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| Post workers return after strikes | Post workers return after strikes |
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| Royal Mail is trying to clear a backlog of millions of items as staff return to work after two 24-hour strikes. | Royal Mail is trying to clear a backlog of millions of items as staff return to work after two 24-hour strikes. |
| The company puts the number of letters and parcels at about 30 million but the Communication Workers Union believes the figure is closer to 65 million. | The company puts the number of letters and parcels at about 30 million but the Communication Workers Union believes the figure is closer to 65 million. |
| The backlog will take time to clear but some items posted on Thursday - the first day of action - may arrive later. | The backlog will take time to clear but some items posted on Thursday - the first day of action - may arrive later. |
| Further strikes are expected next week with no end in sight to the dispute over pay, conditions and modernisation. | Further strikes are expected next week with no end in sight to the dispute over pay, conditions and modernisation. |
| The CWU has offered "unconditional" talks at the conciliation service Acas, which it is waiting to hear whether Royal Mail will attend. | The CWU has offered "unconditional" talks at the conciliation service Acas, which it is waiting to hear whether Royal Mail will attend. |
| Royal Mail has described plans for three further walkouts starting on Thursday as "appalling". | Royal Mail has described plans for three further walkouts starting on Thursday as "appalling". |
| 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, with the CWU announcing further strike dates Origins of the Royal Mail strike Royal Mail's one-man competitor | 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, with the CWU announcing further strike dates Origins of the Royal Mail strike Royal Mail's one-man competitor |
| A spokesman thanked the "20% of delivery staff" who chose to work on Friday and who were "doing everything possible to get all delayed mail delivered to customers as quickly as possible over the next few days". | A spokesman thanked the "20% of delivery staff" who chose to work on Friday and who were "doing everything possible to get all delayed mail delivered to customers as quickly as possible over the next few days". |
| Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson urged the CWU to accept an agreement looked at on Tuesday. | Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson urged the CWU to accept an agreement looked at on Tuesday. |
| "Signing that agreement... will mean that next week's strikes will be unnecessary and, more than that, we will not have any more action this side of Christmas," Mr Higson said. | |
| CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward reiterated its position that it wanted talks at Acas with "no preconditions on either side". | CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward reiterated its position that it wanted talks at Acas with "no preconditions on either side". |
| He said on Friday: "We have six days before any further strike action would take place. | He said on Friday: "We have six days before any further strike action would take place. |
| "Given the progress we were making in talks earlier this week, this should be enough time to reach an agreement." | "Given the progress we were making in talks earlier this week, this should be enough time to reach an agreement." |
| About 78,000 delivery and collection workers walked out on Friday following Thursday's strike by mail centre staff. | About 78,000 delivery and collection workers walked out on Friday following Thursday's strike by mail centre staff. |
| An estimated 78,000 workers walked out on Friday | An estimated 78,000 workers walked out on Friday |
| If they go ahead, the strikes next week could involve: | If they go ahead, the strikes next week could involve: |
| • Thursday - 43,700 staff in mail centres, delivery units in mail centres, network logistic drivers and garage staff walking out from 0400 GMT | • Thursday - 43,700 staff in mail centres, delivery units in mail centres, network logistic drivers and garage staff walking out from 0400 GMT |
| • Friday - 400 workers at three sites in Plymouth, Stockport and Stoke, who assist mail centres by reading and entering mail addresses | • Friday - 400 workers at three sites in Plymouth, Stockport and Stoke, who assist mail centres by reading and entering mail addresses |
| • Saturday - 77,000 delivery and collection staff across the UK. | • Saturday - 77,000 delivery and collection staff across the UK. |
| Meanwhile, HM Revenue & Customs has said it will not extend the 31 October deadline for filing tax returns because of the postal strike, but added that any returns received late because of the strike would be unlikely to incur a fine. | Meanwhile, HM Revenue & Customs has said it will not extend the 31 October deadline for filing tax returns because of the postal strike, but added that any returns received late because of the strike would be unlikely to incur a fine. |
| Last year 2.4 million people sent returns by post. | Last year 2.4 million people sent returns by post. |
| If people miss the postal deadline, they can still file online by 31 January. | If people miss the postal deadline, they can still file online by 31 January. |