Thousands of Post Office workers are to stage a 24-hour strike in disputes over branch closures, jobs and pensions.

Members of the Communication Workers Union will walk out on September 15 after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action.

The union warned of an ongoing dispute over jobs, services and pensions, saying the Post Office was at a crisis point.

Dave Ward, general secretary of the CWU said: 'The Post Office is relentlessly pursuing a programme of cuts that will mean a further 2,000 job losses, staff being left tens of thousands of pounds worse off in retirement and the privatisation of its flagship branches.

'The Post Office is at crisis point and the Government has to step in.

'We are making a simple demand. The Government needs to pause the cuts, convene a summit of key stakeholders in the industry and work out a strategy that gives employees and the public confidence that the Post Office has a future.

'The Post Office has pointed to the bottom line in making these cuts, but it cannot pretend that using public money to pay off staff so they can be replaced with part-time jobs on the minimum wage is a success story or that closing down its flagship branches is a defence of the service.

'The Post Office has got to get out of the cycle of closures, job losses and attacks on staff terms and conditions. It needs a serious plan to grow revenues in areas like financial services.

'Other countries have brought in hugely successful Post Banks. There is no reason why our Post Office should be the world leader in managed decline.'