Royal Mail employees begin strike

MORE than 115,000 workers at Royal Mail began the first of four days of strike action last Friday (26) in a pay dispute which the postal group said was likely to cause significant disruption for customers.

It is the latest in a spate of labour stoppages to hit Britain as workers demand higher wages in the face of a cost-of-living crisis.

“We are going to fight very hard to get the pay rise our members deserve,” Communication Workers Union (CWU) general secretary Dave Ward told Sky News.

Royal Mail says it has offered a 5.5 per cent pay rise for CWU-grade workers, its biggest increase in years.

The union disputes this and says the company has imposed a two per cent pay increase on workers, and offered a further 1.5 per cent subject to changes to terms and conditions.

Royal Mail warned in August it could post a loss for its business in the UK in the 2022-23 fiscal year if the strike went ahead.

Further walk outs are planned for Wednesday (31), next Thursday (8) and next Friday (9).