Royal Mail employees vote in favour of industrial action over pay dispute

Royal Mail has said it is “very disappointed” that managers have voted to take strike action due to a pay dispute.

Members of union Unite were balloted over a two week period, with 93% voting in favour of industrial action, and 78% in favour of a full strike.

Royal Mail managers are dissatisfied with a proposed pay increase of 1.3% in September 2015, according to Unite.

Royal Mail said it was “very disappointed” with the outcome of the ballot and added that “any action or threat of action is damaging to our business”.

A spokesman for the company said it believes the offer of an average pay increase of 1.3%, or a one-off payment equivalent to 1.3% depending on a manager's grade, “is fair and competitive and was ahead of inflation at the time the offer was made in September”.

The spokesman said the “offer follows several months of discussions with Unite”, and added: “Royal Mail notes that of those eligible to vote, 56% did not vote or return a vote for strike action.

"We want to reach agreement with Unite. In the event of any action, we have robust contingency plans in place to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality service.”

Unite has yet to confirm what form the industrial action will take.

Unite officer for Royal Mail members Brian Scott said: “We are already consulting our Royal Mail reps to decide what form the industrial action could take.

"We could be talking about an all-out strike which would cause severe disruption to deliveries to 27 million addresses, but, in the first instance, we are likely to call upon our members to work to rule.”