Royal Mail apologises for 'nasty' April Fool's Day prank

Royal Mail apologises for ‘nasty’ April Fool’s Day prank telling striking staff everyone was getting an 11% pay rise

• The ‘tone deaf’ letter was put up at the Royal Mail Gloucester North branch
• Detailed a breakthrough pay rise of a whopping 11 per cent, to be paid tomorrow
• READ MORE: Royal Mail on brink of collapse after privatisation in 2013 

Royal Mail bosses have been forced to apologise after a manager announced a huge pay rise April Fool’s Day prank, despite striking staff.

People have slammed the postal service company following the release of the letter saying that it is not a ‘laughing matter’ and is ‘nasty’.

The letter, which is believed to have been put up at Royal Mail Gloucester North, claimed that Royal Mail and the Communication Worker’s Union (CWU) ‘reached an agreement’ after months of strikes over pay.

It went on to detail a breakthrough pay rise of a whopping 11 per cent – backdated to April 2022 – to be paid tomorrow, Tuesday 4 April.

The letter also boasted about staff being allowed to use their own cars for deliveries.

The letter claims Royal Mail and the Communication Worker’s Union (CWU) have ‘reached an agreement’ after months of strikes over pay and details a breakthrough pay rise of 11 per cent 

Royal Mail bosses have been forced to apologise after a manager announced a huge pay rise for ‘stressed-out’ striking staff. Pictured: Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) rallying over jobs, pay and conditions in Parliament Square, London, in December 9 2022

And another sick joke included in the note claimed that there would be a ‘recruitment campaign’ to hire 10,000 ‘telegram boys’, which would be launched today – despite news 10,000 jobs are expected to be cut at the postal giants by August. 

The A4 poster even encouraged staff to share the announcement on social media and with colleagues, who are part of the CWU.

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Staff members went on sharing the post, despite not noticing that it was an April Fool’s Day joke and that they would not be getting a pay rise at all.

Following this, the CWU have condemned the prank as ‘nasty’ and ‘tone deaf’.

And the letter was sent just days after reports claimed the CWU were preparing to announce new strike dates as they were unable to reach an agreement with Royal Mail over workers’ pay.  

Fellow Royal Mail workers have since called for the manager who wrote the letter to be sacked.

They wrote on social media that he is a ‘horrible human being’ who ‘should be ashamed’ of their actions.

Staff members also claimed the joke was ‘unprofessional’ as their pay situation is ‘not a laughing matter’ and is putting the staff ‘under stress’.

But some staff claimed those who thought it was true in the first place should ‘give their heads a wobble’ as it’s ‘unbelievable’ and ‘just banter’.

Royal Mail have since been forced to apologise for ‘any upset caused’ by the ‘misjudged’ joke.

People online were left divided by the April Fool’s Day prank, with some saying that the manager ‘should be ashamed’ for posting it, while other said that the poster is ‘pretty funny’

They confirmed the poster has since been ‘removed’ from the branch, and the manager has apologised, writing: ‘This was meant to be a joke at Gloucester North for April Fool’s Day the boss in question has apologised.’

What was written in the April Fool’s joke? 

Royal Mail and WU reach agreement – Saturday 1st April 2023

We are pleased to announce that agreement has been reached. Please take note of the following points:

– 11 per cent pay rise, backdated to April 2022, to be paid on 07/04/23.

– UK Government to pay £500 million per year to subsidise USO but no increase to the price of stamps or tax rises to pay for it.

– Reversal of all recent revisions and reintroduction of shorter deliveries.

– Reintroduction of job and finish.

– Removal of ‘Scan In Scan Out’.

– Brand new fleet of diesel vans and bicycles to replace electric vans

– Staff now allowed to use private cars on delivery

– No limit on ghosting overtime

– Reintroduction of EPOD cards and removal of PDA devices

– Recruitment campaign launches on 03/04/23 to employ 10,000 new telegram boys.

Despite this, staff members at the postal service have vented out their anger over the fact that the letter was drafted and plastered around the branch in the first place.

One person said: ‘It isn’t a f******g joke, it’s people’s livelihoods. that manager should be f******g sacked. I don’t think it’s a laughing matter. DO YOU?’

Another wrote: ‘We ain’t that lucky and there’s only one fool and that’s the manager for even thinking he’s being funny. Should be ashamed of himself.

While a third put: ‘Very unprofessional given the amount of stress the situation is putting people under.’

A fourth simply said: ‘I ain’t laughing. They should be conducted. Horrible human being.’

Another agreed: ‘No managers should be making jokes at our expense with what they have been part of, April Fool’s Day or not,’ as one more person added: ‘Jesus Christ. I mean that’s mildly funny but read the room man.’

But other people were left confused as to why some staff members were left so angry, as one person said: ‘I see stuff like this almost every day. It’s a joke ffs, or in our office it would be just banter.’

Another agreed: ‘If you took this seriously in the first place you need to give your head wobble ffs.’

A third added: ‘It’s pretty funny and obviously completely unbelievable.’

Speaking out about the incident, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: ‘We apologise for any upset caused by this misjudged April Fool’s joke at one of our delivery offices. The poster was removed and the local manager has apologised.’

Meanwhile a Communication Workers Union spokesperson said: ‘For many Royal Mail employees, the workplace is now a completely toxic environment where nasty, tone-deaf ‘jokes’ such as these are considered culturally acceptable.’

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