Royal Mail Strike Dates in the Run Up to Christmas 2022
Edited Thursday 1st December
You may be aware that Royal Mail workers, represented by the CWU (Communication Workers Union) have been taking part in industrial action in the last few months. More strikes are planned during December 2022. Current announced strike dates are as follows:
THURSDAY 1ST DECEMBER
FRIDAY 9TH DECEMBER
SUNDAY 11TH DECEMBER
WEDNESDAY 14TH DECEMBER
THURSDAY 15TH DECEMBER
FRIDAY 23RD DECEMBER
SATURDAY 24TH DECEMBER
Latest updates can be found on Royal Mail’s website. These strikes will affect the delivery of orders from my 8th December shop update. My plans to mitigate this are:
Drop parcels to my delivery office instead of using collection. I’ll aim to drop as many as possible on Saturday 10th December and the rest on Monday 12th December.
UK Postage will be upgraded from Tracked 48 to Tracked 24 at no extra charge. You can also choose to upgrade to Special Delivery if you wish - RM say this will be prioritised.
I planned the date of this update to allow plenty of time for postage, but the disruption caused by strikes is causing delays and unfortunately I cannot guarantee delivery times or pre-Christmas arrival. International shipping is available, but there will be delays and I cannot guarantee delivery times.
WHY DON’T YOU USE A DIFFERENT COURIER, EMMA?
Right now, all couriers are experiencing delays due to increased volumes caused by RM strikes. DPD have temporarily suspended services due to demand.
My online store is integrated with my Royal Mail account, making dispatching parcels much quicker, easier and error-free for me. Packing and dispatching orders is a huge task and this saves me masses of time, meaning I have more time to focus on making pots than posting them.
Researching, opening accounts and implementing processes for using other couriers would also take up tonnes of time that I just don’t have as I run this business alone.
Ceramics are not insured against breakage by any courier service, and some explicitly list that they will not carry them. I have sent thousands of parcels via Royal Mail and I trust them to reach you safely. I will never go near “EvRi” or “Hermes” with a barge pole. DPD, UPS, DHL etc are more expensive than Royal Mail by a long way.
Overall, I feel that we can probably just be a bit more patient whilst this dispute is running.
Thank you for your understanding.
