Postal services disrupted as staff strike
Updated on 17 July 2009
Thousands of postal workers are going on strike in a row over jobs and pay.
The Royal Mail says almost all services outside London will operate as normal despite the 24-hour walkout.
But the Communication Workers Union said members in Edinburgh, Bristol, Darlington and Plymouth will also take part in the day of action.
It claims the strike threatens the worst disruption to mail deliveries for years.
It is the latest stage in a series of strikes to hit parts of the UK in recent weeks, in an escalating row over jobs, pay and services.
Royal Mail and the union each blame the other for the unrest, which comes as the company continues to modernise and is now threatening to escalate into a national dispute.
Dave Ward, the CWU's deputy general secretary, accused the firm of cutting jobs, freezing pay and hitting services, labelling the latest round of cuts "arbitrary and illogical."
He added: "Without new machinery or improvements in deliveries and industrial relations, postal services will be drastically hit.
"There's nothing modern in cutting jobs and hours and imposing a pay freeze. We need genuine talks on how to modernise the Royal Mail."
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