Royal Mail managers to go on strike

Over 2,000 Royal Mail managers will strike later this month as the battle over job and pay cuts continue to haunt the company.

The Unite trade union said this afternoon that industrial action would immediately affect the postal and parcel service in the UK, with strikes set to take place between July 20 and 22 July.

Sharon Graham, unite general secretary, said the business is awash with cash but it is putting profits and dividends for the few at the top ahead of its duties as a public service.

There isn't a single aspect of the cuts that are about customer service.

They are being driven entirely by a culture of greed and profiteering, which has seized a 500 year old essential service, which has brought it close to ruin.

Our members are determined to force the business to take a different path. A Royal Mail spokesman said it was disappointed about the planned action, having been in talks with the union since November 2021 about the reduction of 700 managerial positions.

There is no justification for industrial action. The extended consultation on our recent restructure concluded earlier this year, and the restructuring is complete. The majority of managers who stay with Royal Mail have seen an increase in their earnings, a spokesperson said.

We allowed managers to request voluntary redundancy with a package of up to two years salary, which was over-subscribed. We also made several concessions that Unite declined during the process.

We have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption for customers in the event of industrial action, and we will work to keep people, businesses and the country connected. The firm said it had a contingency plan to minimise disruption, which is likely to cause delivery delays.

The news is just another blow for Royal Mail, which is waiting for the CWU results of the Communication Workers Union on July 19th. Over 115,000 workers could go on strike this summer because of the vote on action.