Royal Mail has restarted worldwide parcel and letter deliveries by Put up Workplace branches virtually six weeks after it revealed it had been affected by a ransomware cyber-attack that left it battling to get its worldwide companies again up and operating.

It refused to pay an $80m (£67m) ransom sought by hackers linked to Russia after the “cyber incident”, which resulted in 11,500 Put up Workplace branches throughout the UK being unable to deal with worldwide mail or parcels.

“We now have labored day and evening in partnership with Royal Mail to reinstate all worldwide companies through our department community,” mentioned Neill O’Sullivan, the managing director of parcels and mails on the Put up Workplace.

“Postmasters have been the harmless victims of this faceless crime, unable to assist companies and customers wishing to make use of their experience to get parcels despatched overseas.”

The Put up Workplace mentioned department operators can be supplied with “further remuneration” for dealing with worldwide objects, within the type of a hard and fast cost for every transaction, in addition to a further fee for all Royal Mail worldwide labels offered in branches throughout February and March.

“These previous weeks have been troublesome for postmasters who by no fault of their very own have missed out on remuneration for offering worldwide mail companies,” O’Sullivan mentioned. “Postmasters are working in a tricky financial local weather and this bundle of remuneration enhancements ought to assist rebuild their earnings from worldwide parcels.”

It emerged final week that Royal Mail rejected an “absurd” ransom demand from the hackers in change for decrypting the information.

Whereas its companies are again operating at full capability, the corporate is poised to face one other spherical of strikes by its 115,000 postal staff in a long-running dispute over pay and situations. Final week, members of the Communications Employees Union (CWU) voted overwhelmingly to strike after 18 days of motion final 12 months. No dates for additional stoppages have but been set.

The corporate has mentioned it’s shedding £1m a day and warned in October that as much as 10,000 jobs wanted to be reduce by August 2023 as a part of a restructuring programme to refocus the enterprise on the booming parcel supply sector, as UK letter volumes proceed to say no.

“We’re happy that clients can now purchase postage for worldwide export parcels to all locations in Put up Workplace branches over-the-counter,” mentioned a spokesperson for Royal Mail. “This follows the restoration of worldwide export parcel companies on transport platforms over the previous couple of weeks. We at the moment are processing near regular each day volumes of worldwide export mail with some delays.”