Royal Mail : Response to further notice of industrial action received from the Communication Workers Union

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "The CWU's decision to announce further strike action is placing jobs at risk. Royal Mail is losing £1milliona day. Strike action has weakened our financial position and is threatening the long-term job security of our postmen and women.

"The CWU has a responsibility to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business and to engage urgently on the changes required. We are now a parcels business. We must adapt old ways of working designed for letters to a world increasingly dominated by parcels and act fast. We want to protect well-paid, permanent jobs long-term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions.The CWU rejected our offer worth up to 5.5% for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years. In a business that is currently losing £1 million pounds a day, we can only fund this offer by agreeing the changes that will pay for it.

"We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU's continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise any delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected. We remain ready to talk with the CWU, but any talks must be about both change and pay. Change is the route to higher pay."