CommittedGiving Team
NewsAs you may be aware, CWU trade union members in the UK, including Royal Mail and Parcel Force, have planned industrial strike action on the following dates*:
| October | November | December |
| 13th | 2nd - 4th | 1st - 2nd |
| 20th | 8th - 10th | |
| 25th | 14th - 16th | |
| 23rd - 25th | ||
| 28th | ||
| 30th |
*date correct as of 11th October 2022; 31st October updated: Red shows removal of strike days
The planned strike action means that inbound and outbound Royal Mail/Parcel Force dispatches and deliveries could be subject to disruption on and around the strike dates. There is also potential for knock-on delays within the Royal Mail and Parcel Force network extending beyond the strike dates.
How will the Royal Mail strike impact our Advance Notice letters?
There is a requirement under the rules to ensure at least ten working days in advance of the first Direct Debit collection. We do factor in additional dates to allow for postage if we are setting up the first collection date however if you or your acquisition agencies are calculating these, please make sure you have allows sufficient time to allow for extra days lost due to the strike over the next two month.
Supporter Communications Impact
For most supporter communications, such as payment thank you (outside of Advance Notice letters as menioned above), cancellation, amendment, anniversary or welcome packs, the impact of the strikes will be minimal. Processes will continue to operate as normal and letters sent however there may be a delay to when your supporter receives the pack. In some cases, you may get added supporter care calls during this time if supporters are expecting correspondence however as the Strikes have had main media coverage, we expect the impact in this area to be minimal for our charity clients.
Group Impact
As a Group, we manage a large volume of incoming mail for charities too and have put in a number measures to mitigate the strikes to prevent backlogs. You can read more here
Contact us
If you have any concerns relating to the Royal Mail and Parcel Force strikes, especially as we enter Christmas fundraising campaigns, please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager.
