Postal workers in Hadleigh were today among thousands of Communication Workers Union starting a two day strike for better pay to deal with the cost of living crisis.

It appeared members of the public gave their stamp of approval to the Royal mail workers who had joined in the industrial action with many supportive comments by passers by.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) called on its members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take industrial action on 8, 9 and 30 September and 1 October.

The CWU said its 115,000 members did not support an "imposed" 2% pay rise.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail says the union rejected an offer worth up to 5.5%.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: "There can be no doubt that postal workers are completely united in their determination to secure the dignified, proper pay rise they deserve.

"We can't keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions in profit while their employees are forced to use food banks."

Mr Ward highlighted the £400m the company had returned to shareholders in the last year, saying "our members won't accept pleads of poverty from the company".

Royal Mail's latest adjusted operating profit for the year to March was £416m, up from £344m previously, but the company says it is currently losing £1m a day.

A spokesperson from Royal Mail apologised to customers for the inconvenience and reiterated that it was now a parcels business. 

"We must adapt old ways of working designed for letters," the spokesperson said.

"We want to reassure you we will do everything we can to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as quickly as possible."

"Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce.

"We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption. "

The Royal mail has advised users on its website that:

On days when strike action is taking place: 

• We will deliver as many Special Delivery and Tracked24 parcels as possible
• We will prioritise the delivery of COVID test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
• We will not be delivering letters (with the exception of Special Delivery)  

What you can do:

• Post your items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates 
• Continue to post your items at Postboxes or Post Offices, however collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place