Royal Mail has confirmed that the High Court has ruled that CWU’s postal ballot of Royal Mail employees for industrial action was unlawful.
The interim injunction means that no industrial action can be taken before the completion of a lawful ballot, resulting in a vote in favor of industrial action, and formal notification to the company of any action.
Shane O’Riordain, managing director of regulation and corporate affairs, Royal Mail said, “We did not take the decision to go to the High Court lightly. We sought to reach resolution outside the courts. We asked CWU to confirm it would refrain from taking industrial action, based on clear evidence of planned and orchestrated breaches by CWU officials of their legal obligations. CWU declined to do so, and we then had no option but to resort to legal action.
“It is vital that our colleagues are able to vote without any constraint imposed on them by any other party. The trade union legislation is designed to safeguard democratic integrity by ensuring union members can vote in the privacy of their own homes, rather than in any public process. We are writing to the CWU to ask it to undertake a full internal review of its processes.
“We stand ready to engage with the CWU. If the union provides a binding commitment to remove the threat of strike action for the rest of 2019, we will enter into discussions without preconditions. A binding commitment from the CWU to remove the threat of strike action during the period of any general election is vital,” O’Riordain added.