There’s hope that the postal strike may be coming to an end, as Royal Mail and the CWU have reached an agreement. There are no details as yet – the CWU’s website says a joint statement will be issued on Monday – but the agreement was ratified by union leaders Billy Hayes and Dave Ward, RM chairman Adam Crozier and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber. The terms will be considered by the union executive on Monday, and if approved by them, put to the membership for a vote to accept or reject.
But BBC business editor Robert Preston comments on his blog that the executive’s assent to the agreement “cannot be taken for granted”.
Unofficial “wildcat” strikes have also affected services in many areas of the country, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Liverpool: some of these walkouts have been in protest at having pay deducted for earlier strike action.
Earlier on Friday, RM had been granted an injunction to halt strikes scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week, as the CWU had not provided accurate figures of the number of workers affected. Further action planned for later in the week was still to go ahead.
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