Postal workers take strike action in Severn Beach

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POSTAL workers in Severn Beach are taking part in a 24-hour strike today.

More than 400 Communication Workers Union (CWU) members based at the Royal Mail distribution centre stopped work this morning as part of a national dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

David Wilshire, CWU Bristol and District branch secretary, said: "This dispute won't simply go away and Royal Mail needs to stop burying their heads in the sand and agree a joint way through this."

The strike is the latest in a series that have affected postal services across the Bristol area over the past month.

Mr Wilshire said there was a strong possibility of even more strike action occurring over the coming weeks.

More than 1,000 workers at the Royal Mail centre in Filton went on strike last week.

The CWU is accusing the Royal Mail of cutting pay and jobs in breach of a deal, which ended the last national strike two years ago.

The Royal Mail has denied these claims and says that the union is going back on an agreement to modernise the postal service.

Paul Tolhurst, Royal Mail's operations director, said: "We are sorry that some customers faced disruption because of strike action by the CWU, but we remain determined to do everything possible to ease the impact of any disruption."

A Royal Mail spokesman said customers would continue to receive deliveries as normal.