Royal Mail workers will go on strike again at the end of the month, causing havoc for many businesses and customers. Here’s the background, plus advice from the UKBF community.
Around 115,000 Royal Mail staff will go on strike on 30th September and 1st October in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced.
The CWU said its members – who voted by a 98% majority to take action – want “a pay rise that fully addresses the current cost of living”.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said that Royal Mail has “imposed” a 2% pay rise on workers amid “record profits” for the company. Meanwhile, Royal Mail claims it is losing £1m per day.
“When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758 million in profit and shareholders pocketing in excess of £400 million, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company,” Ward said.
“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple – there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay,” he added.
Postal workers were supposed to strike on 9th September but the walk-out was cancelled due to the Queen’s death. Strikes scheduled for the end of the month are going ahead as planned.
Royal Mail has apologised for the disruption the strike is likely to cause and said the company is doing what it can to keep services running. However, the Royal Mail has warned that “customers should expect significant disruption”.
Royal Mail has posted the following advice on its website:
On days when strike action is taking place:
“We don't get too many of them anyway as most of our trade is 'free' second class delivery so the customer's expectations aren't that high.”
“I'm afraid customers are just going to have to accept the delays or shop elsewhere,” Coleman posted.
Similarly, 14Steve14 has added a message on his website informing customers that there may be a delay in posting orders due to the strikes.
“I know of a business that is at its peak season now and over 2,000 special delivery shipments have been lost in the chaos,” Lawson@CBF posted. “But this is not a trend we are seeing everywhere. Most are delayed but arrive eventually.”
Minuteman Press posted that their business moved away from Royal Mail due to 15% delivery failure rates. Minuteman Press advised business owners to meet with local courier companies, “follow-up references and don’t go with the cheapest”.
But Mr D was keen to remind people that couriers tend to be a lot more expensive than Royal Mail for outer edges of the UK and for large letters.
If you’re getting frustrated by the ongoing strikes, here are some of the most popular alternatives to Royal Mail:
Around 115,000 Royal Mail staff will go on strike on 30th September and 1st October in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced.
The CWU said its members – who voted by a 98% majority to take action – want “a pay rise that fully addresses the current cost of living”.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said that Royal Mail has “imposed” a 2% pay rise on workers amid “record profits” for the company. Meanwhile, Royal Mail claims it is losing £1m per day.
“When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758 million in profit and shareholders pocketing in excess of £400 million, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company,” Ward said.
“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple – there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay,” he added.
Postal workers were supposed to strike on 9th September but the walk-out was cancelled due to the Queen’s death. Strikes scheduled for the end of the month are going ahead as planned.
Royal Mail has apologised for the disruption the strike is likely to cause and said the company is doing what it can to keep services running. However, the Royal Mail has warned that “customers should expect significant disruption”.
Royal Mail has posted the following advice on its website:
On days when strike action is taking place:
- We will deliver as many Special Delivery and Tracked24 parcels as possible
- We will prioritise the delivery of COVID test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
- We will not be delivering letters (with the exception of Special Delivery)
- Post your items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates
- Continue to post your items at post boxes or Post Offices, however collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place
Here’s how the UKBF community is coping with the strikes
We have rounded-up some advice from the UKBF community on how business can cope with the planned strikes.Remove next-day delivery for customers
DanH posted that his business is simply removing first-class post and next-day delivery from the website:“We don't get too many of them anyway as most of our trade is 'free' second class delivery so the customer's expectations aren't that high.”
Warn customers of the strike and delays
Elliott Coleman said he has put a message at the top of his website informing customers of the strike and probable disruption. He has also removed all special delivery options.“I'm afraid customers are just going to have to accept the delays or shop elsewhere,” Coleman posted.
Similarly, 14Steve14 has added a message on his website informing customers that there may be a delay in posting orders due to the strikes.
Parcels are delayed but most will arrive eventually
On a more positive note, Lawson@CBF posted that while there will be delays – the majority of parcels will arrive eventually.“I know of a business that is at its peak season now and over 2,000 special delivery shipments have been lost in the chaos,” Lawson@CBF posted. “But this is not a trend we are seeing everywhere. Most are delayed but arrive eventually.”
Look for an alternative
As the dispute between unions and Royal Mail rages on, some UKBF members are looking for alternatives.Minuteman Press posted that their business moved away from Royal Mail due to 15% delivery failure rates. Minuteman Press advised business owners to meet with local courier companies, “follow-up references and don’t go with the cheapest”.
But Mr D was keen to remind people that couriers tend to be a lot more expensive than Royal Mail for outer edges of the UK and for large letters.
If you’re getting frustrated by the ongoing strikes, here are some of the most popular alternatives to Royal Mail:
