Post strikes cost city firms £500m

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Last week's strikes alone cost firms in the capital an estimated £200 million, according to the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The body, which represents around 3,000 businesses, also called on Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to step in and help resolve the dispute.

London has been hit by series of localised strikes as part of ongoing disagreements between the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) over modernisation plans.

Postal workers also staged two days of national strikes last week, with talks planned for Tuesday in a bid to avert a further three days of industrial action at the end of this week.

The LCCI said firms were having to pay more for alternative ways to deliver mail, and were also suffering from cash-flow and other problems.

Chief executive Colin Stanbridge said: "This is a colossal amount of money for the London economy to lose and will delay the capital's economic recovery.

"Not being able to rely on a normal postal service forces companies to pay extra for couriers, delays consumer spending, damages client relationships and plays havoc with a firm's cash flow.

"It is now high time that Lord Mandelson intervened personally to broker a deal between Royal Mail and the CWU and bring an immediate end to these strikes."

The figures came from a survey of London businesses by pollsters ComRes conducted for the LCCI.