In an open letter to Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson, the CWU's Dave Ward made a "fresh offer" to avoid the planned strikes with the union set to serve the relevant notice to announce the action on 15 October.

Ward has outlined an eight-point offer to help "restore customer confidence" in the mail operator at a time when companies such as Amazon and House of Fraser are dropping lucrative contracts with Royal Mail.

The CWU's offer requests that Royal Mail reveals its business plan for the whole transformation programme, which is designed to ensure long-term stability for the business.

It adds that the operator recommits to the main principle of its 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement and, in doing so, agrees to planned 2010 changes that include the rollout of new walk-sequencing machines. 

Other stipulations outlined by Ward include Royal Mail being prepared to step back from imposed change and to resolve all current local disputes by agreement.

The union also proposes that the national parties "jointly explore" the possibility of third-party mediation and engage in such assistance to bring about "a fundamental long-term improvement to industrial and employee relations".

The Royal Mail has previously called hte strike action "totally unjustified" and claimed that the CWU has reneged on previous agreements.