Royal Mail workers look set to strike next week after the postal firm rejected peace plans tabled by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
About 42,000 postal workers, including nationwide mail centre staff and network drivers, are expected to take industrial action on Thursday 22 October.
And approximately 78,000 workers, including nationwide delivery and collection staff, are expected to walk out on Friday 23 October.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, urged Royal Mail to reconsider the offer to avert strike action. “We made a genuine offer to Royal Mail that would have given space for detailed discussions without a strike,” he said.
“We were severely disappointed that within two or three hours the company rejected it, apparently without even affording it proper consideration. This comes on the back of several rejections of CWU offers and is a clear indication that they are not trying to reach an agreement.”
Royal Mail’s managing director, Mark Higson, said the CWU’s decision to call a national strike was an “appalling and unjustified attack” on customers and urged the union to reconsider.
Last month, postal workers said they would not tackle ‘mail mountains’ that have built up over two weeks at a large distribution centre in Dartford, east London, unless they were paid overtime.
