Consignia, the government-owned group formerly known as the Post Office, has been threatened with strike action after it announced plans to cut costs by 15 per cent, about £1.2 billion, over the next 18 months.

John Roberts, Consignia's chief executive, said that the planned cuts "probably means losing around one in 10 of our people in some areas".

The Communication Workers' Union said the company was planning to cut up to 30,000 jobs, but the company said savings would come from other areas. "That would be an extreme, worst-case figure," the company said of union claims.