Delivery of Christmas cards may be affected

London : Millions of families face postal chaos this Christmas after unions threatened fresh strikes.

The move would cause maximum disruption at the busiest time of the year as Royal Mail delivers cards and presents.

A letter sent to members of the Communication Workers' Union this week, and seen by the Daily Mail, warns of fresh walkouts.

If management shows no sign of moving to meet their demands, union leaders say, ‘we will have no alternative other than to return to strike action before Christmas'.

The move is a U-turn on a pledge by the union when it agreed a truce with Royal Mail earlier this month.

At the time, the CWU promised: "The interim agreement ensures postal workers will work normally during the Christmas period."

But the new letter, signed by general secretary Billy Hayes and his deputy Dave Ward, says postal workers will take to the picket lines again if Royal Mail does not begin to make concessions.

A strike would be a disaster for the company and a devastating blow for customers up and down the country. Around 120 million letters and parcels are sent every day during the Christmas rush, compared to a normal volume of around 75 million.