PM appeals to postal workers

The Prime Minister has urged Royal Mail workers to settle their bitter dispute over pay, jobs and pensions - and "go back to work".

His comments came as postal workers in more than 20 mail centres took unofficial industrial action just hours after ending a 48-hour strike.

Workers in several parts of the UK, including Glasgow, Liverpool and parts of London, took action in protest at changes to their hours.

Some protested that they arrived for a shift starting at 5am but were told that the Royal Mail had implemented changes to shifts so they could not start until 6am.

Gordon Brown said at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons that there was "no justification" for the continuation of the dispute, which has crippled mail deliveries for the past week.

He said the matter had to be settled by negotiations between the Post Office and the workforce said Mr Brown, adding that he believed it should be brought to an end on the terms already offered by the Royal Mail.

Up to 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union were due to return to work this morning after a second 48 hour strike, but unofficial industrial action broke out at the start of the morning shift.

By mid-morning, postal workers were still taking unofficial action in some parts of London and Liverpool after returning to work in Glasgow.

Graeme Leach, Chief Economist at the Institute of Directors, has warned more companies will permanently shift their business away from the Royal Mail.

"Tough decisions cannot be avoided in a survival of the fittest. All businesses face the constant challenge of reform and the Royal Mail is a clear example of an organisation, which if it fails to reform, will be overtaken by the competition."

The CWU has announced a series of rolling strikes involving different parts of the service next Monday, after talks aimed at resolving the row ended without agreement.

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