CWU unable to overturn “unlawful postal ballot” injunction

Royal Mail plc has confirmed that the CWU has been unsuccessful in its application to the Court of Appeal to overturn an interim injunction granted by the High Court on 13 November 2019.

Yesterday the High Court ruled that a postal ballot of Royal Mail employees for industrial action was unlawful and granted an interim injunction. The injunction prevents any industrial action being taken before the completion of a lawful ballot, resulting in a vote in favour of industrial action, and formal notification to the Company of any action.

Shane O’Riordain, Managing Director of Regulation and Corporate Affairs, said: “Royal Mail is pleased that the Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court’s decision to grant an interim injunction against CWU meaning that no industrial action can be taken before the completion of a lawful ballot. This decision still stands.

We did not take the decision to go to the High Court lightly. We sought to reach resolution outside the courts. It is vital that our colleagues are able to vote without any constraint imposed upon them by any other party.

We want to reach agreement. As previously announced, we have written to CWU to say we want to enter into discussions without preconditions. Following this offer, we are hopeful that we can now follow on with meaningful discussions with the union to resolve this dispute.

CWU tweeted about the decision: “We have just left the High Court. Our appeal was dismissed. 6 hours of evidence and they took 2 minutes to come to a decision. The justice system in this country is an absolute farce. Stand by your postal worker #WeRiseAgain”