Royal Mail couriers vote to strike as labour tensions mount

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Couriers at a Royal Mail’s rapid delivery service have voted to strike, just as the mail group comes under pressure to repair labour relations in the lead up to a multibillion-pound takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.

The Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain told the Financial Times that 70 members working for Royal Mail’s eCourier unit were preparing to walkout over demands to be recognised as employees, rather than as independent contractors. Some 94 per cent of those participating in a ballot voted to strike, it said.

IWGB warned of disruption to the NHS, adding its members were responsible for transporting emergency blood transfusions and other same-day medical deliveries for dozens of hospitals, including Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Great Ormond Street. It also counts leading banks and financial institutions as customers, delivering “sensitive documents”, the union said.

The strike at eCourier, which has about 300 couriers, is threatening another flare up in labour relations at Royal Mail, which acquired the same-day delivery business in 2015.

The former state-owned group only last year resolved a dispute after about 110,000 postal workers in its core business went on strike over pay and employment conditions, a development that disrupted mail services nationwide.

Tense relations between management and staff have continued to cast a shadow over Křetínský’s £5.3bn acquisition of Royal Mail, which is awaiting approval from shareholders and the government.

But with the deal nearing completion, the investor remains under pressure to win over staff, with the postal workers’ union threatening a return to the picket line if he does not meet its demands for a commitment.

The IWGB vote for strike action marks the latest dispute between gig economy businesses and the workers the industry largely depends on.

“Workers at eCourier have had enough of their poverty pay and unlawful misclassification and demand decisive and urgent change,” said IWGB president Alex Marshall, accusing eCourier’s leadership of choosing “profit over patients and people”.

Ecourier said it was “carefully reviewing” the ballot result and it had not received “any complaints or claims from individual drivers that support” the union’s allegations.

The company said couriers had preferred to remain independent contractors, despite being offered the choice to become workers with entitlement to rights including holiday and sick pay.

IWGB said couriers had turned down this offer as they were asked to agree to a salary that would have constituted a pay cut.

NHS England said: “If Royal Mail notifies us that NHS services could be disrupted in forthcoming industrial action, we will make the necessary arrangements to protect patient safety.”