Royal Mail staff have confirmed two days of industrial action, which will come before Christmas.
An offer was extended to the company to suspend any strikes from now until January 16 in a bid to create a period of 'calm', but it was rejected almost immediately, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU). An offer was also made that the union and company should both sign a joint statement incorporating Royal Mail's latest promise of no compulsory redundancies.
The CWU said its members will walk out on Friday 23 and Saturday 24.
The strikes will come as the 17th and 18th days of action, after an increasingly bitter dispute between workers and Royal Mail - and Britons will see any hopes of Christmas post being delivered on time fade.
The Mirror reports that the management's rejection of talks falls on the eve of National Postal Workers Day (December 21) - an annual event which celebrates the roles of posties in every day life. It also follows a recent boast that Royal Mail bosses have accumulated a £1.7bn 'war chest' to destroy posties' livelihoods.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “For Royal Mail Group to reject our offer just hours after receiving it demonstrates that they were never serious about saving Christmas for customers and businesses. When a company openly boasts of having built a £1.7bn fund to crush its own workers rather than use that money to settle the dispute and restore the service, then you know dark forces are clearly at work.
“Their sole intention is to destroy the jobs of postal workers and remove their union from the workplace. Our members will not stand for this, and further action will take place in 2023.
“Our message to the public and businesses is that postal workers do not want to be here, but they are facing an aggressive, reckless and out-of-control CEO committed to wrecking their livelihoods.”
Last week it was reported that mountains of post were piling up outdoors as Royal Mail centres fill up with backlogs. Images handed to the Mirror showed cages full of undelivered post outside two mail centres this week - before Tuesday's fresh walkout by 115,000 posties even began.
Royal Mail insisted however that the scenes were 'typical for this time of year' and letters are only left outdoors for short periods when it is safe, hygienic and dry. The firm believes the photos, shared by the Communication Workers Union, were taken just as trucks were unloaded and cages were ready to be moved indoors.
But a union source branded this 'rubbish'. They insisted the scenes were 'chaos' and 'highly unusual', adding the post was 'out in the car park because there was no room in the building'.
The source suggested deliveries were about a week behind schedule, adding: “Royal Mail are deluded."
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