Proactive Investors - Royal Mail (LON:IDSI) workers are to strike for a further six days in December, including on Christmas Eve, on top of action already planned for November in a dispute over pay.
Action has been announced for the 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24 December by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which said that 92% of those who voted opted to strike.
The strikes will severely impact Christmas deliveries of letters and presents but the CWU argued that its members were yet to receive a pay offer that does not equate to a real-terms pay cut, amid current high inflation rates.
“They won’t accept their living standards being smashed by people running a service that generated tens of millions of pounds in profit out of our members’ efforts,” said CWU’s Andy Furey.
“The pay dispute is not complicated,” he added.
“Our members are striking for a pay rise that fully addresses the current cost of living.”
Royal Mail owner, International Distributions Services PLC has warned significant operational changes are required, including being split in two, after its posted an operating loss of £163mln.
IDS also wants government permission for Royal Mail to stop delivering letters on Saturdays.
Strikes are set to hit other sectors too in the run-up to Christmas, with more than 700 factory workers due to take industrial action from late November in a move that will affect supplies to Tesco (LON:TSCO), J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY), Morrisons and Marks & Spencer.
Further rail strikes are also planned, with widespread disruption expected from action planned for 26 November.