Belfast postal workers' strike is continuing

Discussions to try to resolve the unofficial dispute had been due to take place in Belfast on Sunday afternoon.

Royal Mail's Steven Cameron said talks were called off because of a split between local and national CWU leaders, a claim rejected by the union.

Discussions are now expected to go ahead in London on Monday.

Workers at the Tomb Street depot in Belfast began the strike on 31 January.

Deliveries in north, south and west Belfast have been disrupted.

Mr Cameron said: "The national union wanted the talks because of difficulties they were having with local officials.

"That is why we are going to organise... to meet the national union in London and get those talks going."

Union spokesman Peter Donaghy said that Royal Mail had no excuse for walking away.

"What happens in these things, which is standard practice, is that the meeting with the national officials goes on in one room, and local officials who are at the heart of the dispute would be in another room," he said.

"Obviously if there's a resolution to the dispute, they can go straight to the source of the dispute and find out if that's acceptable."

Blame attempts

Earlier, both Royal Mail and the union had attempted to blame each other for prolonging the dispute.

Royal Mail published a letter it had lodged with the Labour Relations Agency which offered to involve a third party in a review of working relationships at the Tomb Street depot.

Royal Mail claimed union officials had accepted the offer last Monday.

On Saturday, the union insisted the company had not put forward any firm proposals.

The CWU had been in talks at the Labour Relations Agency for four days last week.

The strike began over difficulties between staff and management over disciplinary procedures and other issues in the north Belfast section.

It is understood the dispute relates to allegations of widespread bullying and harassment in the company.

However, Royal Mail rejected the claims, saying the company was only dealing with a small number of cases.

Post has been disrupted in north, south and west Belfast but an attempt to widen the strike to Londonderry failed because of a lack of support for the Belfast workers.