British postal workers begin four-day strike

Britain’s Royal Mail workers have begun a four-day strike over a pay dispute with the company.

More than 115,000 workers staged a walkout on Friday which will last through the weekend with the postal group warning of significant service disruption for customers.

Royal Mail warned that letters will not be delivered on strike days and some parcels will be delayed.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents the striking workers, is demanding a pay rise which is more in line with the current rate of inflation.

“We are going to fight very hard here to get the pay rise our members deserve,” Communication Workers Union General Secretary Dave Ward said.

Meanwhile Royal Mail said the Communication Workers Union (CWU) had rejected a pay rise offer “worth up to 5.5%” after three months of talks, its biggest increase in years.

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The CWU, which said the strike is the biggest industrial action taken by workers this summer in Britain, disputes this and says the company only offered a 2% pay increase to workers, and a further 1.5% subject to changes to terms and conditions.

The union has called for Royal Mail to increase wages to an amount that “covers the current cost of living”.

The centuries-old British postal and delivery service apologised to its customers for the disruption and said it has put in place contingency plans, but could not fully replace the daily duties of its frontline staff.

Royal Mail warned earlier this month that it could post a loss for its business in the United Kingdom in the 2022-23 fiscal year if the strike went ahead.

Further walkouts are planned for August 31, September 8 and September 9.

Royal Mail strike is the latest in a spate of labour stoppages to hit Britain as workers demand higher wages in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, with energy bills soaring and inflation projected to exceed 13% later this year.

Zainab Sa’id