A union boss says he is ’surprised and shocked’ that the Post Office board put out an ’unhelpful’ statement suggesting talks to resolve a dispute had not gone well.

Following talks with the Communication Workers Union last week, the Post Office board said it was ’disappointed’ that the latest round of negotiations over pay and pension reform had failed to reach an agreement.

Chief executive Simon Kneen said it was frustrating that ’despite progress in recent weeks’, CWU national negotiator Terry Pullinger had been ’unwilling to put the proposals to a member vote’.

He said there had been support for the changes from the other employee union, CMA/Unite, and claimed some local CWU memberss had indicated their backing.

But Mr Pullinger said the statement didn’t reflect Thursday’s meeting at all.

He said: ’When I left that meeting I’m not saying I was ultra confident we would reach an agreement but it was amicable. It was constructive. I was to draft a response to try to move things forward.

’We were still in talks so it was a shock to see the statement. Mr Kneen never said it was his intention. It was unhelpful.’

He added: ’I suspect they were hoping the talks would break down but they didn’t. It suggests it was a pre-prepared statement that was quickly adjusted.’

Postal members of the CWU held a two-day strike before Christmas followed by a three day walk-out in February.

Mr Pullinger said the union had a validated mandate for further strike action and just had to give seven days’ notice.

He said the option of a further strike was a ’decision to take’.

And he said if the dispute wasn’t resolved there was the option of arbitration or a court of inquiry. ’We would have our day in court - win, lose or draw,’ he said.

Mr Pullinger claimed the management was ’playing to people’s concerns and trying to split the membership’. And he said he suspected the union was not negotiating with the real decision-makers.

He said: ’We are trying to meet people half-way. It’s so disappointing that we are still running against a brick wall.’

But Mr Kneen said: ’Given IoMPO’s current financial status, as well as challenging trading conditions, we firmly believe our final counter proposal offered was both fair and realistic.’