Royal Mail strikes are hindering some businesses in Northern Ireland and benefitting others

Royal Mail workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have held a series of strike days since August, demanding improved pay and conditions. The latest two-day strikes, which began today, means that anything that wasn’t delivered yesterday is very unlikely to arrive until after Christmas Day.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “The first thing is we do need to see an agreement worked out between the unions and Royal Mail on this. It’s a serious situation that does have implications for our economy.

“We hope that with this strike, along with all the other strikes, we can get an agreement on a way forward.

"We cannot go on with strike after strike, whether it’s the health service, Royal Mail, whether it’s in any other sector of our economy, we do need to have a real focus in the new year to get an agreement and move on from these strikes.”

He said the strike had brought about some good news for retailers: "There’s no doubt that in one sense the strikes has had some positive unintended consequences, there is some indication that as people can’t rely on their parcels being delivered before Christmas they’re doing more in local shops. Obviously if that’s the case in any significant way that’s a good thing.”

He said that the Royal Mail strikes would also benefit other carriers, for example Amazon.

“I don’t exactly think they need the money, but yes they are likely to have got a boost as people want an assurance of deliveries before Christmas,” he commented.

Mr Roberts added: “Our message, which remains very, very clear with a day or two left to Christmas, is that we encourage people to go out and support their local independent retailers. Many of these smaller independents still haven’t recovered from the pandemic. They are dealing with the most expensive business rates anywhere in the UK, and indeed an energy crisis added in.

"So we’re strongly encouraging consumers to get out and do their bit and support local, independent retailers, by doing that they’re getting more bang for their buck – 70p in every pound you spend with an independent retailer is recycled around the rest of the economy. They’re helping local producers, local suppliers, local farmers as well as helping those vitally important family-owned independent retailers.”

The CWU said it had offered to suspend the strikes and ‘establish a period of calm’ from now until January 16 next year but the Royal Mail Group rejected an offer of negotiations to resolve the ongoing dispute.

General Secretary Dave Ward said: “For Royal Mail Group to reject our offer just hours after receiving it demonstrates that they were never serious about saving Christmas for customers and businesses.

"When a company openly boasts of having built a £1.7 billion fund, to crush its own workers rather than use that money to settle the dispute and restore the service, then you know dark forces are clearly at work.

“Their sole intention is to destroy the jobs of postal workers and remove their union from the workplace. ‘Our members will not stand for this, and further action will take place in 2023.

“Our message to the public and businesses is that postal workers do not want to be here, but they are facing an aggressive, reckless and out-of-control CEO committed to wrecking their livelihoods.”

In November, Royal Mail said it had made its "best and final offer" and accused the union of "holding Christmas to ransom".

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll blamed Royal Mail bosses for “ruining Christmas” as joined members of the CWU on the picket lines at Royal Mail in Belfast this morning.

“Royal Mail is doing all it can to break this strike action,” he said.

“The blame for Christmas postal disruption lies with Royal Mail bosses, who would give the Grinch a run for his money. They are ruining Christmas for customers and workers alike.

“This company has paid hundreds of millions to shareholders and is treating its workers with absolute contempt.

“Postal workers have been forced to strike in the face of wholesale attacks on their pay and terms. They are standing up for their customers and standing against bosses who want to destroy the postal service.”

East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden expressed solidarity with striking postal workers in Coleraine.

Ms Sugden met with many of the local staff members on Christmas visit yesterday – something that has become a tradition for the independent MLA.

“It was really nice to sit and talk with our local posties again this year, following a couple of years where visits were prevented due to Covid,” Ms Sugden said.

“This year’s visit was not just to say thank you though. It has come at a really difficult time for postal workers, who have sacrificed a lot to pursue this industrial action that they believe is the only way to protect their jobs and salaries.

“People often get frustrated with striking workers if it affects their daily lives. But this kind of action is not taken lightly. There are genuine fears about the future of Royal Mail and workers have seen real terms cuts to their wages amid soaring inflation.

“Our local posties work really hard, at unsociable hours of the day and often in cold and wet conditions.

“They deserve to be treated properly and while negotiations between Royal Mail and the union have not yielded any success so far, I hope progress will soon be made and that normality can return for everyone involved.”