Around 115,000 members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) were polled and 96.7% voted in favor of strikes, with a turnout of 77%. The result of the vote was announced by the union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, and his deputy general secretary, Terry Pullinger, at the York Barbican, where around 300 CWU members had gathered. Ward said the union would give the company “another chance to get back to the bargaining table”, but if an agreement could not be reached, the CWU would notify Royal Mail of industrial action. The strikes are expected to take place in August. It is poised to be the biggest strike action in what is shaping up to be a summer of discontent, as thousands of workers across industries take action to demand pay that keeps pace with the rising cost of living. Rail workers have gone on strike, as have lawyers in England and Wales. Heathrow Airport faces a three-day refueling strike this week, the Unite union has said. The CWU said management intended to impose a 2% pay rise which would be a “severe real pay cut” for postal workers due to rising inflation. To applause from members, Ward said Royal Mail workers “need to see a pay rise now that reflects … that they have turned the fortunes of the company and the cost of living crisis around”. He added that the strike vote was “also a vote of no confidence in Royal Mail’s chief executive and board, who will have to seriously consider their future” at the company’s annual meeting on Wednesday. “While bosses make £758m and shareholders £400m, workers are set to take a serious pay cut in real terms.” He said the union was not opposed to modernization, “but modernization seems to be about workers working harder and faster for less pay.” Royal Mail said it had granted workers an unconditional 2% pay rise from April 1 and told the CWU a further 3.5% was available, subject to agreement on a range of changes and a new bonus “above and beyond ». A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are disappointed that CWU members have voted in favor of industrial action. “We offered a deal worth up to 5.5% for CWU grad colleagues, the biggest increase we’ve offered for many years, which the CWU rejected. We can only fund this offer by making the changes that will pay for it and ensure that Royal Mail can grow and remain competitive in a fast-growing industry. “Despite nearly three months of talks, the CWU has not engaged in any meaningful discussion about the changes we need to make to adapt. “In the event of industrial action, we have contingency plans in place to minimize disruption to customers and will work to keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
