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Royal Mail: Industrial Dispute

I sympathise with my noble friend’s frustration. As I set out in my Statement, the point is that there is a national agreement on pay and modernisation which it is reasonable to expect both the management and the workforce and its union to implement consistently. I would like to underline this point: in the vast majority of areas and in union branches across the country, phases 1, 2 and 3 of the national agreement are being implemented. There is no dispute; there is no strike action. They are implementing it—if not enthusiastically, then certainly willingly—because they see that there is no alternative for the future of their business. Unfortunately, a minority of areas and parts of the union—more in London than anywhere else—have decided that they do not want it; they are trying to unpick the first three phases and prevent the agreement from going forward to implementation in its fourth phase. We have reached a situation where the majority of areas and branches, and the national leadership of the union, have to take on those among their own ranks who are very recalcitrant, have dug in and have so far refused to go along with what the majority want in their own union. That has to be resolved and sorted out, and very quickly.