Business

Resolution talks between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail are continuing at the Trade Union Congress headquarters in central London today (4 November) with a view to preventing further strike action.

More than 120,000 workers are set to walk out for 24 hours from 3am on Friday and then again for 24 hours on Monday (9 November).

Despite ongoing negotiations, an agreement has yet to be reached. Although Royal Mail has said that the backlog caused by last week's strikes has now been halved to 25m, new nationwide walkouts will only drive this figure up once again.

In addition to strikes this Friday, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said it will seek a High Court injunction on the same day to stop Royal Mail from employing 30,000 temporary staff to clear the backlog of mail caused by earlier strikes.

It has claimed that the employment of temporary workers to carry out the work of those that are taking part in a permitted industrial dispute is illegal, but Royal Mail countered that its use of temporary workers is "entirely in line with all employment law".

Speaking earlier in the week, a spokesperson at the mail operator said: "The up to 30,000 directly engaged, fully vetted temporary workers being hired by Royal Mail to help us clear any mail delayed by strikes and help with Christmas volumes are entirely in line with all employment laws."