It said yesterday (9 August) that over 115,000 postal workers will be taking part in the biggest strike of the summer so far to demand a “dignified, proper pay rise”.

The strike dates will be 26 and 31 August and 8 and 9 September 2022. The decision follows the union’s recent ballot for strike action, which saw members vote by 97.6% on a 77% turnout to take action.

The union is demanding that Royal Mail Group make an adequate pay award that covers the current cost of living increases for its members.

But the CWU said company management decided to executively impose a 2% pay rise on its employees, who were designated key workers at the height of the pandemic, in an economic climate where RPI inflation has soared to 11.7%.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly, but postal workers are being pushed to the brink.

“There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve.

“We can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks.

“When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758m in profit and shareholders pocketing in excess of £400m, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company.”

He added: “Postal workers won’t meekly accept their living standards being hammered by greedy business leaders who are completely out of touch with modern Britain.

“They are sick of corporate failure getting rewarded again and again.

“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple: there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay.”

CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger also commented: “Our members worked miracles during the pandemic and know full well what they are worth.

“The pay offer is an insult to our members, and they are willing to fight for a no-strings, real-terms pay rise that they are fully entitled to.

“Those managing Royal Mail Group are treating our members with contempt by imposing such a minimal amount.”

He added: “Royal Mail Group have failed to recognise the strength of feeling and have clearly lost the dressing room on pay, so they have left us with no choice but to fight.

“Our members deserve a pay rise that rewards their fantastic achievements in keeping the country connected during the pandemic, but also helps them keep up during this current economic crisis.

“We won’t be backing down until we get just that.”

Royal Mail said in a statement issued to the stock market today that if the announced strike action takes place, it is expected that the business in the UK would be materially loss making in FY2022-23.

Ricky McAulay, operations director at Royal Mail, commented: “After more than three months of talks, the CWU have failed to engage in any meaningful discussion on the changes we need to modernise, or to come up with alternative ideas.

“The CWU rejected our offer worth up to 5.5% for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years. In a business that is currently losing £1m pounds a day, we can only fund this offer by agreeing the changes that will pay for it.”

He added: “Royal Mail can have a bright future, but we can’t achieve that by living in the past. By modernising we can offer more of what our customers want at a price they are willing to pay, all whilst protecting jobs on the best terms and conditions in our industry.

“The CWU’s failure to engage on the changes we need is an abdication of responsibility for the long-term job security of their members.

“We apologise to our customers for the disruption that CWU’s industrial action will cause. We are ready to talk further with CWU to try and avert damaging industrial action but, as we have consistently said, it must be about both change and pay.

“We have contingency plans in place and will be working hard to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as soon as we can to keep people, businesses and the country connected.”