Currys stops using Royal Mail amid industrial action

Electrical goods retailer Currys has stopped using Royal Mail as its delivery provider amid ongoing industrial action.

Currys’ chief executive Alex Baldock indicated the company is able to “easily” switch to another provider.

Strike action is planned by Royal Mail workers throughout December.

Consumers have been urged to order early ahead of Christmas, while Royal Mail has also asked people to post their mail earlier than usual.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are taking action in a dispute over pay.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Baldock said the first responsibility of Currys is to households who have placed orders.

“There is no great drama operationally for us. We plan for this sort of thing all the time,” he said of the temporary move away from using the Royal Mail.

“There are relatively few smaller parcels that we distribute through Royal Mail (and) they are easily switchable to another provider.”

Balcock also spoke about wages paid to workers at Currys, who have received a pay rise of 16% over the past year, and almost 40% over the last five years.

He said: “The bigger point here is that clearly on the one hand we see with our own colleagues and our own customers up close, the impact of the cost of living crisis that is obviously at the root of these strikes.

“On the other hand, it doesn’t help when our colleagues can’t get to work.

“It doesn’t help when we can’t get stuff delivered to customers and of course a wage-price inflationary spiral is simply going to make things worse for everybody for longer.”

The chief executive explained why Currys has made the decision to raise wages.

“I would love to say it is just because we are nice people, and of course we are, but it is also because we need to retain and motivate a workforce,” he said.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail underlined the impact of continued strike action.

“We have been clear with the CWU that industrial action undermines the trust of our customers,” they said.

“We operate in a competitive market and our customers have choices.

“Continued strike action will force our customers to make those choices sooner rather than later.”