Royal Mail improves offer to save Christmas

ROYAL Mail has made an improved pay offer in a final effort to avoid 10 days of strike action by delivery staff in the run-up to Christmas.

The FTSE 250 company is understood to have offered a 9pc pay rise spread over 18 months, rather than two years, as previously tabled.

Royal Mail’s “best and final” offer to union leaders has also been sweetened by rowing back on its demand to force staff to work on Sundays. Meanwhile, “familyfriendly” working hours are to be offered so posties can finish in time to pick their children up from school.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) was last night considering the proposals ahead of scheduled strikes starting tomorrow. Insiders said that the next 24 hours would be crucial to resolving the dispute this side of Christmas. The CWU has announced industrial action on Nov 24, 25, and 30 as well as Dec 1, 9, 11, 14, 15, 23, 24. Bosses say if the strikes go ahead, any deals on pay and working conditions will be withdrawn.

The pay rise is conditional on the CWU agreeing to workplace reforms aimed at making Royal Mail a parcelfocused, seven-day-aweek operation to rival the likes of Amazon.