Early indications show that staff are likely to vote yes to industrial action.

The threat of a national strike by staff at the Royal Mail looks increasingly likely after sources at the Communication Workers Union (CWU) revealed that the majority of workers have voted 'Yes' in the ballot.

More than 121,000 members are being balloted on whether to stage nationwide industrial action in a dispute with the Royal Mail over pay and plans to modernise the service.

Sources at the CWU claim that the early indications are that the overwhelming majority have voted in favour of the strike, something which will have a significant impact on parcel deliveries over the Christmas period.

A spokeswoman for the union told the Telegraph that the likelihood is that workers will down tools unless the dispute is resolved quickly.

"We are obviously very confident of getting a 'yes' vote … feelings are incredibly high still, we have seen a lot of local unrest, there are clearly a lot of problems that need to be sorted out," the representative said.

The industrial action by staff at the Royal Mail has led some businesses to use alternative parcel delivery services, with ComRes' Andrew Hawkins telling Bloomberg that he has begun using courier services to send bills to clients.

Written by Lucy Pritchard


Article Added: 05/10/2009 09:33:18