Top executives at the cash-strapped Post Office earn average salaries of nearly £100,000.

Post Office chairman Julie Edge MHK has refused to reveal the price salary grades for the three executives, as it would risk identifying individual information.

But, in response to a Tynwald question calling for a breakdown of all pay grades, she said the average salary across the three positions was £96,000.

The salary range for the rest of the employees goes from just over £19,000 to £56,000, taking account pro-rata equivalent for part-time employees.

The largest group of employees - 188 - has an average wage of £26,343.

Ms Edge said: ’Our existing pay structure does not have spine points and therefore each grade is paid in accordance with the pay directives approved by the board following negotiations with the appropriate unions.’

There are about 340 full- and part-time workers at the Post Office, including 31 managers.

Last month postal workers voted unanimously to ballot for industrial action in protest at planned cuts.

The move came following a mass meeting of members of the Communication Workers’ Union after talks broke down between the union and management over proposals to modernise the Post Office, including changes to postal workers’ pay, terms and conditions and pensions.

Other planned changes include reducing postal collections from six days a week to five and cutting the number of sub-post offices and reducing their hours.

As the Courier reported last week, it was revealed more than 2,700 people had responded to a consultation on proposed changes.

The Post Office, which reported a £1.2 million loss for 2017/18, asked people for their views on how it could ’adapt its letter and parcel deliveries and post office services in the community to suit demand in a financially responsible way’.

The question about salary grades was tabled by Lawrie Hooper (LibVannin, Ramsey) who also raised concerns that the Post Office was already looking at a different pension scheme for staff.

He said: ’The Post Office went out to procurement to procure a provider for a new defined contribution pension scheme. That is a big strategic choice.’

Mr Hooper demanded to know how that fitted in with Tynwald approval.

Ms Edge said: ’We have gone out to look to see what possible schemes are available to Isle of Man Post Office and there was a clause within that exercise to state that it was subject to Tynwald approval.’