POSTAL workers in Bridgwater locked in a dispute with bosses over working agreements and staffing levels, have voted to take part in a series of strikes.

Some 65 workers at the Royal Mail depot in Friarn Street voted for strike action, with 17 against – representing a 79.3% ‘yes’ vote.

The Communication Workers Union says some of its members also believe they are owed £800 each for changes already made in the workplace.

Area official for the CWU, David Wilshire, said: "This vote for strike action shows that feelings are running high in the depot.

"People feel they have got to take a stand if nothing is done."

A meeting took place this morning, to agree the dates of the strike action.

Afterwards, Mr Wilshire told the Mercury the CWU had been asked to call a series of stoppages.

He would not say exactly how many or when, but the first of these strikes is expected to take place in July.

He added: "The door is still open for talks but the ball is in Royal Mail's court and there's only a limited amount of time left."

Rhys Jones, a spokesman for Royal Mail said: “It is disappointing that our colleagues have voted in favour of industrial action, however we remain hopeful that the issues can be resolved locally.

"Royal Mail is fully committed to the process of trying to resolve concerns of postal workers based in Bridgwater by continuing to follow the national jointly agreed framework with the Communication Workers Union. "We have made significant progress in recent months, thanks to the efforts of our colleagues and have worked hard to engage the CWU locally.

"We urge the CWU not to call our people out on strike action which can only hurt our customers and damage our drive to build a strong and sustainable future for Royal Mail.”