Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail on proposals to equalise pay, terms and conditions between existing and newly recruited postal workers.

The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March.

The terms and working conditions of Royal Mail employees are the subject of ongoing negotiations between Royal Mail’s management and the Communication Workers’ Union as part of an agreed dispute resolution process. The government is taking a close interest in these negotiations and receives regular updates.

However, the implementation of operational models and terms and conditions of employment, are for Royal Mail, as an independent business, to manage in collaboration with its workforce and their representatives.