The Louth-London Royal Mail, by Charles Cooper Henderson, 1820

This story keeps giving—which is why we keep returning. When a billionaire dubbed the ‘Czech Sphinx’ takes control of Royal Mail—Britain’s storied postal service—it’s both a chance for modernisation and a kind of slow-motion national retreat. Add a freshly decorated union leader, a former Tory minister turned company adviser, and a beleagured Labour government clutching a golden share in one hand and silence in the other, and things get murkier. This isn’t just about logistics or labour anymore. It’s a case study in corporate power, institutional compromise, and the fine print of national identity.

The question now: who’s really at the wheel?

The June 9 board meeting was billed as pivotal. Then—silence. An announcement on pay and conditions was expected a week ago. It didn’t come. A weekend statement, meant to clarify, only confirmed further delay. Will a formal union-management framework ever emerge, people were asking? Will these negotiations—if they ever end—steady or destabilise Royal Mail’s future? Or, as some had speculated—without confirmation—is new owner Daniel Křetínský under financial pressure from a potential debt covenant breach elsewhere?

Meanwhile, eyes turn to Greg Hands, former Tory Cabinet minister, now advising Křetínský. And Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU)—a man you sense must be obeyed—was just awarded a CBE mid-discussion. Not bad for a ‘Keep Corbyn’ campaigner on £144,635 a year.

The honour, granted via King Charles III, credited Ward’s role in the ‘New Deal for Workers’ campaign and the Employment Rights Bill, along with advocacy across postal, telecoms, finance, and tech sectors. Patrick Roach (CBE) and Sue Ferns (OBE) received similar honours, though some suggest such awards reward cooperation more than struggle. Not everyone was pleased. To think, Danny Boyle and Frank Auerbach, notably, have refused such honours in the past.

‘The oppressor would not be so strong if he did not have accomplices among the oppressed,’ wrote Simone de Beauvoir—though no union leader actually said that. Still, the fear lingers. Ward faced harsh criticism for the pro-company ‘Negotiators Agreement’ reached through ACAS in April 2023. Critics say it blocked strike action, enabled job cuts, introduced two-tier pay, reduced sick leave, and increased workloads. Despite a 96% strike vote in February 2023, CWU leadership chose negotiation over confrontation.

To many, it signalled corporatist unionism: where leaders broker compromises........

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