British postal workers were set to strike on Thursday in a bitter row over pay, conditions and modernisation, in the first of two days of national action expected to cause widespread disruption.

Up to 120 000 staff were expected to walk out during the strike called by the Communication Workers Union, after hopes of a last-minute deal with state-owned postal operator Royal Mail collapsed on Wednesday.

Union leaders expressed regret that mail deliveries would be disrupted by the strike, which was due to begin at 4:00am (0300 GMT) Thursday, but blamed the government and Royal Mail for trying to scupper an agreement.

They also warned that the walkout, the first national strike by postal workers since 2007, may not be the last.

Royal Mail has branded the action "wholly unjustified", warning it would drive customers away from the business at a time when it faces growing competition from the private sector.

About 42 000 mail centre staff and drivers were due to walk out on Thursday, followed by 78 000 delivery and collection workers on Friday.

The strike follows months of negotiations, but CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said recent days had seen an attempt to scupper the deal.

"What we have seen in the last few days is a deliberate choreograph that tells us that the government and the Royal Mail are working hand in hand to avert any chances of reaching a solution," he said.

He said a letter sent Wednesday to the union by Royal Mail's managing director Mark Higson had "wiped out" progress made during the talks.

However, the postal operator rejected these claims, saying it had reached a deal with CWU negotiators but the union's national executive would not agree.

Higson said the union had "yet again failed to honour its commitment to call off strikes in return for a period of no change and has shown again that its intention is to inflict as much damage as it can on the postal service".

Business secretary Peter Mandelson said he regretted the CWU's decision, saying the government would work to ensure vital services would be maintained.

Royal Mail has said it will recruit up to 30 000 temporary staff to cope with the strike and the Christmas holiday rush.

"The company and the union must work together to find a long lasting solution and make the progress on modernisation that the Royal Mail desperately needs to survive," Mandelson added.

AFP

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