A bitter Royal Mail dispute over pay and jobs threatened to escalate further as postal workers began voting on a national walkout yesterday.

This latest move by the Communication Workers Union (CWC) comes after a series of local strikes by staff in the past few months. Both the management and union held each other responsible for the current deadlock. The postal service termed the ballot "wholly irresponsible", saying that the CWU had already agreed to its plans.

"A no-strike guarantee is on the table if the Royal Mail only steps back from making arbitrary job cuts," CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward told BBC Breakfast.

"Let's find a way where we can jointly shape modernisation," he added.

Meanwhile Royal Mail's managing director Mark Higson urged union leaders to call off the ballot.

"The CWU leadership is well aware that it has already agreed all the changes Royal Mail is making, and we urge them to recognise the tough economic conditions faced by all our customers and Royal Mail itself," he said.

The beleaguered service, suffering against a backdrop of falling mail levels, may trim its 121,000 workforce as part of a modernisation drive.

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