As a result of the announcement by the TUC that the national strikes planned for Friday 6th and Monday 9th November have been cancelled, the mail services will now operate normally on both days across the country. As a result of the very close and supportive working relationship between BFPO and the Royal Mail Group (RMG), the RMG implemented a procedure whereby BFPO customers are continuing to be able to send mail items to BFPO overseas addresses throughout the period of industrial unrest. The details that were distributed via this link, published on the BFPO and MOD websites, advertised on BFBS radio and distributed via the Chain of Command have been operating quite successfully.
However, BFPO has been in contact with the Royal Mail Group and as a result of the postal strikes being called off until at least the New Year to allow for fresh talks between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union, the Royal Mail Group have agreed that BFPO customers should now return to the normal service with immediate effect. Royal Mail Group now has a tried and tested contingency for BFPO items and if required in the future, they should be able to put this into place at relatively short notice.
BFPO have thanked the Royal Mail Group for the excellent service they implemented on behalf of the BFPO customers to ensure that BFPO addressed mail could still be delivered during this period of industrial unrest. BFPO will continue to keep customers informed and up to date on all developments and any changes to the current procedures via the means previously mentioned.
However, the TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said the decision to call off the industrial unrest had been made to provide "a period of calm" in which the two sides could reach a long-term deal and therefore this means that Royal Mail deliveries would be "free of any disruption" over Christmas. Mr Barber also said that “securing a final deal remained a long way away”. Talks will continue during this period of calm. |
