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.”
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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.