Connect with us

Published

on

The union representing 112,000 frontline Royal Mail staff is increasingly “gambling with their members’ futures”, a company source has told Sky News as a new wave of strikes looms in their bitter row over pay and modernisation plans.

Speaking as the Communication Workers Union (CWU) revealed a fresh mandate for industrial action, the source declared that loss-making Royal Mail was “bleeding” cash and could not afford to raise its “best and final” wage offer beyond the £400m collective hike that was on the table.

They argued that the business was losing customer confidence because of the continuing dispute and risked becoming increasingly uncompetitive as it already paid its staff up to 40% more than cheaper rivals.

“Fewer customers means a smaller business and means we need fewer people”, the source said.

The CWU announced at an event in Manchester that 95.9% of its members had voted in favour of renewed strikes on a 77% turnout, though it stopped short of announcing new dates immediately.

Its general secretary, Dave Ward, cited recent talks with the company’s chairman which, he said, offered hope of a “new process” after relations with the management team, including CEO Simon Thompson, collapsed last year.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

January: ‘Why were you given a bonus?’

But he added that a fresh approach to talks was conditional on management “attacks” on his members’ being halted immediately.

Royal Mail responded to the union’s hopes of new faces around the negotiating table as simply wrong, saying the board would never replace its existing team.

“This vote is a historic testament to CWU members across the country who have stood firm against the most severe attacks faced by any set of workers since the miners,” Mr Ward said in a statement.

“It is proof that postal workers will not accept their livelihoods being destroyed so that a few at the top can generate serious profits at their expense.

“It is proof that workers loyal to an historic institution like Royal Mail will not accept it being turned into an Uber-style, bog-standard gig economy employer.

“It is proof that for Royal Mail to begin functioning normally again, there needs to be a change in negotiating approach from its leadership that recognises the depth of feeling from the workforce that make their company.

“These people will never be bullied, intimidated or harassed into submission, and this result is a concrete demonstration of that spirit.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

December: What will postal union members accept?

The source at Royal Mail signalled a deep frustration within the firm on the lack of progress in the negotiations to date, accusing the union of misleading its members.

They claimed that the CWU had not even given its negotiators a pay demand figure, with the talks becoming entrenched on other issues such as Sunday working as Royal Mail looks to bolster its parcel operations in the face of increased competition from the likes of Evri and DHL.

“There comes a point when the pay deal becomes unaffordable,” the source added.

The company has previously said that 18 dates of strikes to date, including over the crucial Christmas season, had cost it £200m.

It is battling several other major cost headwinds including the disruption to overseas parcel deliveries caused by a ransomware attack a month ago that saw hackers demand £67m to unlock the company’s IT systems.

It is understood that no money has changed hands with the Russian-linked group that claimed responsibility but it has hit revenues hard.

Its problems have seen Royal Mail come under increased pressure within parent firm IDS as operating losses mount.

Its plea to save money through a reduction in the universal service obligation for letter deliveries, over five days instead of six, has been met with government opposition.

The company has pointed to research by the industry regulator suggesting only minimum disruption for households and businesses should it no longer have to deliver letters on a Saturday.

Its other efforts to reduce costs have already resulted in thousands of job losses through voluntary redundancy.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the CWU members who took part in the ballot have voted to take further industrial action.

“Even the threat of more strike action by the CWU means more customers will switch their parcel business to our competitors.

“We remain committed to getting around the table with the CWU, resolving this dispute and agreeing a pay and change deal for our people.

“Should the CWU announce further strike action, we have plans to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as soon as possible to keep people, businesses and the country connected.”

Continue Reading

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

on

By

Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

Continue Reading

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

on

By

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

Continue Reading

UK

Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

Published

on

By

Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

More from UK

google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
Image:
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

Continue Reading

Trending