12 October 2017

Royal Mail plc

LEI: 213800TCZZU84G8Z2M70

High Court confirms contractual dispute resolution procedures must be followed before industrial action

Royal Mail (RMG.L) confirms that the High Court has today ruled that the contractual dispute resolution procedures under the Agenda for Growth must be followed before industrial action can take place. The court's final injunction means that any strike action before the dispute resolution procedures have been followed would be unlawful.

We will now make contact with the CWU as a matter of urgency to begin the process of external mediation. The mediation process will take close to Christmas to be completed, and may be longer. The first step is selecting a mediator acceptable to Royal Mail and the CWU from a panel that was agreed by both parties under the Agenda for Growth. 

The Agenda for Growth is a balanced agreement which gives significant protections to Royal Mail employees. In return, the CWU committed to an industrial stability framework with defined processes and strict timescales to resolve disputes. We want to use them to do just that. 

We are very committed to working closely with the CWU in order to reach agreement as a matter of priority.

Investor Relations

Catherine Nash

Tel: 07436 560910/020 7449 8183

Email: investorrelations@royalmail.com

Media Relations

Peter Tilley

Tel: 07841 803 316

Email: peter.tilley@royalmail.com

Company Secretariat

Kulbinder Dosanjh

Tel: 020 7449 8133

Email: cosec@royalmail.com