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| Second 24-hour mail strike starts | Second 24-hour mail strike starts |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Delivery and collection workers at Royal Mail have begun a walkout as part of nationwide strikes. | Delivery and collection workers at Royal Mail have begun a walkout as part of nationwide strikes. |
| About 78,000 people began the action at 0400 BST. It follows mail centre staff and drivers up and down the country holding a 24-hour strike on Thursday. | About 78,000 people began the action at 0400 BST. It follows mail centre staff and drivers up and down the country holding a 24-hour strike on Thursday. |
| Further strikes at Royal Mail will take place next week, starting on Thursday 29 October, says the Communication Workers Union (CWU). | |
| Its members are protesting about pay, conditions and proposed postal reforms. | |
| News of the next wave of action was described as "appalling" by Royal Mail. | |
| Details of how long the new strikes will last and which group of workers will be involved will be announced in the coming days. | Details of how long the new strikes will last and which group of workers will be involved will be announced in the coming days. |
| The union offered "unconditional" talks at the conciliation service Acas in a bid to break the deadlocked row over jobs, pay and modernisation - saying further strikes could be avoided. | The union offered "unconditional" talks at the conciliation service Acas in a bid to break the deadlocked row over jobs, pay and modernisation - saying further strikes could be avoided. |
| 'Vindictive' | 'Vindictive' |
| The strikes - the first nationwide disruption for two years - followed the CWU and Royal Mail being unable to reach an agreement on pay and modernisation. | The strikes - the first nationwide disruption for two years - followed the CWU and Royal Mail being unable to reach an agreement on pay and modernisation. |
| STORY SO FAR... Postal workers, especially in London, have been holding intermittent one-day strikes for months in a row over the way Royal Mail is to be modernisedEarlier this month, postal workers voted three to one in favour of nationwide industrial action (though Royal Mail said 60% of the total number of postal workers in the UK did not vote to strike)The CWU set dates for the first nationwide postal strikes in two yearsLast-gasp talks failed to reach an agreement and indeed the split between the union and Royal Mail management became more acrimonious Q&A: Royal Mail dispute Postal Strike: Business reactions Origins of the Royal Mail strike Royal Mail's one-man competitor How is the strike affecting you? | STORY SO FAR... Postal workers, especially in London, have been holding intermittent one-day strikes for months in a row over the way Royal Mail is to be modernisedEarlier this month, postal workers voted three to one in favour of nationwide industrial action (though Royal Mail said 60% of the total number of postal workers in the UK did not vote to strike)The CWU set dates for the first nationwide postal strikes in two yearsLast-gasp talks failed to reach an agreement and indeed the split between the union and Royal Mail management became more acrimonious Q&A: Royal Mail dispute Postal Strike: Business reactions Origins of the Royal Mail strike Royal Mail's one-man competitor How is the strike affecting you? |
| The prime minister has urged both sides to resume negotiations to bring an end to the "self-defeating" strike. | The prime minister has urged both sides to resume negotiations to bring an end to the "self-defeating" strike. |
| A BBC poll of more than 800 adults found that twice as many people sympathised with the postal workers than with the Royal Mail management. | A BBC poll of more than 800 adults found that twice as many people sympathised with the postal workers than with the Royal Mail management. |
| Union leaders have blamed Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Royal Mail chiefs for the failure to reach a deal. | Union leaders have blamed Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Royal Mail chiefs for the failure to reach a deal. |
| But ministers say the suggestion that an agreement was vetoed is "fantasy". | But ministers say the suggestion that an agreement was vetoed is "fantasy". |
| Dave Ward, CWU deputy leader, said his message to Royal Mail and Lord Mandelson was to "get your hands dirty" and meet the union at the conciliation service Acas. | Dave Ward, CWU deputy leader, said his message to Royal Mail and Lord Mandelson was to "get your hands dirty" and meet the union at the conciliation service Acas. |
| He also criticised Lord Mandelson, describing his actions as "vindictive". | He also criticised Lord Mandelson, describing his actions as "vindictive". |
| The business secretary said that trading insults would not help resolve the dispute. | The business secretary said that trading insults would not help resolve the dispute. |
| "Politicising it or dramatising it is absolutely useless," Lord Mandelson said. | "Politicising it or dramatising it is absolutely useless," Lord Mandelson said. |
| "I'm not sure that my intervening would be welcome by both sides. Both sides within the Royal Mail itself need to resolve this." | "I'm not sure that my intervening would be welcome by both sides. Both sides within the Royal Mail itself need to resolve this." |
| 'Period of calm' | 'Period of calm' |
| The decision to go ahead with strike action came after several meetings between Royal Mail and the union this week. | The decision to go ahead with strike action came after several meetings between Royal Mail and the union this week. |
| Delivery is absolutely key for online retailers, and customers need to be confident that their orders will arrive in time for Christmas Graham Charlton, econsultancy.com Post strike divides commentators In pictures: UK postal strike | Delivery is absolutely key for online retailers, and customers need to be confident that their orders will arrive in time for Christmas Graham Charlton, econsultancy.com Post strike divides commentators In pictures: UK postal strike |
| Royal Mail had called for the strikes to be called off to allow a "period of calm". | Royal Mail had called for the strikes to be called off to allow a "period of calm". |
| "There are huge areas where we both agree on what we need to do. There are some areas we still need to work on," said Paul Tolhurst, operations director at Royal Mail. | "There are huge areas where we both agree on what we need to do. There are some areas we still need to work on," said Paul Tolhurst, operations director at Royal Mail. |
| Some companies, including John Lewis and Amazon, have said they are using alternative delivery services. | Some companies, including John Lewis and Amazon, have said they are using alternative delivery services. |
| The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that 70% of the 4.8 million small firms in the UK rely on the Royal Mail for their post. It says that every postal strike costs its members, who have up to 20 staff, £300 each. | The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that 70% of the 4.8 million small firms in the UK rely on the Royal Mail for their post. It says that every postal strike costs its members, who have up to 20 staff, £300 each. |
| The FSB's Stephen Alambritas said that his members were struggling to find alternatives to the Royal Mail. | The FSB's Stephen Alambritas said that his members were struggling to find alternatives to the Royal Mail. |
| HAVE YOUR SAYI support the posties, it's not Labour's Royal Mail to sellUncle Giblets, London Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYI support the posties, it's not Labour's Royal Mail to sellUncle Giblets, London Send us your comments |
| "Our members have tried to shift to other companies - they've found them expensive and actually a number of them have been turned away because the other service providers can't meet the demand," he told the BBC. | "Our members have tried to shift to other companies - they've found them expensive and actually a number of them have been turned away because the other service providers can't meet the demand," he told the BBC. |
| "We really want these postal workers and the Royal Mail to get back to work." | "We really want these postal workers and the Royal Mail to get back to work." |
| If the strikes continue for a prolonged period, contingency plans for delivery of hospital appointments and medical test results have been drawn up, MPs were told earlier this week. | If the strikes continue for a prolonged period, contingency plans for delivery of hospital appointments and medical test results have been drawn up, MPs were told earlier this week. |
| And it has emerged that the Ministry of Defence may charter extra aircraft to ensure serving troops get their Christmas post. | And it has emerged that the Ministry of Defence may charter extra aircraft to ensure serving troops get their Christmas post. |