By Leah Montebello
Royal Mail union boss has accused the delivery giant of turning its service into “another part of the gig economy,” as a mass walkout of posties continues today.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Communication Workers Union (CWU) General Secretary Dave Ward called out Royal Mail for engaging in “secret talks” with a US private equity firm in order to “abandon its universal service”, with the view to turn the company into a gig economy employer.
The company revealed last week that it had received a notification from the government that its top shareholder, Vesa Equity Investment, could hike its stake to more than 25 per cent. This move is now under a national security review amid connections with Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.
However, the crux of CWU’s strikes is around worker pay, with members demanding a “substantial pay rise” and something to protect them against soaring inflation.
Royal Mail have offered a 5.5 per cent offer pay rise, which has been rejected largely on the basis that it is dependent on a “series of changes that can only be described as a complete levelling down agenda for the future,” Ward told the BBC.
Meanwhile, a Royal Mail spokesperson said in a statement last night: “The CWU’s self-centred actions with the wider trade union movement is putting jobs at risk, and making pay rises less affordable.”
They said the company was losing £1m a day and the CWU’s strike action is “making our situation worse”. “Each strike day makes that more difficult, making Royal Mail’s future more uncertain than at any time in its long history.”
Ward confirmed that there had been discussions across different unions, suggesting that cross-industry strike action could be on the cards.
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