The CWU are threatening the biggest potential summer postal strike is on the cards and now is the time to avoid a Royal Mail strike ransom and check out alternatives to keep your business running.
Announced on the first day of the nationwide railway strike, it’s going to be a summer of discontent but that’s no reason for your business to be held to the Royal Mail strike ransom.
We know that for many smaller packets and letters there is no alternative to Royal Mail, but even here there are things you can do to mitigate disruption – eBay, Amazon and many other marketplaces offer fulfilment options that shield you as the seller from shipping delays so consider making postal strikes their problem.
If marketplace fulfilment isn’t suitable for your product set, start courting alternative carriers and get daily collections booked in well ahead of any postal strikes taking place. We hate so advise you to dump Royal Mail, but you have to consider what’s best for your business first.
Royal Mail strike ransom timetable
The CWU served Royal Mail with an industrial action balloting notice today, Tuesday the 21st of June with ballot papers scheduled for dispatch on Tuesday the 28th of June. We should know the result and find out if the country is to be held to a Royal Mail strike ransom on the 19th of July.
If you care what the strike ballot is all about, the CWU are saying it’s pay rises. A suggested 2% rise has been met with derision by the Union, who point out that it’s a a real-terms wage cut of approximately 9% for Royal Mail employees.
Expect to hear this ‘real-terms wage cut’ excuse for industrial action time and time again this year. It’s indisputable that inflation is raging and everyone is feeling the pinch, but gigantic wage rises aren’t going to solve the price of oil, gas, electricity, petrol and diesel and the harsh reality is that everyone is going to have a lower standard of living for a while. The people it most impacts are those on the lowest wages.
The CWU are confident that they’re going to get a ‘Yes’ vote for industrial action and they aren’t normally wrong… they’ll have done polling and lined up gate meetings to get the vote out and postal strikes look almost inevitable which is why you should start preparing to protect your own business now.
5 Responses
I heard this news on the radio whilst driving back from the post office.
I’m not a big customer in Royal Mail’s eyes, but I spend 20-25k per annum exclusively on Royal Mail postage and there are tens of thousands of small business like me,
I send mostly stamped mail through the post office counters.
If they go ahead with the strikes, I will change my business model to items that can go via courier and will never go back to RM.
Enough is enough. Customers have seen huge price rises since privatisation and a drop in service levels.
Posties have got more pay, execs bigger bonuses and shareholders get dividends. But customers get sweet fanny adams.
Now another round of industrial action is being threatened, which will see the usual maximum disruption.
I am sure many more customers like me have had enough as well and will leave.
Large letter. low value ,is the business model with the largest effect of a RM strike
Just about every one else has switched ,or have a contingency plan in place,
If they haven’t their daft
What the alternative for low value large letter? Is there one? That’s what I send.
YES! What indeed the alternative for low value large letter? Is there one? That’s the bulk of what I send. I sell collectable CDs (sometimes under 100 grams) on eBay and Amazon. I have never found a courier service willing to match Royal Mail. Amazon FBA will be OK but I found that service far too expensive and now only do MF. The stock market sale of Royal Mail was madness because now RM are held to ransom by staff unions as well as shareholders. When politicians get involved in REAL business they always mess up with few, if any, exceptions