Postal strikes called off
Updated on 05 November 2009
The 24-hour postal strikes planned for Friday and Monday have been called off after last-minute talks between the Royal Mail and union bosses.
The 121,000 members of the Communication Worker's Union were planning to walk out as their row over jobs, pay and modernisation continued.
The union was considering legal action, claiming the Royal Mail had illegally employed 30,000 temporary workers to plug gaps during the most recent strikes, something which is not allowed if workers are involved in a lawful industrial dispute.
The union's postal executive is believed to have sanctioned the agreement at a meeting in London.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the agreement provided for a "period of calm" in the run-up to and beyond Christmas, free of industrial action, to enable further negotiations to be held to secure a longer term deal.
Mr Barber said the agreement also resolved a number of local disputes which have flared in recent months and addressed areas of concern for the union and workers.
"The delivery of the terms of this agreement means that Royal Mail services will be free of any disruption up to and through the Christmas period."
Mr Barber said the agreement would lead to an independent person being appointed to oversee the "detailed negotiations" which will now take place.
He went on: "The agreement is a very important step forward, but it is a long way from the end of the road.
"Over the next period, an immense amount of hard work is going to be needed to hammer out the final agreement on the way forward in a company that is facing a period of dramatic change."
Mr Barber said there was a lack of trust between the two sides, which had been one of the "major obstacles" to a deal being reached.
"Change is certainly coming. What both the management and the union have committed to is working together to manage that change in a way that carries the confidence of the workforce, to ensure that this vital public service meets the needs of all those millions of people and businesses for whom the post is a vital lifeline."
