MEMBERS of a trade union at Royal Mail in Hampshire are to vote on whether to hold a national strike later this summer.

They are among 136,000 members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) across the UK to be balloted on industrial action after a 2.9 per cent pay rise was knocked back.

If they down tools, it would be the first widespread strike of its kind in a decade.

A spokesman for the CWU, which has 1,500 members at its Solent branch, which includes Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, said: "The dispute covers Royal Mail's imposition of pay and Royal Mail's future plans, including 40,000 job losses and changes to ways of working."

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail,which employs 1,632 people in the Southampton post code area, insisted that the door was open for more talks. She said: "We are willing to talk to the union, and anything about a strike is premature."

CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: "Imposing an unagreed pay rise was always going to create conflict.

"This is a serious decision, but the union has provided a window of a week for Royal Mail to use its energies to reach a settlement with our negotiating team."

Ballot The ballot comes after the CWU rejected a 2.9 per cent pay offer it says was imposed on employees.

Notice would be issued to Royal Mail on July 3 and the ballot would close at the end of July.

Royal Mail said that it faced a huge challenge to modernise its business and that it was "very keen to involve all our people and the unions in that process".

Britain's £6.5 billion mail industry was deregulated on January 1 and Royal Mail lost its monopoly on mail deliveries.

Bulk operators, licensed by industry regulator Postcom, are now able to compete fully in the market for letter delivery.

Meanwhile it emerged today that pay deals have averaged three per cent in recent months, in step with headline inflation. Fewer than one in four workers received a bigger wage rise than a year ago, according to research by Industrial Relations Services.

Spokeswoman Sheila Attwood said: "This gives employees an increase in pay equivalent to the increase in prices only.

"However, over the coming months we expect the strength of headline inflation to keep pay awards at their current three per cent benchmark."