Royal Mail has ruled out seven sites proposed by Coventry City Council and the CWU for a proposed combined Coventry and Northampton mail centre between junctions 15 and 16 of the M1.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) Coventry branch communications officer Simon Gatherer told printweek.com that of the 1,000 employees working in and around the Coventry centre, 500 are at risk of unemployment.

Gatherer said: "500 staff will still be needed to undertake deliveries in the area but the other 500 will be displaced and we've had no suitable suggestions for their future.

"There are simply not another 500 Royal Mail vacancies in Coventry for them, it's unrealistic."

Gatherer warned that if the Royal Mail continued with its plans and didn't show willing to reconsider, then industrial action was an increasingly likely option.

He said: "Their motives are questionable and the savings they propose are not significant.

Gatherer called the whole process "cloak and dagger" and said that if the process continued, "we will have to ballot our members for strike action, which at this rate, won't be long".

A spokesman for Royal Mail responded to the claims, telling printweek.com "the process is ongoing. We've looked at all the suggested sites but we need to secure the future of Royal Mail in an increasingly competitive environment."

They added that Royal Mail would work with each employee individually to secure the best position possible.

"We can offer a good support package if they want to move the new site or we can offer them access to any positions that come up in around the Coventry area, including our Parcelforce hub at the airport."

Talks between Royal Mail and the CWU are ongoing.