Union members at Royal Mail will launch a 48-hour strike on Friday in an escalating dispute over pay.
According to the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the walkout by around 115,000 of its members will be the biggest strike in the UK this year.
In a major escalation of the dispute, the union has announced a further 19 days of strikes throughout October and November.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said the escalation “matches the level of anger” union members feel at their employer—the Royal Mail Group.
“The chief executive of Royal Mail Group is treating postal workers as if they are stupid,” he said. “Postal workers across the UK now face the fight of their lives to save their jobs and the service they provide to every household and business in the UK.”
The Royal Mail Group called the union’s announcement “reckless” and said it will weaken the company’s financial position and have a negative impact on job security.
“Royal Mail is losing £1 million ($1.11 million) a day. We operate in a competitive market, and our customers have choices. Continued strike action will force our customers to make those choices sooner rather than later,” said a company spokesperson.
The company called on the CWU “to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business, and to engage urgently on the changes required to adapt to customer demands in a highly competitive market.”
Strike Disruptions
The UK has been hit by a series of strike actions in recent months, causing serious disruptions to multiple sectors including railways, ports, and local governments.Announcing his mini-budget on Sept. 23, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng told the House of Commons, “At such a critical time for our economy, it is simply unacceptable that strike action is disrupting so many lives.”
He said the UK will adopt “minimum service levels” to stop trade unions closing down transport networks during strikes.
The planned clampdown on industrial action was part of the policy blueprint unveiled by Prime Minister Liz Truss during her campaign to become Conservative Party leader.
She made clear that she would not allow unions to disrupt vital public services and would not let the country be “held to ransom by militant trade unionists.”
Her planned measures included introducing minimum service levels on critical national infrastructure to keep trains, buses, and other services running. She also planned to raise ballot thresholds to make it harder for strike action to take place across all sectors.
