Industrial action, which will include strike on Christmas Eve, is over job losses, pension changes and franchising of crown post offices

Post Office workers are to stage five days of strikes in the run-up to Christmas, the Communications Workers Union has announced, raising the prospect of disruption for people looking to send gifts and cards.

The union said a long-running dispute over jobs, pensions and branch closures was behind the walkout, which will include Christmas Eve. The strike, which is due to begin on 19 December, follows industrial action in October and September.

The union sought to place the blame for the strikes on the “intransigence” of the Post Office. But the company said its understanding was that talks were due to resume this week and said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision to walk out.

Staff representatives and management are in dispute over the closure of a final salary pension scheme, job losses and the franchising of crown post offices, the larger branches that are usually on high streets. The Post Office has previously said most of its network of thousands of branches would not be affected by the industrial action.

Dave Ward, CWU general secretary, said members were being “forced into fighting to save their jobs and this great institution from terminal decline”.



He said: “We didn’t want to be in this position but, unless we stand up now, the Post Office as we know it will cease to exist. We are defending the very future of the Post Office in this country.”



The CWU’s assistant secretary, Andy Furey, accused the Post Office of launching an “unprecedented attack on the jobs, job security and pensions of thousands of hard-working and loyal Post Office workers.”



He said staff wanted a pause in the Post Office’s closure and privatisation programme, and for it to hold off on its planned pensions changes. Furey said the union wanted to work with Post Office senior managers but accused them of choosing the “path of conflict and industrial disputes”.

Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office’s network and sales director, said an agreement to resume talks had been reached on Monday. “We are extremely disappointed that they [the CWU] prefer to resort to calls for strike action and we will be reviewing our position in light of this development.

“We want to reassure customers that if further strike action takes place next week, at least 97% of our 11,600 branches will not be involved. It will be business as usual in almost all of our network, with over 50,000 Post Office people on hand to support customers as they make their preparations for Christmas.”

He added: “The Post Office plays a vital role in communities all over the UK and the changes we are making support our commitment to keeping these services widely available into the future.

“Our progress is clear: over the last four years, we’ve dramatically reduced our losses and need for government subsidy, at the same time as modernising nearly 7,000 post offices, adding more than 200,000 extra opening hours each week, and becoming the largest UK retailer open on a Sunday.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “If any industrial action takes place in Post Office Ltd, Royal Mail will be operating as normal. We expect there to be no or little effect on the services we provide to our customers. Post Office limited has around 11,000 branches which will continue to operate as normal. Customers who need to post at a Post Office should use these branches.”

“Royal Mail customers will also continue to have access to Royal Mail services including pre-paid parcel drop- off through over 1,200 Customer Service Points at Delivery Offices nationwide. Our Customer Service Points are open six days a week, with over 200 of the busiest offices also open on Sundays.”