Royal Mail is set to get back around the table with its workers today, as a 48-hour strike continues to disrupt services.

Around 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) downed tools on Thursday in the dispute over pay and planned company “modernisation”, which it believes may put up to 40,000 jobs at risk.

Royal Mail said it was “hugely disappointed and extremely concerned” that talks had failed to reach agreement.

However, it also announced a deal with the Unite union, representing 12,000 of its managers, agreeing a 2.5 per cent increase in pay, modernisation and pension reform.

The CWU has another stoppage planned for Monday, and has made it clear that the strikes will not be called off until an agreement is reached.

It has criticised the government for allowing the dispute to continue, accusing it of showing “complete disinterest”.

“If this was Northern Rock they would be pouring money in,” said Billy Hayes, general secretary. “This is a company that they own and they seem to have no interest whatsoever.”

Postal services are expected to be severely disrupted until the end of next week.