MORE than 115 000 Royal Mail workers have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) backed the action on Tuesday after ballot papers were sent out three weeks ago.
Royal Mail have previously said there are “no grounds” for strike action.
The CWU is the latest union to ballot for strikes following the RMT which had a huge impact on public transport across the country.
READ MORE: RMT confirms 24-hour strike to take place this month with Scotland to be affected
CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger said in a video posted on Twitter that the union wanted an "inflation-based, no-strings pay award" for its members.
He added: "The company has imposed a 2% pay award miles away from where inflation is, totally inadequate."
The CWU have said that this award came "despite previous agreements that no immediate executive action would be taken over pay".
Pullinger added: "Throughout this entire dispute, Royal Mail management have conducted themselves insultingly and disrespectfully to key workers.
"Their conduct, and particularly the imposition of such an aggressive pay offer, has eroded trust among loyal employees."
READ MORE: Compare and contrast how BBC reports on rail strikes in Wales and Scotland
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We offered a deal worth up to 5.5% for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years, which was rejected by the CWU."
The company confirmed further talks with the union were due to take place this week and it hoped an agreement could be reached.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: "This stunning result is a testament to the phenomenal efforts made by CWU members across the country.
"It is also a vote of no confidence in Royal Mail's CEO and board, who should seriously consider their futures in our industry.
"While bosses rake in £758million in profit and shareholders take £400 million, workers are expected to take a serious real-terms pay cut."
The dates of the strike are yet to be decided but the CWU have said that if a walk out goes ahead, it could potentially be the biggest strike action its members have ever taken.
Ward continued: "Postal workers won't accept their living standards being hammered by bosses who are typical of business leaders today - overpaid, underqualified, out of their depth.
READ MORE: Kwasi Kwarteng flown around Saudi Arabia by oil firm
"In our country right now, corporate failure gets rewarded over and over again. It's pathetic that CEOs take home lottery win salaries then offer real-terms pay cuts to people who made them their profit.
"It's unacceptable that bosses use Swiss banks while workers use food banks."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here