Royal Mail and rail workers cancel strikes after the Queen’s death

Strikes by postal and rail workers have been cancelled after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal Mail workers were due to stage the second day of a 48-hour strike on Friday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

“Following the very sad news of the passing of the Queen, and out of respect for her service to the country and her family, the union has decided to call off tomorrow’s planned strike action,” said Dave Ward, the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, which represents posties.

The Queen, the longest-serving monarch in British history, died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon, aged 96.

Strike action in Great Britain by about 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies planned for 15 September and 17 September has also been suspended by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).

“RMT joins the whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth,” said Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT. “The planned railway strike action on 15 and 17 September is suspended. We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.”

The train drivers union Aslef has also postponed a strike planned for 15 September.

“In light of the sad news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Aslef is postponing its industrial action on 15 September,” the union said. “We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.”

The Rail Delivery Group, which said that train timetables would now run normally across the four-day period the strikes were expected to affect, welcomed the decision to call off the strikes at a time of “national mourning”.

The spokesperson said: “The whole railway family is united in sending our condolences to the royal family.”

The TSSA rail union also cancelled planned industrial action for 26 September, and said it would be “respecting the period of public mourning”.