Date set for Royal Mail strike

June 21, 2007

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has confirmed that Royal Mail workers are to hold a 24 hour strike on June 29, the first national post strike in the United Kingdom in 11 years.

In a statement, Dave Ward, CWU Deputy General Secretary, said that Royal Mail are "intent on cutting services, cutting jobs and cutting pay" and that "the Union remains committed to reaching an agreement" to resolve the issue. CWU members voted 77% in favour of taking strike action.

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier said that the organisation was "very disappointed" to hear news of the announcement and explained that "we are losing business because we have failed to change and modernise."

Dave Ward of the CWU said that "We have tried to reach an agreement but Royal Mail are refusing to negotiate" and that he wanted to "put the record straight about the way that Royal Mail have been deliberately misleading the public on what this dispute is about. The Union has never asked for a 27% pay rise and we are not opposed in any shape or form to modernisation."