Royal Mail fires warning shot over jobs and pay as union secures new strike mandate
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.
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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.”
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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.”
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.
“It has been a success.”
Just Stop Oil (JSO) insists it’s been “successful” – as its members ceremoniously hang up their orange high-vis vests during a march in central London.
Since the group formed three years ago, it’s drawn attention and criticism for its colourful, controversial protests, which ranged from disrupting sporting events to throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and climbing on gantries over the M25. It sprayed orange paint over Stonehenge, and cost police forces tens of millions of pounds.
Those days are now behind it; to the relief of many.
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As a few hundred activists marched through London on Saturday, blocking roads as they went; taxi drivers blared their horns and football fans shouted abuse from the pavement.
The PA News Agency filmed the moment a white minivan seemed to drive towards a group of protesters blocking the road.
Protesters shouted “I’m being pushed back!” to police, while the driver could be heard shouting “What about my right to get home?” to the officers gathered.
But JSO never set out to be popular. And it believes its tactics – though hated – have been successful; thanks to the new Labour government’s commitment to not issue new oil or gas exploration licences.
That’s why, it says, its ceasing direct action.
JSO hangs up its high-vis jackets in central London on Saturday
A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO’s disbanding
“This moment marks the success of the JSO campaign – our demand was to end new oil and gas licences and that is now government policy.
“As a result of which four billion barrels of oil are being kept under the North Sea. The campaign has reached a natural end.”
Dr Oscar Berglund, senior lecturer in international public and social policy, disagrees that JSO is disappearing because it’s been “successful”.
He told Sky News policing strength and public perception might have more to do with it.
“They have very low levels of popularity. About 17% of the British population are kind of broadly supportive of what Just Stop Oil do. And that’s too low to recruit.
“It’s difficult to recruit members to something that is that unpopular, and then that a lot of people for good reason I think have kind of stopped believing in that kind of disruption as a means to achieve meaningful change.”
Group triggers specific new protest laws
One thing it did change is the law.
Policing commentator Graham Wettone tells us: “Obstruction of the highway, obstruction of rail networks for example, these are specific offences now.
“It’s given the police more tactics, more methods, more offences they can consider, even stopping and searching somebody who may have something to either lock themselves on or glue themselves to something.”
A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague
Emma Smart was held in prison for her activism with both Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.
“The high-vis might be going away,” she tells me, “but we aren’t.”
“These people aren’t going anywhere, we are still committed, dedicated, terrified by the failings of this government and governments around the world.”
JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh’s sunflowers
Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge
She hopes for a time of reflection before it returns in a new form but says the need for climate activism is stronger than ever.
She also believes that while most people dislike JSO tactics, it still raises awareness of the cause and might even push people to more moderate campaign groups.
Just Stop Oil came behind other, similarly controversial climate campaign groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, and as it says goodbye, its disruptive methods have been seized upon by other organisations like the Pro-Palestinian Youth Justice.
The infamous Just Stop Oil orange vests might be going away, but the individual activists, their cause and campaign tactics feel here to stay.
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