Advice for Northern Ireland consumers ahead of Royal Mail strike action on Thursday

Members of the Communication Workers Union, which represents Royal Mail workers, are holding a series of one-day walkouts in the lead-up to Christmas.

The union say their members have been offered a 2% pay increase with inflation running at over 10%, while the employers say the strike is a “reckless pursuit” and insist they are managing the disruption.

The Northern Ireland Consumer Council, meanwhile, has urged households here to plan around the expected disruption.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Consumer Council said: "Royal Mail is also expecting further disruption during November and the start of December to parts of its business. Royal Mail’s services will be affected with delays to mail posted the day before, during or in the days after any strike action."

Michael Legg, Head of Postal Services at the Consumer Council, urged customers to post items well in advance, consider waiting until after the strike is over, explain to post recipients that mail may be ddelayed, and check before purchasing special postal services such as a 'next day delivery' service that can't be guaranteed.

Mr Legg addded: "If you are a consumer and you have bought something online and it is delayed, remember the item should be delivered within the time frame agreed with the retailer. If the item is not delivered on time, you can return the item, cancel your order and get a refund."