The proposed reforms include moving Royal Mail’s parcel arm to hundreds of freelance “owner-driver” postal workers. Until recently, only a quarter of Parcelforce drivers could be self-employed, but the changes will mean this could be increased to 100%, for example.
Royal Mail expects to rack up losses of between £350m and £450m this year.
Mr Williams, a veteran of disputes during his time as chief executive of British Airways, said: “Most of this loss is not due to strikes. it is actually due to the change you need in business.
“As long as you change the business, you’re actually improving it. Yes, they can strike, but the strikes are not the big element of the loss.”
Mr Thompson said Royal Mail was determined to ensure Christmas parcels were delivered on time, with 2,000 administrative staff sent to the frontline to help.
Mr Williams said: “We now have all the accountants and solicitors on the front line delivering mail.”
In the fall, about 2,000 postal workers were prepared to cut the queue, a figure that has now grown to 12,000.
Tempers flared with police called earlier this month amid allegations of physical violence and vandalism. One CWU representative faces headbutting charges.
Mr Williams said: “The irony of it is that because it’s Christmas, the parcel market is doing well.”
But the strikes had an impact on the letter business, he added. A quarter of Royal Mail’s letter volumes are usually delivered in December. “They [the CWU] actually destroying Christmas cards which are letters they are trying to save.
The CWU will vote its 115,000 members at Royal Mail for another six-month strike term in January.
Mr Williams said: “What they are saying is that we are threatening 25,000 redundancies. This is nothing more than a fear tactic for the next vote.”
Meanwhile, he jumped to the defense of Mr Thompson, who Mr Ward attacked as being “out of step” as CWU members held placards saying “Thompson out”.
He said: “If you look at the history of this one, it was [ex-CEO, Adam] Crozier outside. Mine [Greene] outside. Rico [Back] outside. And now it’s Simon [Thompson] outside. Here there is an actual pattern of playing the man, not the ball.
Mr Thompson added: “I represent the voice of the customer. So are “customers out” when they say “Thompson out”?
“I don’t think it’s nice. And I don’t think it’s necessary. But I think more fundamentally it distracts us from the real real issues.
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