‘Royal Mail have just declared war on your postie’: Union snubs yet another pay offer
Postal workers have warned the public that “Royal Mail have just declared war on your postie”, batting away yet another pay offer from the firm.
Royal Mail today proposed a new conditional pay-for-change offer to the Communication Workers Union () worth nine per cent for CWU-grade colleagues.
The offer includes a seven per cent salary increase over two years, plus a lump sum payment of two per cent of pay this year.
The CWU immedialy dubbed this offer “derisory”, stating that they will vote to take further strike action against “the dismantling of a 500-year-old service”.
The union was forced to postpone strike action last night after they failed to meet the procedural requirements to see over 115,000 posties take industrial action today.
“We recognise the deep frustration felt by many members over this decision,” CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said last night. “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.”
Royal Mail has been in talks with the union for over six months, with no clear resolution in sight.
However, shares in its parent firm International Distribution Services jumped nearly eight per cent this morning after the UK cleared a potential stake increase by a Czech billionaire.
Former Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng called a full national security assessment this summer after Royal Mail’s largest shareholder, Vesa, increased its stake to just over 22 per cent.
Vesa is controlled by Daniel Kretinsky, known as the “Czech sphinx”, who also owns stakes in West Ham United football club and Sainsbury’s.
In an announcement this morning, the government said it would take no further action on the acquisition.
The company is due to announce it latest quarterly results on 17 November.