Royal Mail and trade union leaders have reached ab agreement that could settle an acrimonious battle over pay and conditions.

英国皇家邮政和工会领导人已经达成协议，可能会解决一场关于工资和工作条件的激烈斗争。

A statement was issued jointly by the Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union last night and more details are due this week. The CWU postal executive will meet and consider the agreement on Monday and Tuesday.

昨晚，英国皇家邮政和通信工会联合发布了一份声明，更多细节将于本周公布。CWU邮政执行委员会将在周一和周二开会审议该协议。

The statement said: “After almost a year of talks, Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) are pleased to announce they have reached a negotiators’ agreement in principle.

声明说:“经过近一年的谈判，皇家邮政和通信工会(CWU)很高兴地宣布，他们已经在原则上达成了谈判协议。”

About 115,000 CWU members working for Royal Mail have been in dispute over pay since the spring of 2022, when workers were offered a 5.5% pay rise,

自2022年春天以来，约11.5万名为皇家邮政工作的CWU成员一直在就工资问题发生纠纷，当时工人们获得了5.5%的加薪，

The CWU said that in real terms, the offer was equivalent to a 2% increase, with workers squeezed by inflation and the cost of living crisis.

CWU表示，在通货膨胀和生活成本危机的挤压下，这一提议实际相当于加薪2%。

The union also objected to proposed changes to working conditions, including compulsory Sunday working.

工会还反对改变工作条件的提议，包括强制在周日工作。

Earlier this month, Royal Mail said that a return to industrial action could result in the postal service going into administration.

本月早些时候，英国皇家邮政(Royal Mail)表示，重新采取罢工行动可能会导致邮政服务进入管理程序。

It said the strikes have cost the company £200m in lost business and in covering striking staff.

该公司表示，罢工使该公司损失了2亿英镑的业务，以及支付罢工员工的费用。