Royal Mail: Why are postal workers going on strike?

Union members are taking part in a 48-hour strike

Royal Mail workers are staging a two-day strike on Friday (30 September) and Saturday (1 October) over a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.

Earlier this week, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced that its members would go on strike for 19 days across October and November.

The industrial action, which follows four days of strikes in August and early September, will have a “dramatic impact” on peak mail periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the run-up towards Christmas.

In a national strike ballot over pay, 97.6 per cent of CWU members who work for Royal Mail voted to take action.

Royal Mail said it will not be delivering letters on strike days, with the exception of special delivery packages.

Here’s everything we know about the forthcoming strike action:

Why are UK postal workers going on strike?

The CWU has said that Royal Mail staff are demanding a “dignified proper pay rise”.

Royal Mail says workers were offered a 5.5 per cent pay rise, but the union hit back and said the rise reflects a two per cent pay increase, a further 1.5 per cent in exchange for a change in terms and conditions, as well as a £500 bonus.

The CWU believed this would lead to a “dramatic reduction” in living standards for postal workers due to sky-rocketing inflation and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly, but postal workers are being pushed to the brink.

“There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve.

“We can’t keep living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks.

“When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758m in profit and shareholders pocketing £400m, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company.

“Postal workers won’t meekly accept their living standards being hammered by greedy business leaders who are completely out of touch with modern Britain.

“They are sick of corporate failure getting rewarded again and again.

“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple - there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay.”

What will happen during the strike?

Postal workers across the UK will stage walkouts on five dates across October and November.

These are 1, 13, 20, 25 October and 28 November.

Royal Mail said further dates have also been announced by the CWU for functional strike action that will impacts parts of its operation across multiple areas.

Strike action will affect its processing, distribution, international, collections, and administration teams on 3, 9, 15, and 24 November and 1 December.

The delivery operations will be impacted on 4, 10, 16, 25 November and 2 December, and network operations will be affected on 8, 14, 23 and 30 November.