POSTAL workers in Worcestershire face an uncertain future after Consignia announced 17,000 job losses throughout the country and losses of £1.1bn last year.

The jobs will go over three years and come on top of 13,000 previously announced.

A company spokesman said there was "no picture of local impact at this point and we don't see this as a picture of people waiting to hear if their jobs are going to go".

It was hoped the cuts would be met through natural wastage.

The company will also change its controversial name and re-brand the group as Royal Mail from the end of the year at a cost of around £1m.

The firm admitted it had lost £1.2m every working day in the financial year to March.

Savings

Chairman Allan Leighton confirmed that second deliveries are to be axed, saving £350m a year by moving to a single delivery on six days a week.

Three thousand sub-postmasters throughout the country are interested in taking up an offer of compensation to close their offices, Mr Leighton revealed.

"The network is losing over £3m a week and many sub-postmasters are already struggling to survive in urban areas, even before the switch to direct credit of benefits into bank accounts next April," he said.

Union sources said Consignia had been warned that if the plan goes ahead, an industrial action ballot would be held among 200,000 workers.

The company also said today that chief executive John Roberts is to retire later this year after seven years in his job.