Royal Mail statement

Shane O’Riordain, Royal Mail, commented: ‘We have not received formal notification of a ballot from CWU. We are disappointed that they have set out a ballot timetable while discussions are ongoing.

‘We are committed to open and constructive engagement with the CWU. We all want a successful and sustainable company that provides good quality jobs, fairness in workloads, and continues delivering the Universal Service.’

• We are honouring the 2018 Agreement. Since it was put in place, we have: i) awarded two pay increases of five per cent and two per cent; ii) granted the first hour’s reduction in the Shorter Working Week, even though we only generated some of the savings to pay for it; iii) worked together with CWU to lobby Government for a new CDC pension scheme.
• At the same time, we plan to invest around £1.8bn in the UK over the next five years as part of our transformation plan. It aims to return our UK business to growth and underpin the UK’s Universal Service.