Signed, sealed, delivered - is yours?

Postal workers sorting the mail in the middle of a street in Wimbledon

Ballot papers proposing a national strike at the Royal Mail over pay and job cuts are being sent out to members of the main postal union.

The move by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) comes after it organised a number of localised strikes across the UK over the past week.

BBC website readers have been explaining how the strike is affecting them.

Robert McArdale has been a postal worker for 13 years.

He says: "I accept that modernisation is needed in Royal Mail as the marketplace changes, but the way changes are being made remains the issue.

"Workers are being forced to do more for less.

"It is the bigger picture of maintaining a quality delivery service that should be considered."

Small-business owner Jonathan is not receiving payments in time

As a small business owner, already struggling in the current economic environment I am now having to deal with delays in payment from my customers, and threats by suppliers to stop providing me with the things I need because payments haven't reached them.

Add to this issues with my clients not receiving what they have paid for and I have a big problem.

I understand the need for fair working conditions but these latest strikes are damaging. The workers striking may feel they have a fair argument, but I don't see it that way.

Royal Mail used to be a nationalised business and as such the workers there were guaranteed certain levels of security and payment. However that business model is wholly unsustainable now and as such the business is trying to work in a more appropriate way. The workers though don't like the idea of losing the comfort of a nationalised business and as such strike.

Before the strikes the post always came at different times, anywhere from 10am through to 4.30pm and later.

I work for an internet retailer whose lifeblood depends on the Royal Mail service.

I use mail order for a lot of my shopping and in the past few weeks have had to wait over seven days for three parcels. The mail order industry is battling through some very difficult times in an environment where customers are expecting quicker, better and more convenient delivery.

Steve Law's internet-based company depends on Royal Mail

By having continued strike action I am more likely to pay extra for a guaranteed courier delivery thus taking traffic away from Royal Mail, or more likely to find the products I want to from the high street - which means the CWU are killing Royal Mail and retailers.

From a business standpoint we look with great concern about the impact that slower deliveries have on our customers.

Firebox is a gifts retailer so speed of delivery is often of great importance, even if customers are purchasing for themselves we are living in an 'instant gratification' economy where customers are becoming ever more demanding in their expectations regarding delivery - often expecting next day as standard.

As a retailer we need to weigh this customer-driven expectation against what Royal Mail can deliver and in the run up to Christmas we are seriously considering using an alternative supplier for our deliveries.

Marcelo Bayas is waiting for his student loan

I think the Communication Workers Union should take into account that students, like myself, are already worried that they will not receive their student loans and grants on time.

I am due to start at the University of Westminster where I'll be studying international business.

The strike is just making the situation worst since we now don't know when our applications are going to get to the student finance England headquarters.

It is vital for us that those applications get there as soon as possible. So maybe it's not all about the members of the CWU, but also about the rest of the general public who depend heavily on the mail service.

Forgive me, but I thought the posties were already on strike, or at least on a "go slow". My first class letters don't arrive for several days and when they do it's commonly after 2pm.
John Thompson, Hertfordshire

Yes I have submitted a ballot application because since Royal Mail made an agreement with the CWU after the last strikes they have done nothing short of treating staff with utter contempt and reneged on all aspects of the modernisation agreement. Staff have been bullied, given work increases, which aren't feesable and blamed for poor individual performances. We understand the present climate and will get the anti-unionists up in arms but we are not taking this treatment any more. Although part of this dispute is about pay, post people are fed up with how they are being treated by Royal Mail.
M Carter, Cornwall

I am a part-time Royal Mail employee. I am supposed to fit five days delivering into 20 hours. My office has added 35 minutes per day of additional work to my round. I can fit my pre-existing workload into 20 hours per week. I cannot fit the extra work into this 20 hours. I have mentioned this to my management and got criticism and suggestion that I was too slow. I leave later on my round than the full-timers but I arrive back after my round at the same time as some of the full-timers. This does not suggest that I am slow.
Jon Bennett-Snewin, Bournemouth

If the staff don't like it, go get a job in the private sector; then they will understand how good they have it. Royal Mail needs to change - the unions are killing it.
Bob, Leeds

I work for Royal Mail and this is the first I've heard of the strike. If it is going ahead in my office then I won't be taking part as it only results in a massive backlog of mail. To me it's pointless
Tim Daniels , United Kingdom

It is a nightmare. My business is suffering because of this strike, times are hard enough without this sort of disruption. No doubt they will get the ballot papers delivered ok.
Robin, Chiswick, London

Our post has been affected since 1 September. To date we have had two deliveries of post. We are joining long queues at the sorting office in the hope they have our post. When will this disruption end? It's been going on far too long.
Sue Nicholls, Warwick

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