Update: Royal Mail Black Friday Strikes Planned! — Truce Was Shortlived As Tensions Rise Again
UPDATE: We tuned into the live video hosted by the CWU this afternoon regarding the Royal Mail strikes and they have confirmed that they are calling off their planned strikes on the 12th and 14th of November. Instead, they have announced strikes to cause maximum disruption over the coming peak shopping season.
Check Out These Resources
- Do you need a business bank account for your online business? Take a look at our review of the five best bank accounts for sellers, some of which are free with no minimum balance or deposits. [sponsored]
- Boost your social media engagement with Publer. Learn how you can save time writing engaging content faster with AI. [sponsored]
- Could your online business use capital for growth? Here is a primer on revenue-based loans, and how they work.
The following are the strike dates that have been announced:
Black Friday: 48-hour strike action from the 24th to the 26th of November.
Cyber Monday: 48-hour strike action from the 30th of November to the 2nd of December.
They have also stated that if by then no agreement is reached there will be further strike action announced for the week before Christmas.
For those interested in the full announcement, you can view it on the CWU Facebook page here.
Yesterday we reported on how Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) were due to have mediation talks to try and find a resolution to the ongoing pay disputes which has led to various strikes over recent weeks and months.
Sadly it seems that what Royal Mail came to the table with was not to the unions liking and appears to have only made matters worse between the two entities.
After the meeting the CWU posted the following statement:
“Royal Mail Group have just provided a new offer to us in talks, and they are putting it out publicly at 2:30pm. It includes more unacceptable changes and a 2-year offer which is well below inflation in both years.
They have also confirmed that as of tomorrow, they are introducing lesser terms for new entrants and owner drivers into Royal Mail.
This reaffirms the company’s whole approach is about imposing change not negotiating. This offer is also not applicable to Parcelforce and Fleet employees.
We are letting you know this information as Royal Mail Group are breaking every protocol on negotiations. We will give you a fuller response in due course.
After confirming in writing yesterday evening that he was committed to attend negotiations, the offer has been tabled without the CEO in attendance today.
The Postal Executive will meet tomorrow to call further strike action.”
More Royal Mail Strikes Incoming
Following on from that initial statement, the CWU posted a further update last night on their Facebook page announcing that today they would be going live across their various channels to update its workers about the next steps for strike action.
Some workers were calling for more focused strike action for maybe a full week at a time as opposed to the couple of days we have seen so far.
Others however are more concerned about the time of year and how taking so much time off work unpaid is going to negatively impact personal and family lives of the workers striking.
The last statement from the CWU was as follows:
“Royal Mail Group’s latest move is a disgrace. We are proud that you have seen right through it.
Job losses, two tiered workforce, site closures, ripping up terms and conditions and attacking your union.
Tomorrow we will take stock. Our executive meets to consider the next steps in the dispute. This is a very serious moment. We will be live at 7pm tomorrow in the biggest session in the unions history. Please use every moment between now and then to make sure every colleague joins us online.
Facing an out of control CEO and erratic employer, your union will be calm, measured and deliver a set of actions which will take this company to a place they have never been before.
Stand up for yourself. Stand with your colleagues. Stand with your union. See you tomorrow.
Dave Ward, General Secretary
Andy Furey, Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)“
We will update you when we know more about what they announce in their live later on today.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
We do not sell your information.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Head over to our Facebook Group for Small Business Marketplace Sellers and interact with us and other small business owners. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to stay up to date with relevant news and business insights for your online business.
Dave Furness
Dave is a Co-Founder of eSeller365. For over 10 years he has been involved with eCommerce with a particular interest in the marketplaces and the huge opportunities available for sellers when utilizing a multi-channel strategy. After a year of being the UK’s youngest eCommerce consultant, he built an education platform called UnderstandingE that showed the world how to utilize Magento as the “Third Generation of Multi-Channel software”.
Dave has also created a YouTube channel dedicated to entrepreneurship and eCommerce as well as a podcast dedicated to mental health awareness. When Dave isn’t working his main interests include learning and playing Chess, researching the Crypto and NFT space, and trying to find the nearest beach.