Gordon Brown said insutrial action could lead to job losses.

The prime minister, Gordon Brown, has spoken out against the national postal strikes which started today, saying they will have far-reaching consequences for all those involved.

Mr Brown has called on both the Communication Workers Union and the bosses at Royal Mail to sit down together and thrash out a solution to the current crisis.

He said that, should industrial action continue, consumers will use the services of alternative parcel delivery companies such as Parcel2Go and may stay with them.

"If more and more customers leave the Royal Mail and more and more customers stop using the Royal Mail, then more jobs will be lost, so this is self-defeating," he stated.

Mr Brown added that the government would do all it could to help the process, although he said that, ultimately, it is up to the warring factions to reach an amicable agreement.

Meanwhile, chief medical officer for England Sir Liam Donaldson has expressed concerns at the postal strikes, as they could disrupt plans to vaccinate 11 million people against swine flu.

Written by Tom Sands


Article Added: 22/10/2009 16:15:12