Royal Mail expects no disruption from Post Office labour strike

(Reuters) - Britain's Royal Mail Plc said it expected little or no impact on its parcels and letters operations from a planned strike by Communication Workers Union (CWU) members against the Post Office in the crucial week leading up to Christmas. The Post Office, a branch network that sells stamps and other services, has confirmed that it expected its 11,000 branches to continue operating as normal, Royal Mail said in a statement. "Customers who need to post at a Post Office should use these branches," it added. CWU had said its members working at the state-owned Post Office would strike for five days starting Dec. 19 in relation to concerns over job security and pensions. Christmas delivery results will be extremely crucial to Royal Mail this year, as some analysts have questioned its ability to match a full-year profit consensus after a turbulent first half, where it was hit by a fall in spending on junk mail by companies rattled by the Brexit vote. Royal Mail said on Wednesday there was no change to its guidance. (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto)