The Royal Mail said that postal workers were ending their unofficial action in a number of areas hit by strikes. The company said that workers in Coventry, Warrington, Hatfield, Chelmsford and parts of London ended their walkout and returned to work this morning.
What broke the deadlock?
An agreement was reached at 3.30am after the Royal Mail chairman, Allan Leighton, Billy Hayes, the Communication Workers Union general secretary, joined the negotiations. The breakthrough came after more than 26 hours of talks over the weekend, but leaves several outstanding issues - such as changes in delivery patterns - still to be resolved. These are to be dealt with at arbitration service Acas in the next few days.
What was the impact of the strike?
The Royal Mail said that it would take "several weeks" to clear a backlog of tens of millions of unsorted letters. Letterboxes in London will remain sealed for a few days until sorting offices are ready to process fresh mail. The Royal Mail said the cost of the dispute had yet to be calculated, but that it would amount to "millions of pounds".
How widespread was the stoppage?
Around 20,000 postal workers walked out across the country. The Royal Mail had to seal some of London's 20,000 post boxes for the first time in several years. The impact of the stoppage was particularly hard on small businesses. The Federation of Small Businesses, which represents 185,000 small companies, said that many of the 1 million cheques normally delivered by the Royal Mail every day were caught up in the backlog.
How did the dispute start?
The action began on October 17 with the suspension of 16 delivery drivers in Southall, west London, after they had refused to volunteer to take special delivery items to destination addresses rather than depots. The Royal Mail said that the addresses were on the routes anyway, but the drivers said it was not part of their normal work. Work was moved to the nearby mail centre at Greenford, where workers refused to handle it. They, too, were suspended.
Are wildcat strikes legal?
No, which is why the Communication Workers Union repudiated the walkouts to avoid fines and compensation claims. However, the Royal Mail accused some local union representatives of actively taking part in the stoppage.
What is the state of industrial relations at the Royal Mail?
The stoppage reflected the sharp deterioration in industrial relations at the company, which has laid off thousands of workers as part of a restructuring operation. In an example of the bad blood, peace talks last week were switched after union negotiators refused to cross a picket line at an adjoining sorting office. Adam Crozier, the Royal Mail's chief executive, accused militants of trying to blackmail the company into conceding a £4,000-a-year London weighting allowance after a narrow vote against national action to secure a basic £300 a week in September.
What did the unions say?
They accused the Royal Mail of using the national vote to impose sweeping changes, and of deliberately orchestrating the current confrontation by deploying "bouncers" to intimidate strikers. The CWU also blamed "heavy-handed" managers for an "aggressive bullying attitude" when staff returned after a second one-day strike in London on October 16, a stoppage that was called after a legal ballot.
What did banks say about late payments?
Barclaycard said the standard £20 fine will automatically be applied to all accounts with late payments. But the firm has told its call centre staff that requests for refunds because of the strike will be dealt with "sympathetically". HSBC has promised to refund automatic £20 charges for late payments due to the strike.
What about benefit payments?
Post offices were not affected, so people on benefits should have been able to get their cash. Any payments stuck in the post can be reissued from benefit offices.
