UK Royal Mail urge people not to post in London

The Royal Mail has urged people not to post letters in London because of the strike by postal workers which will cripple deliveries.

The 24-hour walk-out by members of the Communication Workers Union could have a knock-on effect in other parts of the UK.

The workers are demanding a bigger rise in their London weighting allowance than one offered by the Royal Mail.

Deputy General Secretary David Ward said he expected “solid support” from his 25,000 members in London for the stoppage.

He said the union’s claim for a £4,000 a year allowance was “fair”, adding: “We want workers to earn a living wage in London without having to work all hours of the day or night.”

The strike will cost the Royal Mail up to £10 million and it could take several days to clear the backlog of letters.

Around 16 million letters are posted in London every day compared to a national total of 82 million.

The Royal Mail said today it had no plans to seal post boxes but it advised people only to post essential items of mail.

Around 4,000 managers will attempt to deal with mail tomorrow but the strike will cause disruption likely to last for several days.

A Royal Mail spokesman said today: “We have made a very fair offer and there is no more money to come. A strike will not generate more money – it will do exactly the opposite.”

The Royal Mail has offered to increase an Inner London weighting by £300 to £3,784 and Outer London allowance by £300 to £2,667.