A DISPUTE between Dartford postal workers and Royal Mail looks set to spark a national strike. Maidstone, Gravesend and parts of London have already been badly hit.

The dispute began in Dartford last week when about 400 workers went out on an unofficial strike that has left thousands of residents and businesses in the town without mail for nine days.

Now workers throughout the South East look set to support colleagues and many have already taken to the picket lines. The action has provoked Royal Mail to condemn the strikers as “wildcats” and “activists”.

Negotiations have reached stalemate between Royal Mail bosses and the Communication Workers’ Union.

The row over workplace union recognition has caused postal mayhem for residents and businesses across Maidstone. Around 400 staff walked out on Tuesday lunchtime from the Maidstone Mail Centre in Sandling Road in support of colleagues in Dartford and across London.

It means hundreds of letters and parcels have been left undelivered in the county town. Doug Emitt, quit his post as area representative with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) to take part in the wildcat walkout.

He said: “We are sorry for the disruption to small businesses and the public who rely on the mail being delivered.

“We apologise for the action that has been taken, but we felt it was necessary and were forced into it by an employer who will not negotiate with our union.”

The workers in Dartford walked out last week in support of a driver disciplined for refusing to transfer work to another sorting office following an overtime dispute.

A ban on overtime was introduced and work transferred to other sites in an attempt to clear the backlog of post following official strikes earlier this month over the London weighting allowance.

A Royal Mail spokesman admitted that some disruption had been caused but insisted that the majority of post had been delivered as normal.

He said: “The majority of delivery offices in the Maidstone area are not affected by what is no more than illegal strike action by a small pocket of activists.”

Residents and businesses in the town centre ME14 and ME15 post-codes have been the worst hit with no post delivered today.

The spokesman added: “The union nationally have said this is unofficial and illegal strike action and we are urging them to work with us to get these people back to work.”

Royal Mail and the CWU are to hold talks at the conciliation service ACAS in a bid to solve the official pay dispute. A date has yet to be fixed.

Royal Mail staff in Canterbury were deciding whether to join a wildcat strike. Dave Bambury, of the CWU, said the union was not supporting the walk-out, but that individuals might still strike.