Royal Mail workers began strike action today (Thursday) in protest over pay, working conditions and the organisation’s plan to modernise the service.
Mail deliveries halted at 4am as tens of thousands of workers walked out of workplaces across the country.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which has listed details of picket lines on its website as well as the best times to join them, has claimed that Royal Mail’s managing director Mark Higson is “out of touch” and that workers had no choice but to strike.
According to a report in the Telegraph, up to 42,000 mail centre staff and network drivers are involved in the 24-hour strike today. A further 78,000 delivery and collection workers will walk out tomorrow (Friday).
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The newspaper has also reported that only “a few hundred” of a 30,000-strong temporary workforce were ready to work.
Yesterday, the CWU was seeking legal advice as to whether this could be in breach of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses regulations, which make it illegal for temporary workers to be used to undertake the work of striking employees.
