Royal Mail strikes: What does this mean?

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As of June 30th, 2022, there are talks of two separate Royal Mail strikes taking place. These strikes may disrupt UK mailing services while unions negotiate the terms of their employment. We will continue to monitor how these strikes progress and make concessions within our business. 

Find out more about the status of each strike by following the links below:
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1. Postal workers strike
2. Management strike

Royal Mail postal workers strike

Updated Information On The Royal Mail Postal Workers Strikes

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July 12th, 2023 update

Royal Mail have announced that the members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have voted in favour of the Royal Mail/CWU Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement. 75.84% of eligible CWU members voted in favour of the agreement.

This result allows Royal Mail to move onto the net phase of stabilising it’s business. The changes are designed to be good for customers by increasing their ability to improve services and quality whilst at the same time, good for employees. Offering them job security and a payrise.

This agreement will also benefit the environment by reducing Royal Mail’s reliance on domestic air, further reducing it’s carbon emissions and supporting the long-term sustainability of the business.

Royal Mail is now working with the CWU to implement the changes agreed. 

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February 9th Update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have cancelled their planned strike action after making an error in its notification.

Royal Mail welcomes the fact that the strike action has been cancelled and plans to use the time and space to progress their discussions with the CWU to agree a deal.

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February 3rd Update

The Royal Mail has had formal notification from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) of further national action. It will mean that workers who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters will strike between:

• 1230 hrs on Thursday 16th until 1230 hrs on Friday 17th February
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You can find out more information on the contingency plans Royal Mail have in place on their website.

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December 9th update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have formally notified the Royal Mail of a further three dates where they will call on their members to take national strike action. This will affect workers who collect, sort and deliver parcels and mail, the dates have been confirmed as:

• Thursday 15th December 2022
• Friday 23rd December 2022
• Saturday 24th December 2022

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Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans and will continue to keep services running as smoothly as possible. Find out the last posting dates for Christmas from our blog.

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December 1st update

The Royal Mail has had formal notification from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) of a further three dates where they plan to call their members to action. It will mean that workers who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters will take national strike action on the following days:

• Friday 9th December 2022
• Sunday 11th December 2022
• Wednesday 14th December 2022

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You can find out more information on the contingency plans Royal Mail have in place on their website.

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November 24th update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has formally notified Royal Mail they plan to call on their members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action on a further two dates, they are:

• Wednesday 30th November 2022
• Thursday 1st December 2022

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November 16th update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has formally notified Royal Mail they plan to call on their members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action on the following dates:

• Thursday 24th November 2022
• Friday 25th November 2022

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November 3rd update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced the following information regarding planned strikes.

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Dates where national strike action will no longer go ahead as planned:

• Saturday 12th November 2022
• Monday 14th November 2022

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The CWU plan to notify Royal Mail of new dates they are planning on calling their members who collect, sort and deliver letters and parcels to take nationa strike action, they are:

• Thursday 24th November 2022
• Friday 25th November 2022
• Wednesday 30th November 2022
• Thursday 1st December 2022

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Royal Mail has not received formal notification of these new dates. The CWU has to provide 14 days’ notice before any strike action.

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September 30th update

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced the following dates where a full, national strike will take place:

• Thursday 13th October 2022
• Thursday 20th October 2022
• Tuesday 25th October 2022 
• Monday 28th November 2022

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Functional strike dates have also been announced affecting specific network sections, which will cause prolonged disruption. They are as follows;

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Processing, distribution, international, collections and administrative:

• 3rd, 9th, 15th and 24th November 2022
• 1st December 2022

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Delivery:

• 4th, 10th, 16th and 25th November 2022
• 2nd December 2022

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Network:

• 2nd, 8th, 14th, 23rd and 30th November 2022

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September 9th Update

Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Mail workers will no longer be striking today.

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September 8th Update

Royal Mail have agreed to strike over an additional two days towards the end of September. This is the third set of strikes since the announcement, with strikes happening today and tomorrow. This announcement is fuelled by the ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. Here are the key updates:
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• On Friday 30th September and Saturday 1st October, Royal Mail workers will strike.
• The CWU still haven’t accepted a proposal from the Royal Mail, who reports that they’re currently losing £1million per day.

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August 10th Update

Royal Mail staff have set 4 dates to take strike action over an ongoing pay dispute. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) continue to demand a “dignified, proper pay rise”. The strike days will take place across August and September as follows:
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• August - Walkouts will take place place on Friday 26th and Wednesday 31st.
• September - Walkouts will take place on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th.
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Previous Information On The Royal Mail Postal Workers Strike
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July 19th Update
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The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced that its members have voted in favour of strikes, but no official date has been announced. Here are the key updates:
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• Of the 97.6% of union workers who voted, 77% backed strike action in response to pay.
• The CWU is demanding a “no strings attached” payrise for its workers, with a strike date being delayed to allow for negotiations with their employer.

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July 7th Update
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The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is voting on whether 115,000 Royal Mail postal workers should strike this year over their pay, with results expected on July 19th. 

With inflation rising, workers wages aren’t keeping up with the increased cost of living at a time when Royal Mail has reported record profits. Here are some of the key takeaways:
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• 115,000 CWU members of the Royal Mail are voting on whether to strike, and voting began on June 28th.
• The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents 115,000 Royal Mail postal workers, are voting on whether to strike.
• The potential strike is fuelled by rising inflation, causing a cost of living crisis for workers. Inflation is expected to reach over 11% in October.
• Royal Mail recorded record profits, and some senior members have received bonuses in the region of £140,000.
• The CWU has rejected a deal that would increase pay for workers within the union by around 5.5%. The CEO and board have increased pay by 2% for workers without strings attached. The remaining 3.5% increase is subject to agreement by the union.
• Royal Mail has stated that their offer was “the biggest increase we have offered for many years, which was rejected by the CWU”.
• Voting for CWU members began on June 28th, and the general secretary of the union is expecting the vote to be in favour of the strikes.
• If the strikes go ahead, it could be the biggest action ever taken by their members, causing widespread disruption to Royal Mail postal services.
• The results of the vote are expected on July 19th.
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Read the CWU’s press release about the postal workers strike.

Royal Mail management strikes

Updated Information On The Royal Mail Management Strikes

Updated July 19th
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The Unite Union has published information stating that the Royal Mail management strike will no longer go ahead.

This is the result of a ballot of 2,400 Royal Mail union workers who voted to accept an updated proposal by their employer on pay and working conditions. Here are the key takeaways:
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• Union members voted 63% in favour of accepting the proposal.
• This, however, does not end the dispute, as further negotiations will now take place on issues unresolved in the updated proposal.
• Mike Eatwell of Unite has said “Unite’s members today have accepted the senior management’s return to the negotiating table to improve upon the jobs already put back into the crucial delivery and collections services. Royal Mail’s changed approach is noticeable but there is further to go… there is more talking to do and further movement that must be made by Royal Mail for this dispute to be resolved”.

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Previous Information On The Royal Mail Management Strikes

Updated July 7th
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Royal Mail managers who are members of the Unite union have agreed to strike in the UK and Northern Ireland. The Unite Union have confirmed that strike action will take place between July 20th - 22nd.

The strikes are a result of plans to remove 700 delivery managers from their position and redeploy staff into positions with worse terms and conditions, notably a reduction in pay of up to £7,000.
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• Around 2,400 UK Royal Mail managers who are members of the Unite union have voted to strike, with 86% of their members in favour. 
• Northern Ireland members voted 89% in favour of a strike.
• Royal Mail claims that 700 managerial roles had been closed through voluntary redundancy and redeployment.
• Unite and Royal Mail have failed to negotiate terms due to Royal Mail not changing their plans around redundancies.
• Royal Mail has stated that there are “no grounds” for the strike, and reports of additional job losses outside of the reorganisation which has been in place since May 23rd are “not true”.
• Unite has said that contingency plans are in place to ensure letter and parcel services remain operational in the event of a strike.
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Read Unite’s announcement about the Royal Mail management strikes.

How are we preparing for the disruption?

We will continue to monitor the situation and update our customers on the outcome of these strikes while offering support and guidance on how to avoid disruption where possible. We will also actively look for ways to reduce this impact on our customers by adapting our internal processes and procedures. Please find below our current plans and guidance on how we intend to minimise the disruption:
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1. We offer alternative courier options for sending or forwarding letters and parcels from your account. These options will display within the platform when processing outgoing mail items, and their availability will depend on the destination address. 
2. While we cannot control mail delivery in the event of a strike, we will liaise with our local sorting centre and assist with mail flow where possible.
3. If you can, request that any mail being delivered to your UK Postbox address is sent via an alternative courier during the strike period.
4. Following the announcement of a strike, and depending on the period this covers, we expect delays in Royal Mail processing. If necessary, we will deploy additional staff to ensure backlogged mail items are processed as swiftly as possible.
5. If you’re sending or receiving time-sensitive documents, such as legal papers or passports, plan this in advance as soon as possible. Services such as guaranteed next day or signed for may not be delivered as expected and should not be relied on during and shortly after strike periods. 
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As always, we will make every effort to minimise disruption for our customers, and we ask for your patience in the event of delays caused by actions outside our control. We welcome you to contact us with any questions in the meantime.