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| Postal union plans legal action | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Communication Workers Union (CWU) plans to go to the High Court to stop Royal Mail using agency staff to clear the post backlog caused by the strikes. | |
| Royal Mail had planned on hiring 30,000 temporary workers to deal with the backlog of post and the Christmas rush. | |
| The CWU has taken legal advice, said a spokesman. The union hopes to show that the company is breaking employment law. | |
| Meanwhile, Royal Mail and union leaders are to hold a second day of talks at the TUC aimed at averting more strikes. | |
| Both sides failed to break the deadlock after seven hours on Monday, but TUC brokers said the meeting was "useful". | Both sides failed to break the deadlock after seven hours on Monday, but TUC brokers said the meeting was "useful". |
| Up to 120,000 CWU members will stage three 24-hour strikes from Thursday if no deal on pay and conditions is reached. | |
| 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 two 24-hour strikes were held on Thursday and Friday of last weekFresh talks between the two sides are now taking place. At the moment, further UK-wide strikes are planned for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Origins of the Royal Mail strike Sorrow and anger on picket line Send us your comments | |
| 'Useful discussions' | |
| Royal Mail expects its backlog to have fallen from 30 million to five million items since last week's strikes. | Royal Mail expects its backlog to have fallen from 30 million to five million items since last week's strikes. |
| The company said employees returned to work on Saturday to start clearing the piles of letters and parcels delayed by two 24-hour walkouts last Thursday and Friday. | The company said employees returned to work on Saturday to start clearing the piles of letters and parcels delayed by two 24-hour walkouts last Thursday and Friday. |
| The CWU had claimed the backlog was in excess of 100 million items on Saturday. | The CWU had claimed the backlog was in excess of 100 million items on Saturday. |
| Neither Royal Mail nor the CWU would comment after Monday's talks but TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said "we have had useful discussions". | Neither Royal Mail nor the CWU would comment after Monday's talks but TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said "we have had useful discussions". |
| He added: "The talks are being adjourned to allow further work to be done overnight on some of the issues involved." | He added: "The talks are being adjourned to allow further work to be done overnight on some of the issues involved." |
| CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the dispute was "fundamentally" about jobs but the issue of the Royal Mail's £10bn pension deficit also needed to be resolved urgently. | CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the dispute was "fundamentally" about jobs but the issue of the Royal Mail's £10bn pension deficit also needed to be resolved urgently. |
| He said: "There's no prospect of us building a successful future for the Royal Mail and for the workforce unless the government actually deal with that issue." | He said: "There's no prospect of us building a successful future for the Royal Mail and for the workforce unless the government actually deal with that issue." |
| The talks are taking place at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which helped to resolve a dispute between the two sides in 2007. | The talks are taking place at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which helped to resolve a dispute between the two sides in 2007. |
| If this week's strikes go ahead, they are due to involve: | If this week's strikes go ahead, they are due to 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. |