Royal Mail workers are set to walk out on Thursday, September 8, and Friday, September 9 as they continue their dispute over pay and working conditions.
They have also announced further strikes set for later in September as the dispute worsens.
Last month saw 115,000 postal workers begin the first of four days of industrial action after members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted by a majority of 97.6% in favour of taking action.
The CWU is calling for a pay rise for Royal Mail workers that fully addresses the cost of living crisis, saying: "Our members need it, our members deserve it – the company can afford it."
The Royal Mail claims that the CWU rejected an offer worth up to 5.5%.
It has apologised to customers for the disruption that the strike action is likely to cause and said it is doing everything it can to "minimise disruption".
As Royal Mail staff prepare for the second strike day, here's everything you need to know about Post Office opening times and how your mail will be affected, as well as when the strikes are set to end.
Is the Post Office open during the Royal Mail strikes?
The Post Office will remain open while Royal Mail staff are striking, and you will still be able to post letters and parcels and can also use postboxes.
This is because it's CWU members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters for the Royal Mail who are striking, not Post Office staff, who belong to a separate company.
However, because many Royal Mail staff won't be working, collections will be less frequent on strike days so it's likely that the items you post may take longer than usual to get to their destination.
Your local Post Office should be operating during its normal opening hours, but the Royal Mail advised that you post your items as early as possible.
It said that it will attempt to deliver Special Delivery and Tracked24 parcels and will also prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions, but its workers will not be delivering letters.
When will the Royal Mail strikes end?
The first set of Royal Mail strikes are currently set to end on September 10 but there will be more later in the month after union leaders confirmed fresh walk outs.
There are already two days of walkouts planned by CWU members, on Thursday September 8 and Friday September 9.
Now there will also be a strike for 48-hours on September 30 and October 1 - the latest move in a worsening dispute.
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.
"We can't keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks."
He also focused on the £400 million the company had returned to shareholders in 2021, adding: "Our members won't accept pleads of poverty from the company".
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