I’ve written to the Business Secretary to urge him to step in to get Royal Mail bosses back round the table and sort out the dispute.  Read my letter in full here:

The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET

30 August 2022
Our Ref: ZA12407

Dear Mr Kwarteng,

I write regarding the ongoing industrial dispute between the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to urge that you step in to ensure Royal Mail return to the negotiating table to find a resolution. 

Royal Mail staff are essential workers, providing a vital service to residents and businesses in Hornsey & Wood Green. Whether it was delivering test and trace kits or being a point of contact to those isolating, they worked through the pandemic. They also rightly take enormous pride in their jobs, and I know from my meetings with the CWU locally that they want to find a resolution that secures the long term health of the service. But for this to happen all parties, including Royal Mail’s senior management, must return to the negotiating table to find a fair resolution. 

Unfortunately, Royal Mail Chair Keith Williams CBE and CEO Simon Thompson have refused to do this and rejected the CWU’s offer of further talks. Given Royal Mail’s status as a key component of our critical national infrastructure it is vital that the Government plays its role in helping to get Royal Mail back around the table. 

I am also concerned about the future of the Universal Service Obligation (USO). I hope that you will confirm the Government remains committed to it, affordable and accessible to all users and financially sustainable for the long term.   I was deeply concerned to hear that the Royal Mail Board may have had discussions on plans to sell off GLS which, as you know, helps to cross-subsidise universal postal delivery. 

I ask that you tell us what discussions you have had about this, the future of the company and its regulatory framework. I would also like confirmation that the Government remains committed to the USO and for you to outline what steps your Department is taking to secure its, and by consequence Royal Mail’s, future. 

I would be grateful if you would consider the issues raised and respond as soon as possible. 

Yours sincerely,

Catherine West
Member of Parliament for Hornsey & Wood Green

Please find below a copy of the response I finally received on 17 October: