Royal Mail has said it is "disappointing" that some 4,900 managers have threatened strike action after rejecting 1.3% pay rise offer.

Parcel and letter delivery services could be hit as union members prepare to vote on whether to take strike action after rejecting the carrier’s 1.3% pay offer.

The strike ballot, which will run for the next two weeks, follows a consultative ballot last week which saw 4,900 Royal Mail managers vote to reject a 1.3% pay rise for the year starting September 2015. The dispute does not include Parcelforce which is covered by a separate agreement.

In a statement Royal Mail said: “It is disappointing that Unite has chosen to ballot its members. However a ballot for industrial action does not mean that any action will take place. Royal Mail has engaged Unite in serious discussion around its pay claim from September 2015.

“We maintain that we have put forward a fair and competitive offer, which recognises the efforts of our managers and compares well with current inflation levels. We want to reach agreement so that our managers receive their pay award as quickly as possible.”

Union Unite described the 1.3% pay offer as “paltry” and urged Royal Mail bosses to get round the negotiating table to avoid strike action.

Brian Scott, Unite representative for Royal Mail members, said: “Our members are disgusted and upset by the abject failure of Royal Mail to take the issue of pay seriously. It is adopting a high handed attitude.

“The company’s final pay offer has already been rejected by 95% of Unite members, but the management remains unwilling to sit down and find a way through this difficulty," he added. “The dispute is about the 1.3% pay offer for some employees, with a non-consolidated lump sum for others. There has been no increase in overtime or allowances.”

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