Postal workers stage two-day walkout

London: A two-day national postal strike began on Thursday with postal workers manning the picket lines insisting they had little choice but to take a stand against changes imposed from the top.

Up to 42,000 mail centre staff and network drivers launched a 24-hour strike, while 78,000 delivery and collection workers will walk out today.

At the Nine Elms mail centre in Vauxhall, south London, dozens gathered from 6am on one of the three main picket lines in the capital. Some were brandishing banners with the message: "It's your service, it's my job."

‘Change for the worse'

Father-of-two John Humphries, 45, who has worked at Nine Elms since 1984, said: "None of us want to be here but we aren't concerned about what the public think, because ultimately they want the same as us.

"If changes are not made, the service will change for the worse."

The business secretary, Lord Mandelson, was singled out for holding a "vendetta" against union members.

"Lord Mandelson does take some blame. His problem is that he is trying to get his own back because it has been impossible to privatise us completely. He has a vendetta."

Mandelson, speaking on Sky News insisted that it was best for the two sides to resolve the dispute themselves and urged them to use the conciliation service Acas.

"They should look to use Acas," Mandelson said.

"Both sides need to resolve this themselves, they know what the issues are."