Royal Mail redundancies 2022: Postal service to axe 6,000 jobs saying strike action ‘increases risk’ of cuts

Royal Mail has announced they are cutting 6,000 jobs through redundancy by August 2023 saying losses are expected to reach £350 million this year.

Royal Mail’s chief executive Simon Thompson said: "This is a very sad day. I regret that we are announcing these job losses. We will do all we can to avoid compulsory redundancies and support everyone affected."

Royal Mail blames the ongoing CWU strike, which has 115,000 members walking out on a 19 day strike starting this week, as a factor in the company’s worsening finances, saying: "Each strike day weakens our financial situation.

"The CWU’s decision to choose damaging strike action over resolution regrettably increases the risk of further headcount reductions."

Union responds to Royal Mail redundancy announcement

Commenting on the strikes, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said union members are facing the “biggest ever assault” on jobs and conditions in Royal Mail’s history.

Royal Mail currently employs 140,000 people, and is planning to reduce its overall staff count by 10,000.

The ongoing Royal Mail strikes will see postal service disruptions on days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well as early December impacting early Christmas shopping.

Mr Ward commented on the job cuts saying: "This announcement is holding postal workers to ransom for taking legal industrial action against a business approach that is not in the interests of workers, customers or the future of Royal Mail. This is no way to build a company."