The attached is taken from the Press Association website and I also attach the link to the Royal Mail website.

Postal workers across the UK walked out on strike at noon, crippling mail deliveries until next week in an escalation of a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and pensions.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) mounted picket lines outside mail centres at the start of a 48-hour walkout, which will be followed by another two-day stoppage from 3am on Monday.

Firms were warned that the strikes mean there will be no deliveries until next Thursday, and it is estimated that the row will cost industry millions of pounds.

The strike went ahead as planned despite last-ditch talks between the union and Royal Mail aimed at resolving the long-running dispute. The two sides met at TUC headquarters in London, but there was little sign of a breakthrough as the postal workers began their action.

The Government refused to become involved in the dispute, making it clear it should be resolved by the union and the management.

A spokesman for the Department for Business said: “The Government has been encouraging and will continue to encourage the parties involved to pursue and find a solution through talks.

“No one will benefit from strike action. Strike action can only damage Royal Mail’s business and the postal services market as a whole. The dispute is for the Royal Mail management and the unions to resolve.

“Royal Mail needs to modernise to compete in a liberalised postal services market. Management and unions must work together to achieve this and to meet the challenges of a liberalised market.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We will do all we can to mitigate the impact of the strike action but we would ask our customers to avoid posting mail during the strikes and if they do so, then to post any mail at Post Office branches, which will all be open for business as usual.

“Royal Mail has consistently sought a resolution to this dispute and we have been in talks with the CWU since last March. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience that CWU strike action causes.”