POSTAL workers joined picket lines across south Essex as they walked out in a row over pay sparking a fortnight of chaos.

Royal Mail staff downed tools and stopped deliveries in Southend and Hockley on Friday as staff demanded a pay rise which they say must reflect the cost of living.

The strikes come amid a backdrop of a summer of strike action which has caused disruption across the county.

Rail workers have walked out in a row over pay while Arriva bus drivers are due to strike across Essex and Kent in the coming weeks.

Around 800 bus workers at Arriva in Kent and Essex are set to strike over a "pay cut presented as rise", according to Unite.

The union says staff voted to strike after Arriva offered a 7.8 per cent pay increase, whilst the UK inflation rate is at 10.1 per cent.

NHS staff, including nurses, and teachers have all also threatened to consider strike action in response to pay disputes.

Luke Elgar, 30, a Royal Mail worker and member of The Communication Workers Union said people felt they needed to “fight back”.

He said: “We are hoping for a fair pay rise that’s in line with growing inflation and the cost of living crisis.

“We feel undervalued by Royal Mail which has made big bonuses and we feel the company only cares about its shareholders and not about its staff.

“On the picket lines there was a sense of people being able to fight back.”

Aston Line, Labour councillor for Westborough joined a Southend picket line and said the workers are only asking what is fair.

He said: “Our posties were frontline heroes throughout the pandemic, they never stopped working and as a result they generated record profits for Royal Mail Group.”

But Dan Nelson, Tory shadow cabinet member for community safety and economic recovery said the strike action only hit ordinary people. He said: “Strikes like this impact people going about their daily lives and hit the most vulnerable.

“Bus strikes affect people getting to work and getting shopping and postal strikes affect people getting medicines, health and appointment letters and passports too.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The CWU strike thrusts Royal Mail into the most uncertain time of its 500-year history. It is putting jobs at risk and making pay rises less affordable.

“We apologise to our customers, and the public for the inconvenience the CWU’s strike action will cause. We have offered to meet the CWU numerous times in recent weeks, but they declined each invitation, preferring to spend their time on the political agenda of the UK trade union movement.

“We remain ready to talk with the CWU to try and avert damaging industrial action and prevent significant inconvenience for customers. But any talks must be about both change and pay.”