Royal Mail has won the first round of the proposed strike action dispute after the High Court yesterday ruled that the contractual dispute resolution procedures under the Agenda for Growth must be followed before industrial action can take place.
The Communication Workers Union had proposed strike action for as early as next week but the court’s final injunction means that any strike action before the dispute resolution procedures have been followed would be unlawful.
Royal Mail said it was committed to solving the dispute, which is over pay and pensions. “We will now make contact with the CWU as a matter of urgency to begin the process of external mediation,” said spokesperson. “The mediation process will take close to Christmas to be completed, and may be longer. The first step is selecting a mediator acceptable to Royal Mail and the CWU from a panel that was agreed by both parties under the Agenda for Growth.
The Agenda for Growth is a balanced agreement which gives significant protections to Royal Mail employees. In return, the CWU committed to an industrial stability framework with defined processes and strict timescales to resolve disputes. We want to use them to do just that. We are very committed to working closely with the CWU in order to reach agreement as a matter of priority.”
