UK’s Royal Mail staff vote for fresh strike action

STAFF at Britain’s Royal Mail have voted in favour of industrial action over proposed changes to a workforce agreement, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said on Wednesday (Aug 17).

More than 98 per cent of those who voted backed taking strike action, the union said, in what would be the second walk out by more than 115,000 postal workers this summer.

“The ongoing attempts of Royal Mail Group to whittle away people’s hard-won working conditions will be met with fierce opposition,” CWU Deputy General Secretary Terry Pullinger said in a statement.

The strikes are the latest in a wave of industrial unrest in Britain that has affected a range of industries as wages fail to catch up with soaring inflation that topped 10 per cent in July.

More than 115,000 Royal Mail workers are already due to strike in a separate dispute over pay on Aug 26 and 31, followed by 2 more days early next month, in possibly Britain’s biggest strike this summer.

Royal Mail, 1 of the world’s oldest postal groups, has said it had offered a 5.5 per cent pay rise for CWU-grade workers, its biggest increase in years. REUTERS