Leaders of the trade union, Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) representing postal workers in Britain who are on strike, were scheduled to meet executives from the Royal Mail for negotiations on 10 October, 2022.
Royal Mail is the British company that provides mail collection and delivery services throughout Britain. The letters and parcels deposited in post or parcel boxes, are transported to Royal Mail sorting offices. Bulk collection from businesses is also done and sent to Royal Mail sorting offices. The Company owns and maintains Britain’s red pillar boxes.
If the negotiations do not fructify, more than 1,15,000 postal workers will be on strike for 19 more days.
The negotiations were planned in order to keep any disruptions at bay.
The CWU maintains that there is a lack of trust in the Royal Mail due to its inappropriate behaviour and actions. The workers have been unhappy with the poor pay, which is not keeping pace with the inflation in the country.
If the negotiations fail, the workers are planning to walkout on 13, 20, 25 October as well 28 November, that is, Cyber Monday — the e-commerce activities that take place on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Disruptions will affect Black Friday too, that is, the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is considered the busiest day of shopping, especially across the US.
Royal Mail is reportedly losing about £1 million ($1.1 million) daily and the industrial action by the postal staff threatens jobs and the very future of the organisations
