Recruitment Agencies have been put into an awkward position in relation to supplying the Royal Mail, as the leader of the Communication Workers Union (CWE), Billy Hayes, stressed that hiring extra staff to replace existing staff that are on strike had been outlawed.

The CWE is outraged that the Royal Mail have hired 30,000 temporary workers, although Royal Mail have claimed that the hiring of temps is not to replace any person that is on strike but to handle the backlog of undelivered post from this week’s nationwide strike.

Recruitment Agencies are concerned as they have been told by the CWE to be aware of the law, which forbids any employer or employment agencies to use staff to break a lawful dispute. This could lead to public sector recruitment agencies that are supply staff to suffer fines of up to £5,000 per worker for every day they are supplied.

Royal Mail have informed Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, that has to enforce these laws, that the extra staff is for clearing old post and not for replacing any worker. Royal Mail also explained that around Christmas time they usually hire an additional 15,000 temporary staff to handle the extra work load.

Lord Mandelson could not hide his anger with the CWU and believes’ they are obstructing the Royal Mail from a much needed modernisation, even going as far as to say this matter is `life or death` for the postal service. Mr Hayes on the other hand has said he understands there could be job loses in the industry but wants there to be a compromise.

Is there a solution? At the moment it is difficult to see where it will come from. The biggest problem may be if these strikes continue, the Royal Mail may not be able to survive and if this is the case then you could see the Royal Mail being sold to foreign investors.