Britain’s Royal Mail workers have begun a four-day strike over a pay dispute with the company.
Over 115,000 workers staged a walkout Friday which will last over the weekend with the postal group warning of significant service disruption for customers.
Royal Mail warned that letters will not be delivered on strike days and some parcels will be delayed.
The striking workers’ union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), is asking a pay increase that is more in line with the current rate of inflation.
Meanwhile Royal Mail said the Communication Workers Union (CWU) had rejected a pay rise offer “worth up to 5.5%” after three months of talks, its biggest increase in years.
The CWU, which claims the strike is the largest industrial action taken by workers in Britain this summer, denied this, claiming that the corporation only offered a 2% wage raise, with a further 1.5% contingent on modifications to terms and conditions.
The union has called for Royal Mail to increase wages to an amount that “covers the current cost of living”.
The centuries-old British postal and delivery service apologised to its customers for the disruption and said it has put in place contingency plans, but could not fully replace the daily duties of its frontline staff.
Royal Mail warned earlier this month that it could post a loss for its business in the United Kingdom in the 2022-23 fiscal year if the strike went ahead.
Further walkouts are planned for August 31, September 8 and September 9.
The Royal Mail strike is the latest in a string of walkouts in Britain as workers seek higher wages in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, with energy bills skyrocketing and inflation expected to approach 13% later this year.
