Union expects post strike support

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The result of a ballot of 120,000 Royal Mail workers that could pave the way for a second national strike in two years will be announced later.

The Communication Workers Union says it is confident of support for industrial action in the pay and job cuts dispute.

A series of regional strikes in the long-running dispute has created a backlog of millions of letters.

Royal Mail says it must modernise to reverse its recent losses and has warned of the damage strikes could do.

The group made an operating profit of £321m in the year to 31 March, but it was the first time in 20 years that all four parts of the business had gone into the black.

The result of a ballot of 120,000 Royal Mail workers that could pave the way for a second national strike in two years will be announced later.

The Communication Workers Union says it is confident of support for industrial action in the pay and job cuts dispute.

A series of regional strikes in the long-running dispute has created a backlog of millions of letters.

Royal Mail says it must modernise to reverse its recent losses and has warned of the damage strikes could do.

The group made an operating profit of £321m in the year to 31 March, but it was the first time in 20 years that all four parts of the business had gone into the black.

These changes are absolutely essential if Royal Mail is to survive
Mark Higson
Royal Mail managing director

Q&A: Royal Mail dispute

Royal Mail says the number of letters and parcels its core business delivers is falling by 10% each year, losing it £170m per annum.

Both the company and the union have accused the other of going back on agreements in the long-running dispute.

The result of the vote is expected at around 1230 BST.

If workers vote for industrial action, it could lead to the first national postal for two years.

'No going back'

In October 2007, Royal Mail postal workers staged two 48-hour UK-wide walkouts, bringing most deliveries to a standstill.

Both the Royal Mail and CWU agree that job cuts are needed as part of a vital streamlining of the mail service to cope with the continuing downturn in postal deliveries.

But the CWU says Royal Mail managers are refusing to meet its demand for a signed agreement determining the scope of cuts, and job and pay security guarantees for those workers who will ultimately remain in their jobs.

The Royal Mail says that by signing up to an agreement after the 2007 strike, the CWU accepted the future job cuts it needed to make in order to modernise the service.

Mark Higson, Royal Mail's managing director, said there could be "no going back" on efficiency measures.

He added: "These changes are absolutely essential if Royal Mail is to survive in an increasingly tough communications marketplace, and against a backdrop of sharply falling mail volumes in the UK and around the world."

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU, argued that modernisation should be about improving services rather than cutting them.

He said: "Postal workers are striking to defend future services as well as for jobs and modern conditions.

"Modernisation is crucial to the future success of Royal Mail, but the implementation of change must be agreed and it must bring with it modern pay and condition."

Seven days' notice

The union would have to give seven days' notice of any strike action.

BBC employment correspondent Martin Shankleman said: "Privately the CWU is already saying it confidently expects a yes vote in the ballot for a new campaign of industrial action.

"Royal Mail is urging the union to pull back, warning strikes can only damage customers and future prospects for the business."

Our correspondent added that estimates of the mail backlog created by the series of regional strikes in recent months varied from five million items to 25 million, "depending on whether you believe the company or the union".

Meanwhile, online retailer Amazon has said it is looking at its options as it tries to avoid any disruption to deliveries caused by potential Royal Mail strikes in the run-up to Christmas.

"With the possibility of strike action in the near future, we have been working on contingency measures with our other carriers to ensure that we can continue to deliver to the high standards that our customers expect from us," an Amazon spokesman said.

However, he denied that the company had cancelled any long-term contracts with Royal Mail.