Royal Mail workers to strike again on 16 February

Royal Mail postal workers will walk out again later this month in an ongoing row over pay and conditions, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said.

About 115,000 workers will strike from 12:30pm on Thursday 16 February, until 12.30pm on Friday 17 February.

Mail deliveries are likely to be disrupted again, as seen during similar strikes last year in the run-up to Christmas.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said the CWU's action was "misguided".

The fresh action comes as workers in various sectors seek pay rises in line with the rising cost of living.

Royal Mail workers staged several strikes at the end of last year, in a move which cost the firm millions at one of the busiest times of the year for parcel deliveries.

As the dispute over pay and conditions rumbles on, the CWU's Dave Ward said the Royal Mail management had shown a "complete lack of integrity".

He added that recent proposed changes by Royal Mail effectively remove the right of the union to negotiate at a local level and "viewed as a real step towards the derecognition of the union".

"Our members will not just sit back and watch as their working lives are destroyed by a company leadership hell-bent on ripping up historic arrangements that protect their rights and give them a voice through their union," Mr Ward said.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We entered facilitated talks... in good faith, believing that the CWU were serious in their claim that they wanted a resolution.

"In announcing further damaging strike action, the CWU have shown they are not interested in resolving this dispute and continue to focus on damaging our business further."