Royal Mail commenting on the statement from the CWU

On 6 March, the CWU wrote to Royal Mail setting out a series of demands which included an increase in basic pay from £323 a week to £395 in 2007, and a reduction in the working week. The demands in aggregate were equivalent to a cost to the company of just over £1 billion, equivalent to a 27% increase in basic pay.

Royal Mail today set out its position in a letter to MPs and peers, a copy of which is available in the Royal Mail Website.

Commenting on the statement from the CWU, a Royal Mail spokesman said:
“The company’s position is very simple – Royal Mail has absolutely no option but to change and modernise the business, urgently. That involves a £1.2 billion investment in the business – the opposite of the ’cost-cutting frenzy’ the union talks about and it is designed to ensure Royal Mail can compete successfully in an increasingly tough market. “We wrote to the union last week after the ballot result was announced offering to meet at any time to explain the company’s position – and we remain very willing to meet the union at any time to do so.”