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Watch our report on the
strike.

by Rob Daly

Hundreds of postal workers staged a mass
walkout over pay and job losses.

Thousands of homes were affected by the strike
involving 700 delivery workers at five major offices in Chatham,
Sheerness, Medway, Maidstone and Faversham.

The 24-hour walkout started at around 4am
Wednesday.

The Communications Workers Union says Royal
Mail is making too many cutbacks and it's affecting staff and
the company's service.

Kent Invicta Branch Secretary David Banbury
said: "We're trying to get Royal Mail to sit down and negotiate
with the trade union. Hopefully the public will understand this
isn't just about our jobs.

"Over the last few years (the public) have
seen a downturn in service, earlier collections being made, later
deliveries and to us that's unacceptable."

But Royal Mail said it "beggars belief"
that the Communication Workers Union would call
on members to vote for a strike which
"would damage customer confidence and undermine the entire UK
postal industry".

A statement said: "Having met
the union more than 50 times
in recent months, it is increasingly
clear that the CWU refuses to believe that mail volumes
are declining by around 10 per cent annually despite the
clear evidence of this in the UK and in every other postal market
around the world."