“CWU Royal Mail Strike Cripples Workers’ Rights – Impact of Legal Challenge Revealed”

CWU Royal Mail strike – Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Union leaders were forced to cancel a two-day postal strike after a legal challenge by Royal Mail bosses.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) accused legislation “severely anti-working class” in scrapping planned strikes on February 16-17.

The union can only call for further strikes in March because their mandate expires in mid-February.

But their members will soon be compensated for strikes, while union leaders put the finishing touches on a “formal strike fund”.

Royal Mail questioned the validity of the latest round of strikes, which were based on recent changes in labor practices such as: B. Changes in postal workers’ routes.

The CWU’s six-month mandate to call strikes, granted by members last August, included no such changes, known as “revisions”, according to a legal challenge by Royal Mail.

The 115,000 members of the CWU employed by Royal Mail will be elected over another six-month strike mandate. The election ends on February 16.

The union said: “After discussing this with our lawyers, they advised us to defend our position.

“However, they have also pointed out that given that the laws in this country are heavily weighted against working people, the risk of losing in court may have implications for the general election – we simply cannot allow that to happen [to] happen.”

The CWU said winning another six-month strike mandate was more important than going ahead with the February 16-17 strikes.

“We will re-enter negotiations with Royal Mail Group this week,” a spokesman said. “If the talks fail, we will significantly intensify the strike program. The union will be announcing details of a formal strike fund shortly.”

Royal Mail and the CWU have been locked in a bitter dispute since last autumn when the former FTSE 100 company sought to reform what bosses saw as outdated labor practices.

Up to 10,000 postal workers could lose their jobs under the reforms being spearheaded by Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson.

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