Leaders of the Communication Workers Union met on Monday in the aftermath of a ballot in which postal staff voted against strike action.

Plans for a national walkout were rejected last week by a margin of less than 2,000 votes.

In contrast, voters in London backed industrial action by 11 votes to four, leaving open the possibility of strikes in the Capital.

However, such a move would disrupt services across the UK.

The CWU released a statement following the results of the ballot.

"The national ballot is disappointing news for the union but Royal Mail cannot view a less than one per cent majority as a mandate for massive job losses across the industry," it said.

"We still have to get an negotiated settlement, all that's changed is that the union's position is considerably less strong than it was before," added a spokesman.