Picket lines have been mounted outside Royal Mail delivery and sorting offices after workers launched a 48-hour strike in a worsening dispute over pay. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) walked out, hitting deliveries of post across the country.
Talks between the two sides were held on Thursday but there was no sign of any progress being made and the union is planning to step up industrial action in the coming weeks. The union said the walkout by around 115,000 of its members is the biggest strike of the year amid long-running disputes in other sectors.
A further 19 days of strikes have been announced on different days throughout October and November in a major escalation of the dispute. CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “This is a significant announcement, but it is one which matches the level of anger our members feel at the way Royal Mail Group has treated them.
