Postwatch: Postal strike hurting customers – resolution needed urgently

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced further strikes, to take place in the period to 17th August. Postal customers – and the postal industry – have suffered from industrial action since 29th June.

Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services, urges Royal Mail and the CWU to resolve the dispute and avert further disruption.

Post boxes and, for the most part, post offices are still open, but post is nonetheless being delayed. The longer industrial action continues, the worse problems will become. Customers who cannot use alternatives to mail are being inconvenienced.

Some businesses are moving to using other forms of communication, and more will do likewise if strikes persist. Mail volumes are already decreasing year-on-year: strikes will only worsen problems for the UK postal service.

Postwatch advises customers to be aware of the strikes, consider what postal disruption will mean to them, and then act to minimize inconvenience. That might mean using other communication methods.

Commenting, Howard Webber, Chief Executive of Postwatch, said:
“We have now had several weeks of postal strikes, and the damaging effects are becoming clearer by the day”.

“The longer the dispute continues, the worse the cumulative effects will be for customers and the postal industry. Confidence in the postal service will fall. We are already seeing evidence of this as customers who can use alternatives to the postal service are doing so. Those who cannot are experiencing delays and uncertainty”.

“The bottom line is that there are no winners in this dispute. Customers become ex customers or reluctant mailers. An end is needed urgently, for the sake of both customers and the UK postal service.”