UK Royal Mail faces further strikes in October

Britain’s state-run postal service, Royal Mail, is facing two further strikes after the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced dates for industrial action in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

“The Communication Workers Union is announcing today that there will be further strike action in response to Royal Mail’s draconian and destructive proposals on pay and business changes,” the union said in a statement.

The CWU said in June its members had voted in favor of industrial action due to Royal Mail’s “below inflation pay offer” and its plans to reduce the workforce by around 40,000, or about 27 percent, by automating mail-sorting processes.

Royal Mail said it remained willing to talk to the union but needs to modernize to prevent the business from failing and that the only way it could improve pay, protect pensions and deliver customer service was by modernizing.

“It is clear from our discussions that the CWU leadership does not begin to understand the challenges facing Royal Mail and the very serious consequences for the business if we do not push ahead and modernize,” Royal Mail said. The company is fighting private competition from Business Post, Dutch mail company TNT NV and others after losing its 350-year monopoly on postal services last year. The growth of email, text messages and the purchase of vehicle tax discs and television licenses online have also dented profits. The union said it would hold 48 hour strikes on Oct. 5 and 6 and Oct. 8 and 9.