New year, same story, as UK strike looms?

Royal Mail could suffer from further strikes after reports surfaced claiming the Communication Workers Union (CWU) had a set a two-week deadline to reach an agreement. The Tribune reported that postal workers would return to “dispute mode” if no progress is made by 22 January, after talks resumed between the two parties this week.

A dispute between Royal Mail management and the CWU over job security and modernisation led to a series of localised and national strikes throughout the second half of 2009.

The Tribune cites a source close to talks as saying: “There’ll be an agreement or a breakdown” adding: “There’s progress being made but there are still fundamental issues to be resolved.” Another said: “If it isn’t done by [the end of January], we’re back in dispute mode.”