Royal Mail Strike Ruled Illegal

London's High Court has ruled that the planned next week's strike by Royal Mail workers would be illegal. Workers were set to walk out next Thursday for two days in protest over pensions, wages and jobs. However, the postal company said the strike was unlawful because the Communication Workers Union (CWU), whose 89.1% of members voted for a strike, did not follow dispute resolution proceedures. It would have been the first strike since the privatisation of Royal Mail four years ago. The Union said it was "extremely disappointed" and described the ruling as "a desperate delaying tactic from a board who are increasingly out of touch with the views of its workforce". The CWU has said that Royal Mail workers will lose as much as a third of their retirement entitlements as a result of the firm's pension reforms, which had been the major catalyst for a strike. There had been fears that the strike would disrupt the delivery of letters and parcels in the run up to Christmas, the company's busiest period. Many will therefore be relieved to hear that their Christmas shopping will not be delayed. Although I still cannot believe we're talking about Christmas already...

Image: Communication Workers Union (CWU)