Royal Mail seem to have wilted under pressure to settle their dispute with the CWU by agreeing a rather generous pay deal which sees postmen being paid more for less work.

All very socialist.

I wonder how much pressure was applied by the government to reach a deal before the election?

Quoted in an article in the Telegraph, the Taxpayers Alliance has this :

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, described the agreement as “a generous deal which is far beyond what most ordinary taxpayers in the private sector will be able to expect.

“It is remarkable that despite all of its financial problems, Royal Mail is going to pay people more money for less work, making it even less efficient as an organisation.

“Effectively, they have buckled to the pressure brought to bear by the unions’ aggressive strike tactics, which is a worrying sign for the months to come.

“There is an urgent need for sizeable and drastic spending cuts across the public sector, and taxpayers cannot afford for any organisation just to abandon that programme in the face of strikes.”

Pay rises, shorter hours and outright bribes (or whatever you describe lump sums as). Just see how long before the civil service is out on the streets for the same deal!

Update

The detail seems to suggest the press release is more of a sales pitch than a reflection of reality.