More than 115,000 Royal Mail workers will stage a series of strikes during August and September in a bitter pay row, heaping further misery on retailers.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) confirmed what it said would be the biggest strike of the summer, as workers prepare to walk out on August 26 and 31, and September 8 and 9.
It comes after last month’s ballot in which 97.6% of the CWU members who voted backed the strike action.
The move will heap further pressure on retailers, a number of whom rely on Royal Mail to fulfil online orders.
Retailers are also having to grapple with planned strikes at Felixstowe port later this month as they attempt to keep stock moving.
Workers at the UK’s largest container port will strike for eight days from August 21 until August 29.
Royal Mail operations development director Ricky McAulay insisted the company had “contingency plans in place” and would “be working hard to minimise disruption” during the strikes.
McAulay added: “After more than three months of talks, the CWU has failed to engage in any meaningful discussion on the changes we need to modernise, or to come up with alternative ideas.
“The CWU rejected our offer worth up to 5.5% for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years. In a business that is currently losing £1m a day, we can only fund this offer by agreeing to the changes that will pay for it. Royal Mail can have a bright future, but we can’t achieve that by living in the past.
“We have contingency plans in place, and will be working hard to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as soon as we can to keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly, but postal workers are being pushed to the brink.
“The CWU’s message to Royal Mail’s leadership is simple – there will be serious disruption until you get real on pay.”
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