POSTAL workers in Kent are threatening to strike after Consignia, formerly the Post Office, announced 30,000 job cuts nationally over the next 18 months. Members of the Communication Workers' Union are furious that they were not consulted before the announcement.

Martin Akerman, branch secretary for Dartford and Bromley said: "We thought the management would have had the common courtesy to consult us before taking this action. A new delivery specification was being explored with one delivery per day and we were discussing taking postal staff off a low wage - 60 per cent have no access to overtime and many postmen are on income support.

"We will be balloting for industrial action but it won't happen before Christmas because of the legal requirements," he said. Deputy general secretary of the union John Keggie described 30,000 as a "Harry Potter figure" which had come as a bolt out of the blue.

The union warned earlier this year that up to 15,000 jobs could be lost under plans to make £1.2 billion of savings.