Royal Mail strikes: Cake firm expects walkouts to hit profit

Katie Cross says the postal strike is affecting her business

A cake company in Devon has said its business will be "hugely affected" by Royal Mail strikes taking place across the UK.

About 115,000 staff in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have walked out in a dispute over pay and conditions, and will again on Friday.

It is part of four days of action, with walk-outs also on 26 and 31 August.

Exeter business owner Katie Cross said she had sympathy for the strikers but expected to lose about 30% of profits.

Ms Cross owns cake shop Cake or Death, which sends cake deliveries across the UK, and said she would not be able to get products to her customers.

'Customers go elsewhere'

"When we have strike action it hugely affects our business. It means we can't get our products to our customers and, in response, our customers tend to go elsewhere to another gift provider that perhaps uses a courier company."

The company sends its brownies across the UK

She added: "I would say the fact the strikes are happening two days together next to a weekend is that you have a block of five days Wednesday to Sunday where we can't get brownies out to people."

Ms Cross said she had sympathy for the strikers.

'Respect their rights'

"I think the Royal Mail office is a really great service and I really like working with them and I really respect their workers' rights to strike, but as a business owner it's just really difficult to manage.

"I can have sympathy as a person but as a business owner I've simply got to look at the bottom line."

• Thousands of Royal Mail workers go on strike

• Why is everyone going on strike?

The CWU said its members did not support an "imposed" 2% pay rise, while Royal Mail said the union had rejected an offer worth up to 5.5%.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: "There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve."

A spokesperson from Royal Mail apologised to customers for the inconvenience and said it was doing all it could to "minimise any delays".

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