Following progress in negotiations on the long-running dispute over issues including pay and contracts, the CWU called off a strike earlier this month with the Royal Mail agreeing in return to extend the validity of the union’s industrial action ballot from 15 to 20 November.
On 13 November this was extended by a week, meaning that if a resolution to the dispute had not been reached by yesterday (20 November) the CWU could serve a seven-day legal notice of its intention to strike on 27 November.
However, at the eleventh hour the organisations released a joint statement, once again extending the deadline for another week and indicating that positive developments were underway.
The statement said: “'There has been further progress in the negotiations between Royal Mail and CWU. Accordingly, both sides have agreed to an extension of the ballot deadline to allow for talks to continue. This is the final extension and is agreed for a further seven days.
“The CWU postal executive will meet on Monday the 25th November to consider the detailed position and determine whether industrial action should be announced.”
