Postal strikes 'set to go ahead'

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Nationwide postal strikes are set to go ahead as planned this week, the union has said.

Strikes are due to begin at 0400 GMT on Thursday, with up to 120,000 workers involved in three 24-hour stoppages.

Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union have been in talks for three days to try to end the dispute.

There is one slight glimmer of hope, our employment correspondent Martin Shankleman said, as the union said it was continuing a dialogue by telephone.

Royal Mail said its negotiators were still at TUC headquarters - where negotiations were held earlier in the day - and were keen to talk.

The two sides have been locked in the latest round of talks since Monday, after agreeing to meet at the offices of the union umbrella body, where the agreement to end the last national dispute was brokered in 2007.

'Fair deal'

Earlier, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the government wanted to see the original modernisation and pay agreement that was agreed there in 2007 fully implemented.

"It was a fair deal," he said. "It addressed everyone's concerns and everyone's needs, not just the management and the customers of Royal Mail, but also the workforce."

This week's strikes would follow two 24-hour stoppages last week. Royal Mail said on Wednesday it expected its backlog from that disruption to have fallen from 30 million to two million items by the end of the day.

They said almost all of these letters and parcels were awaiting delivery in London.

The CWU had claimed the backlog was in excess of 100 million items at its peak.

This week's strikes are due to involve:

• Thursday: 43,700 staff in mail centres, delivery units in mail centres, network logistic drivers and garage staff walking out from 0400 GMT

• Friday: 400 workers at three sites in Plymouth, Stockport and Stoke, who assist mail centres by reading and entering mail addresses

• Saturday: 77,000 delivery and collection staff across the UK.