Posties set to strike over Royal Mail cuts

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POSTAL services could be thrown into chaos by crippling strikes over Royal Mail plans for 1600 job cuts.

Union leaders accuse bosses trying to "bulldoze" through changes which would devastate services across the country.

The threat emerged just 48 hours after mail chiefs warned they were planning to impose a pay freeze on their 180,000 workers.

This is despite doubling halfyear profits to £177million.

The first walkout is likely to hit services across London next month but others will follow nationwide.

The Communication Workers Union will start balloting members next week over the sacking plans.

CWU regional officer Martin Walsh said: "Our members are not prepared to accept such savage attacks on their jobs and they are ready to fight them."

The Royal Mail plan to slash their wage bill by 10 per cent - about £470 million a year.

Management denied union claims this could lead to 16,000 job losses nationwide.

Royal Mail's 2009/10 Business Plan also proposes switching huge numbers of posties to part-time working which would result in a big loss of earnings.

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: "This is not workers being replaced by machinery. This is about people being made to work harder.

"We are not opposed to modernisation but these are arbitary cuts which will hit services as well as jobs."

Royal Mail have already axed 50,000 jobs since 2002 when they were losing more than £1million a day and close to going bust.

A company spokesman said: "With mail volumes falling as a result of accelerating competition from the internet, it is essential that Royal Mail continues its drive to modernise and increase efficiency."