No letters will be delivered in Dumfries and Galloway on Friday as posties go on strike.
Members of the Communication Workers Union at Royal Mail are taking action after rejecting a pay offer.
Posties will walk out tomorrow and on Wednesday, with further action planned for September 8 and 9.
The strike action comes after Royal Mail offered staff an unconditional two per cent pay increase with a further 3.5 per cent offer if a number of changes are agreed to.
Workers have also agreed to strike in a separate dispute over working conditions, with dates for those walkouts still to be set.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Postal workers in this country are being pushed to the edge but there can be no doubt that they will fight the planned erosion of their workplace rights with
determination.
“Right now, this country is growing sick of a business elite who are completely out of touch with ordinary people and their lives.
“Things are getting harder and harder for normal working people so that incompetent bosses can have an easy life.
“But this union will fight this disgraceful state of affairs every step of the way.”
In response to the latest ballot, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Instead of engaging meaningfully on change that will secure future jobs, the CWU has decided to ballot against
change.
“We are losing £1 million a day, and we need to change what we are doing to fix the situation and protect jobs.
“This change is also needed to support the pay package we have offered to CWU grade colleagues, worth up to 5.5 per cent.
“This is the biggest increase we have offered for many years and the CWU have rejected it.
“This would add around £230 million to Royal Mail’s annual people costs when the business is already loss-making.
“The CWU has put forward ideas for change that would cost over £1 billion while not delivering the changes needed to ensure Royal Mail can grow and remain competitive in a fast-moving industry.
“These actions do not represent a union that supports change.
“The CWU have their heads in the sand and are failing to grasp the seriousness of the
situation.”
