How to mitigate against postal or delivery strikes

Whether it is train drivers, bin drivers, doctors or nurses, everyone seems to be striking or threatening to strike at the moment, as the cost of living crisis and high inflation begins to bite. Even postal works and some delivery drivers are either striking or balloting to do so. Whatever industry the strikes are occurring in, whilst most people have sympathy for the cause, these strikes prove very damaging and inconvenient for the people who rely on the services – the same is true of postal and delivery drivers. In our latest article we’ll take a closer look at how users of postal and delivery services can mitigate against these strikes as best they can.

Plan ahead

It is rare for a strike to be announced on a Monday and happen on a Tuesday for example. Most strikes usually happen at least a week after the intention has been made public. This does at least give people some time to plan around it or make any alternative arrangements if possible. For delivery or postal services, this could mean selecting a service which arrives quicker so you miss the strike day or period all together. With forward planning, steps can be taken to lower the impact and inconvenience to yourself in this way.

Look for any ‘contingency plans’

Even though postal or delivery couriers may be strike, certain limited services may still be running, especially if these are related to essential things like healthcare and medicine for example. If you know your circumstance is likely to fall into one of these categories, make an enquiry as to what contingency plans are being put in place and whether you qualify. You could find that even though there is a strike occurring, your disruption is kept to a minimum.

Consider using another method or carrier

When it comes to postal or delivery services not all will be striking at the same time. If your usual courier company is on strike, chances are one of their rivals won’t be. This is good because not only does it mean you do at least have other options, another courier company would only be too happy to have another’s business – that is just the way that commerce works.

Customer rights and compensation

If your parcel or package has been severely delayed (or lost) because of strikes, then you may have a claim to compensation depending on the terms and conditions of the company you are with. Some companies will suspend this in the case of strikes, because they argue that it is not the normal course of operation and so those rules do not apply. Look also whether you have general rights as a customer or consumer. The law can be tricky, but it is also another avenue worth exploring. Sometimes a simple letter of complaint can do the trick, but again, in an ‘all out’ strike which affects everyone, it is unclear what a company would realistically do. Even so, the business would still not want to lose customers in the longer term, especially if you have an established relationship with them, so there is no harm in voicing your frustrations.

Wait!

Perhaps not the best option, but sometimes it can be better to wait until the service is back up and running, rather than risk the complication of items being lost or delayed if you know staff are not working, which increases the chance of things going missing.

Rock Solid Deliveries are definitely not going on strike! For any parcel deliveries – especially those that you can’t get with other companies, click on our get an online estimate page, where we can even help with rapid same day delivery services.