News

The Royal Mail says the number of delayed items resulting from last week's strike action will today fall to five million.

The news comes as the public postal service enters talks with the Trade Union Congress to try to settle its dispute with the Communications Workers Union over modernisation.

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier says: "I have had a number of conversations with [TUC general  secretary] Brendan Barber over the past few days, and I'm very pleased that we seem to have found a sensible and positive way forward."

Royal Mail and the CWU have sought the TUC's assistance in resolving any outstanding issues around the draft document [that was] discussed last Tuesday to avoid further industrial action and provide the basis for productive talks on the future of Royal Mail, Crozier says.

Postal workers staged two days of strikes on Thursday and Friday last week. They are due to strike again on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

The TUC had previously assisted Royal Mail and the CWU to reach the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement, which included talks on the longer-term Royal Mail transformation agenda.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail once again apologised to customers for the disruption and delays caused by the CWU's strikes.