POST Office workers in Bolton will strike on Monday.

The one-day strike has been called by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and is being followed by three days of work-to-rule on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The union is opposed to plans to franchise or close 75 Crown offices, the larger sites usually found on high streets, such as the Deansgate branch in Bolton town centre.

Union bosses claim closures would result in hundreds of job losses but Post Office said they were necessary to halt massive losses in the network.

The CWU also wants pay rises for staff.

Post Office chiefs are reassuring customers that they will be doing all they can to prevent disruption to customers during the strike.

The Post Office also stressed that the Bolton branch had remained open during previous strike action.

Should there be any disruption to customer service posters will be displayed at the branch to advise customers of the closest alternative branches.

Kevin Gilliland, network and sales director at the Post Office said: “The CWU is calling for an above inflation pay agreement when last year our overall performance was a loss of £116m; we must reverse this loss of public money.

“Strike action can only cost our people money, cause disruption to customers and threaten our plans to turn the business around and keep our branches on high streets across the UK.”

Union bosses said the strike was a “last resort” to bring “management back to the negotiating table for meaningful talks aimed at a resolution of our grievances”.

Angela Bottomley the CWU’s representative in Greater Manchester added: ”All that the counter staff are asking for is to be treated the same as other staff in other areas of the Post Office, who have been given a pay rise. This also comes at a time when senior management has paid itself bonuses totalling more than £15m.”

Letters will be delivered as usual during the strike action.