December Royal Mail strike action to include Christmas Eve

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Royal Mail workers will stage six more days of strike action in December, including on Christmas Eve, as part of the latest walkouts to affect the postal service.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at the service will go on strike on 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24 December.

Workers are already set to strike on 24, 25 and 30 November, as well as 1 December. It marks the latest action in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions and follows similar walkouts by union members in August and September.

The UK has seen industrial action in a variety of areas this year, including rail staff, criminal barristers and dock workers, with pay and conditions at the centre of most disputes.

The postal strikes will join others already scheduled for December. Nurses could also announce strike dates for next month unless the government brings a deal to the table in the next five days, according to the Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive, Pat Cullen.

She issued an ultimatum to the health secretary, Steve Barclay, in a letter in response to the autumn statement on Thursday. She called for “formal, detailed negotiations on NHS pay and patient safety”.

She added: “I waited for today’s autumn statement by the chancellor before concluding that the government remains unprepared to give my members the support they need at work and at home.”

Other workers confirmed as striking include bus drivers for Abellio in London. The Unite members will begin initial strike action on 22 November, with two further days on 25 and 26 November and then seven days in December.

There will also be further walkouts on National Rail services and London Underground routes later this month. None have been announced for December, but the Railway, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) has a recent mandate from members for further strikes between December and May next year.

A CWU spokesperson said the union wants “a negotiated settlement with Royal Mail Group and will continue to engage the company to that end … But those in charge of Royal Mail need to wake up and realise we won’t allow them to destroy the livelihoods of postal workers.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our preference is for an agreement with the CWU, but the change we need is not optional. They should be focused on a resolution to this dispute for their members and the long-term health of the business, rather than damaging strike action.”