Two strikes are likely to go ahead for 4-6 October and 8-10 October. Talks between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union on pay and conditions have failed to reach a compromise.
Royal Mail has responded by cancelling door-drop deliveries over the next three weeks. It said the strikes would make it impossible to deliver normal services to customers and it gives businesses time to make “alternative arrangements”.
But Dsi CMM managing director Andy Young said that alternative distributors could not provide the universal service and that they did not have the infrastructure to cope.
“This strike action is a total pain in the arse,” he added. “Our recommendation to clients is to hold their mail as the strike will not just affect the mail over the two days of action. There will be a backlog of post that will take a long time
to clear.”
GI Direct sales director Patrick Headley added that the strikes would cause a massive inconvenience.
“The Royal Mail spends a huge amount of time promoting door-to-door deliveries and these strikes are a kick in the teeth for anyone who has taken them up on it,” he said.
Robin Skinner, sales and marketing director at 4DM, said: “This current strike will be more severe. The biggest impact will be on event- driven DM campaigns. But there are a number of customers just running with their campaigns and not changing their plans.”
ROYAL MAIL STRIKES
• Industrial action planned on 4-6 and 8-10 October royal mail strikes
•Industrial action planned on 4-6 and 8-10 October
• Door-drop deliveries to be suspended for the next three weeks
• Likely to result in a huge backlog of post
• Event driven DM drives will be hit the hardest
