ATTEMPTS by bosses at Royal Mail to impose massive real-terms pay cuts on workers proves that they are “P&O in sheep’s clothing,” the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said today. 

Deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger warned of a “major breakdown in trust” after management took the “ridiculous strategic decision” to boost wages by just 2 per cent. 

The consumer prices index inflation rate is currently at a 40-year high of 9 per cent. 

A strike ballot is now due to open next week, the union confirmed, after members fighting a pay freeze threatened the move during the union’s annual conference in April. 

Mr Pullinger told a CWU live stream event on Wednesday that he had just been informed of the privatised firm’s sudden move to roll out the small pay rise, which would be backdated to April 1.

The news, delivered in an emergency meeting by Royal Mail human resources director Zareena Brown, came despite an agreement struck during earlier talks that there would be no immediate executive action on pay, he said.

“They’ve made a number of serious, bad strategic decisions – [they’re] P&O in sheep’s clothing,” Mr Pullinger said.

The disgraced ferry operator sacked nearly 800 workers without notice in March, claiming the widely criticised move was needed to save the business after pandemic-related losses. 

Mr Pullinger added: “We need to brace ourselves for the biggest possible row. We need to make it clear to them that 2 per cent is nowhere near enough.

“We will never stop fighting for this industry – the gloves are off.”

Royal Mail chief executive Simon Thompson said: “I am disappointed that CWU has already chosen to ballot when we know how damaging the threat of industrial action is to our business.”