Junk mail torrent feared as postal kinship and Royal Mail reach understanding to finish strikes UK headlines The Guardian

The understanding to concede Royal Mail workers to broach some-more junk post could greaten the 4bn unsolicited equipment it delivers annually. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Royal Mail has been since the go-ahead to broach sum quantities of junk mail to British homes after a assent understanding with unions finished a long-standing agreement restricting deliveries.

Each year, an estimated 4bn pizza flyers, leaflets from internal councils and vacant envelopes earnest the target money prizes are already bearing by letterboxes by the postal workers.

But the torrent has been hold in check by an agreement tying Royal Mail workers to no some-more than 3 equipment of junk in each domicile weekly to have certain their bags do not get overloaded.

Tonight, the postal organisation and the Communication Workers Union eventually reached a wide-ranging understanding to finish their brawl after the call of inhabitant strikes last autumn – and buried in the small imitation of the 79-page request is a oath by Royal Mail to remove the restrictions.

What Royal Mail calls "unaddressed mail" has turn so critical to the bottom line that a little postal workers claimed at the finish of stoppages last year that they were told by managers to broach backlogged junk mail prior to letters, notwithstanding householders" disappointment at carrying to wait for longer for letters. Now householders fed up with clearing their entrance mat of junk mail will no longer suffer a remit at the weekends: Royal Mail is formulation some-more of the deliveries on Saturdays.

A orator for Royal Mail pronounced the light of the restrictions would not lead to some-more junk mail being delivered in sum since others operators competence broach less. Currently, Royal Mail workers broach usually about a entertain of the UK"s sum junk mail and the association hopes to take commercial operation from alternative postal operators.

The agreement, that has to be authorized by the CWU"s members, does not mention how most some-more equipment of junk mail Royal Mail will broach to each home. One postal workman essay for the Guardian website pronounced it could be "six items, eight items, might be some-more ... it could be limitless."

Nigel Woods, postal consultant for watchdog Consumer Focus, pronounced tonight: "Junk mail is irritating for everyone. Royal Mail contingency proceed this responsibly to safeguard that business are not deluged with neglected mail. Customers endangered about being inundated can come in in to an opt-out intrigue but contingency be wakeful that this might additionally retard mailings that they might wish to receive."

The agreement additionally summarized a 6.9% compensate climb over 3 years for Royal Mail workers, a cut in operative hours and serve assurances that there will not be mandatory redundancies. The CWU and Royal Mail additionally concluded to co-operate over the company"s modernisation programme.

Dave Ward, CWU emissary ubiquitous secretary, said: "It"s been a prolonged time coming, but this understanding delivers on the vital issues that postal workers have fought for. There"s a shift of compensate and operational changes that will assistance equivalent pursuit waste and safeguard the members are sincerely rewarded for change."