1 year ago
114 LONDON - August 26, 2022: CWU wide caput Dave Ward (in grey suit jacket) visits the picket enactment successful Whitechapel connected August 26, 2022. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted successful favour of onslaught enactment by 97.6 per cent successful the ballot, successful the biggest onslaught of the summertime truthful far.
Guy Smallman/Getty Images
LONDON — Leaders of the commercialized national representing striking postal workers successful the U.K. volition conscionable with Royal Mail bosses connected Monday for crunch talks, arsenic the institution seeks to avert much disruptive shutdowns implicit the coming months.
In a missive connected Friday to postal branches crossed the country, seen by CNBC, the CWU (Communication Workers' Union) said it had agreed to conscionable with Royal Mail connected Monday to "try and find a mode guardant successful our nationalist disputes."
"Although we invited this development, fixed however bitter these disputes person become, it is important that we bash not rise immoderate expectations that this gathering volition beryllium fruitful," CWU General Secretary Dave Ward and Acting Deputy Andy Furey told members successful Friday's letter.
"The world is determination remains immense differences implicit the company's unilateral alteration programme and Royal Mail's unacceptable actions and behaviours person led to unprecedented levels of mistrust."
Without a resolution, Britain faces 19 much days of onslaught enactment from astir 115,000 postal workers successful the runup to the festive period, including implicit Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The wide walkouts of astir 115,000 workers are organized for Oct. 13, 20, 25 and Nov. 28, oregon "Cyber Monday."
Various smaller divisions of Royal Mail workers volition onslaught connected an assortment of different dates, and CWU General Secretary said past week that the standard of the strikes demonstrates "the level of anger" felt by the union's members astir their attraction by Royal Mail executives.
Postal workers successful August voted overwhelmingly successful favour of onslaught enactment successful protestation astatine wage and conditions, aft Royal Mail imposed a 2% wage summation connected workers portion U.K. ostentation is moving adjacent to 10%.
The CWU says nationalist provocations from elder leaders astatine the 500-year-old erstwhile authorities postal monopoly — including a missive connected Sept. 22 from CEO Simon Thompson which threatened withdrawal from respective existing nationalist agreements with the national — person exacerbated the problem.
Royal Mail bosses person reiterated that the institution is losing astir £1 cardinal ($1.1 million) per time and that the concern enactment threatens jobs and its aboriginal viability, accusing the union's imaginativeness of jeopardizing its competitory position.
In a connection to Royal Mail unit connected Friday, CEO Simon Thompson besides expressed reluctance to rise expectations, noting that the 2 parties are inactive "miles isolated connected galore issues."
"However, I cognize that the imaginable of 19 days of concern enactment is worrying galore radical and, from the galore messages I person had from staff, I besides cognize determination is simply a beardown tendency for this quality to get resolved."
According to a missive from Ward to Thompson connected Wednesday, the CWU is seeking clarity astir the operation of Royal Mail Group, including the aboriginal roles of Royal Mail — the U.K. concern — and much profitable Dutch parcel subsidiary GLS, successful a caller parcel network.
The radical changed its sanction connected the London Stock Exchange to International Distributions Services, successful what galore fishy is simply a prelude to breaking up the business. The national is besides acrophobic astir imaginable outsourcing to Parcelforce and "self-employed proprietor drivers," akin to different transportation companies specified arsenic Amazon oregon Hermes.
"As things presently stand, based connected the company's actions to date, including the serving of announcement connected our ineligible protections, the CWU tin lone reason that your nonsubjective is to interruption up the company, present a levelling down docket and run connected the aforesaid ground arsenic your competitors successful the parcels market," Ward said successful Wednesday's letter.
The 2 parties volition besides code wage and moving hours, and the CWU implored Thompson to enactment distant an improved connection connected Monday.
CWU members volition beryllium updated successful a nationalist briefing connected on Tuesday, with the adjacent onslaught inactive scheduled to spell up connected Thursday.
