken, and formal notification of industrial action cannot be given, before the conclusion of the ongoing Dispute Resolution Procedure, it pointed out.
Royal Mail stated: “We want to reach agreement. There are no grounds for industrial action. Industrial action – or the threat of it – is damaging for our business and undermines the trust of our customers.”
It explained: “Royal Mail wants to transform to meet our customers’ changing needs as we post fewer letters and receive more parcels. Working together at pace, the transformation is about ensuring a more sustainable Company, a fairer working environment, the best terms and conditions in our industry and a contemporary Universal Service.”
