Royal Mail workers in Kilburn and St John's Wood have joined their colleagues across the country by walking out on strike again in a bitter dispute over pay.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) mounted picket lines outside Royal Mail offices in Coventry Close in Kilburn on Wednesday (August 31).

The union said more than 100,000 workers are involved across the country, making it the biggest strike of the summer.

The action follows a walkout last week and there will be further stoppages on Thursday September 8 and Friday September 9.

The action is in protest at a two per cent pay rise, although the company has said more money is on offer.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve.

“We can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks.

“Postal workers won’t meekly accept their living standards being hammered by greedy business leaders who are completely out of touch with modern Britain.

“They are sick of corporate failure getting rewarded again and again.”

Royal Mail chief executive Simon Thompson denied the accusation that money from the company has been handed to shareholders, saying the Covid-19 “bubble has burst”.

A spokesperson said: “The CWU’s self-centred actions with the wider trade union movement is putting jobs at risk, and making pay rises less affordable.

“We are losing £1m a day and the CWU’s strike action is making our situation worse.

"We want to protect well-paid, permanent jobs long term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions.

“Each strike day makes that more difficult, making Royal Mail’s future more uncertain than at any time in its long history."

They said the future of the firm is as a "parcels business".

"We must adapt old ways of working designed for letters to a world increasingly dominated by parcels and act fast.

“We cannot cling to outdated working practices, ignoring technological advancements and pretending that Covid has not significantly changed what the public wants from Royal Mail."