Members of the CWU, which represents more than 100,000 Royal Mail Group workers, continued national strike action over pay yesterday (8 September), following on from major strike dates over pay held last month.

But announcing the cancellation of today’s planned action following news of the Queen’s death yesterday evening, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Following the very sad news of the passing of the Queen, and out of respect for her service to the country and her family, the union has decided to call off tomorrow’s planned strike action.”

Royal Mail subsequently posted on its site: “We have received notification from the CWU union that they have called off their industrial action planned for 9 September.”

Regarding new strikes announced for 30 September and 1 October, which are in opposition to the company’s plans for reforming the company, Royal Mail said it was “sorry for the disruption this is likely to cause you”.

“We’re doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption,” it added.

“Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce. We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption.”

Train strikes planned for 15 and 17 September have also been suspended by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) workers’ union in the wake of the Queen’s death, while planned action by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) on 15 September has been postponed.