Royal Mail workers to stage 48-hour strikes in pay dispute

Communication Workers Union rejects latest pay offer, describing it as declaration of war on posties'

Royal Mail workers will stage two 48-hour strikes around Black Friday and Cyber Monday after their union rejected the company's latest pay offer and programme for change, describing it as a declaration of war on posties".

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail staff, announced on Tuesday night that workers would be striking on 24 November and 25 November, known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.

Workers will start a second 48-hour strike on 30 November, two days after Cyber Monday, one of the busiest shopping days for online purchases. Many retailers run promotions for two weeks, leading to increased demand for deliveries.