Royal Mail staff have voted in favour of a deal to settle a dispute over pay, modernisation and working practices.
The postal staff have voted by two to one to accept a deal brokered between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail, the BBC has reported.
The deal will offer the workers a 6.9% pay rise over three years and came after postal workers staged nationwide strikes last October.
Dave Ward, the CWU’s deputy general secretary, said: “This was a strong ballot result for a strong deal and we’re delighted that our members have fully supported this hard-fought-for agreement.
“The deal commits Royal Mail to retaining full-time staff, improved flexibility and a voluntary approach to any redundancies.”
Over the next three years, the postal service will introduce new machinery and working patterns, and as part of the deal, once these changes have been implemented full-time workers will receive extra payments worth up to £1,400.
Staff will also have their hours reduced from 40 to 39 a week, while Royal Mail has agreed to keep 75% of the workforce as full-time, rather than part-time.
