Postal workers have announced plans to hold a 24-hour strike later this month in response to job and pay cuts at Royal Mail.

The first national postal strike will be held on June 29th, with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) saying it is prepared for further industrial action a fortnight after this date.

Royal Mail has responded to today's announcement by saying the strike will "only add to the very difficult competitive challenges the company and its people are already facing".

But CWU deputy general-secretary Dave Ward said the strike did not represent a "knee-jerk reaction" and "could still be avoided".

Speaking to journalists Mr Ward preceded the strike announcement by "putting the record straight" over what he described as "deliberately misleading" behaviour from Royal Mail.

"The union has never asked for a 27 per cent pay rise and we are not opposed in any shape or form to modernisation," he began.

On next week's strike action, which arrived after high-level talks collapsed last night, Mr Ward continued: "What Royal Mail is doing is not modernisation. The truth is they are intent on cutting services, cutting jobs and cutting pay.

"We have tried to reach an agreement but Royal Mail is refusing to negotiate.

"In announcing this strike action, the union remains committed to reaching an agreement and we have given Royal Mail a further week to conclude a deal before any strike action becomes necessary. I urge [Royal Mail chairman] Allan Leighton and [chief executive] Adam Crozier to stop sitting on the sidelines, get their hands dirty and get involved in serious negotiations."

In response Mr Crozier said that Royal Mail would do "all it can to mitigate the impact of strike action".

"We remain very willing to sit down with the CWU to explain again the absolute need for Royal Mail to modernise and to underline how damaging a strike would be for postmen and women, and our customers," he explained.

"We are losing business because we have failed to change and modernise – and as a result our costs and therefore our prices are higher than those that rivals are charging in the intensely competitive business mail, which makes up 90 per cent of all postings.

"There is a bright future for Royal Mail and its people - but only if we embrace change, which is what this dispute is all about.

"We will be doing all we can to inform our customers of the situation and to advise them how best to cope with the forthcoming disruption," Mr Crozier concluded.

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