Relief as posties call off strike action

The direct marketing industry has breathed a collective sigh of relief after postal workers called off their planned national strike – and with it the threat of a boycott of rivals’ mail – after sealing a new deal on pay, pensions and job security.
The first strike, planned for November 4, has been now been shelved, and a final agreement over the future of postal staff is expected to be in place within next two weeks.
Details were released in a joint statement between the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) and Royal Mail management late yesterday afternoon. The peace deal is understood to be based on an enhanced long-term pay rise guarantee, however neither side in the dispute would release any of the figures.
According to some reports, postal workers’ pay will rise by up to 10% over three years under a deal that will be backdated to April this year.
The pact – which has yet to be finalised – also includes enhanced redundancy protection for workers and the establishment of a new regime to resolve disputes that should head off future strikes.
The proposed strike had already been condemned by the DMA, which warned of job losses if – as threatened – the dispute turned into a protracted round of industrial action.
DMA executive director Chris Combemale has welcomed the progress: He said: “CWU’s decision to stand down from its proposed strike on Monday is welcome news for the tens of thousands of companies, charities and people that depend on the postal service every day. We’re pleased that Royal Mail and CWU have made significant progress in their talks; it’s essential that they remain committed to finalising an agreement and avoid the prospect of industrial action.”
One industry source added: “There’s little doubt that now posties hold shares in the company, they will be viewing it in a different light – no matter what the union says. But the proposed agreement can only be good news for the DM industry. The last thing we need is a long and bitter dispute. The sector’s reliance on the post may be waning, but it is still a vital component of many marketing campaigns, let alone crucial to the online industry.”

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