Royal Mail is seeking to prevent a peak period strike it tries to reopen talks with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), after concluding a new pay deal with Unite.
The UK postal giant said it would re-enter discussions with the CWU if the union provided a binding commitment to not strike over the Christmas period.
Royal Mail workers in the CWU voted by 97.1% to strike while workers of subsidiary Parcelforce also supported the strike in two separate votes with support of around 95%. The union leadership did not rule out striking during November’s Black Friday or the Christmas season. The dispute centres on the “Four Pillars” deal reached between the CWU and Royal Mail last year which included pay rises and reductions in working time. The CWU accuses Royal Mail of breaking this agreement.
Ricky McAulay, Royal Mail national service delivery director said: “If the CWU agrees to rule out industrial action for the remainder of the calendar year – a critical time for our customers, we will commit to holding open discussions with no preconditions aimed at resolving the dispute.”
Members of the union Unite voted in favour of a new pay deal with Royal Mail on Friday.
The deal gives junior and middle managers a cumulative pay increase of 5.37% over two years. The deal also gives managers within the group a £1000 bonus advance in November, which will be deducted from any final bonus payment in June 2020.
Sally Ashford, chief HR officer at Royal Mail said “We are pleased to announce that Unite members have today voted in favour of Royal Mail’s pay offer to junior and middle managers.
“This offer recognises the continued hard work and dedication of our junior and middle managers. Working together, we are committed to creating a strong platform for the continued success of our business.”
