Following a letter received by Royal Mail’s legal team which the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said “attempted to undermine pre-existing strike ballots”, CWU voted yesterday (30 October) to withdraw industrial action notices over the next two weeks.
This means that strikes involving various sections of the workforce over the next fortnight will no longer be going ahead. However, the strikes will resume on Saturday 12 November.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “We recognise the deep frustration felt by many members over this decision. But the fact remains that the current direction of Royal Mail doesn’t benefit the company, the community, or the country.
“We still need to secure a decent future of this industry, and no attempts to attack our union and our members will change our determination in fighting for that.
“The current focus of the coming days will be negotiations that can hopefully achieve a sensible deal to end this dispute.
“In the meantime, I appeal to our members to stand by their union – stay strong and don’t be provoked.”
CWU acting deputy general secretary Andy Furey added: “We entirely understand the anger felt by many over the decision, but we believe it is a necessary move to protect our dispute.
“Our members have been facing down serious harassment from the highest levels of Royal Mail as they defend their industry and those communities they serve.
“They will not be forced into submission so easily, and we will be reminding the company of their determination at ACAS in the coming days.”
Posting its own update on the situation yesterday, Royal Mail said: “The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced it has withdrawn planned strike action in the next two weeks (2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 November).
“The CWU has withdrawn strike action following Royal Mail writing to CWU to highlight numerous material concerns with the formal notification of planned rolling strike action.”
It added: “We will continue to do all we can to keep business, companies and the country connected.”
The CWU had agreed last week to enter into talks with Royal Mail through ACAS, following an invitation from the arbitration body.
Amid ongoing disruption to delivery schedules caused by the strikes, that began at the end of September, and are set to continue through to December, Royal Mail has brought forward a swathe of price increases originally slated for next year.
In a further separate update posted today, Royal Mail said it has been notified by the Secretary of State that no further action is to be taken under the NSI Act in relation to the potential increase by Luxembourg-headquartered Vesa Equity Investment of its shareholding in the company to more than 25%.
In August the business received notification from Kwasi Kwarteng, the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that he reasonably suspected that arrangements were in progress or contemplation which, if carried into effect, would result in Vesa increasing its shareholding in the company from 25% or less to more than 25%, and that he was exercising his call-in power under section 1 of the NSI Act.
Vesa's most recent notification to the group in relation to its holding, as disclosed to the market on 19 July, indicated that Vesa held just over 22% of the total voting rights in the company at that time.
The National Security & Investment Act (NSI) came into force on 4 January. It gives the government powers to scrutinise and intervene in business transactions, such as takeovers, “to protect national security”.
