The Royal Mail said it is “committed to further talks” as the Communication Workers Union (CWU) unveiled plans for three days of industrial action this month.

Royal Mail workers plan to strike between October 19 and 21 after nearly 90% of CWU members voted in favour of industrial action earlier this week.

The ongoing dispute that has led to planned industrial action was sparked by the Royal Mail’s decision to close its final pension scheme.

Royal Mail has said it is “deeply disappointed” by the CWU’s decision, but has stressed that due to the Agenda for Growth agreement signed in 2013, the union has no legal right to strike.

Royal Mail said the process that this “legally binding dispute resolution procedure” requires the CWU to undergo would take until at least Christmas to be completed.

A statement from the Royal Mail said: “The company is committed to further talks as a matter of urgency to reach agreement with the CWU. There are no grounds for industrial action. We want to reach agreement.”

If the strike goes ahead, it will be the first postal strike since 2009 and the first since the Royal Mail was privatised three years ago.

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