Amid huge support for the principle of a nationalised Royal Mail, and anger over a new imposed pay settlement far short of expectations, activists are finding it difficult to convince workers that it is worth striking for either.

A decision to unilaterally enforce a rejected pay decision on workers at Royal Mail has led to a ballot for strike action by the CWU, but preparations for the burgeoning dispute will now take up to a month to come into effect, with the union hoping that the company will negotiate a slightly better deal instead.

Stewards, who have for years been battling to convince members the CWU won’t simply capitulate in the face of attacks from Royal Mail, are finding that despite agreement with the union, there is also a lack of belief that anything can be done about it.

One activist from the Anglian postal branch of the union said: “The reaction ranges from apathy to anger, more part-timers are accepting of the pay award though many are angry at it being imposed.”

“Such an action as imposing pay without negotiation is an outright attack on the union and we won’t take it lying down.”

But following years of cutbacks to the workforce, morale across the company is extremely low, he added: “Many are sick of what’s going on and just want to take the money and run. On a positive note we (recently) had a member come into our branch office wanting to become a rep in an office we presently have no-one in. It seems Leighton is doing a great job in recruiting for us.”

Earlier this month, in what was seen as a hostile move by Royal Mail Chairman Alan Leighton, a 2.9% pay offer that had already been rejected by the CWU was unilaterally imposed across the company.

Earlier this month, in what was seen as a hostile move by Royal Mail Chairman Alan Leighton, a 2.9% pay offer that had already been rejected by the CWU was unilaterally imposed across the company.

The CWU responded by calling a ballot on strike action. The union said in a statement: “The pay negotiations are part of wider issues facing the future of Royal Mail and its workforce. Details of a recent efficiency saving deal are being withheld by the company, making the negotiations more difficult. The wording of any agreement will also need to address the future of the business and future pay structures in an increasingly competitive market.”

The imposition was followed by a strong showing for the union when it balloted its members ahead of the CWU conference last month finding that 98.5% of members responding to a ballot backed a union plan to retain nationalisation and fight against Leighton’s proposals to ‘privatise by the back door’.

90,000 people, representing just under half of the total Royal Mail workforce, actively responded in favour of the CWU’s ‘Shaping the future’ plan, giving it one of the strongest mandates of recent times to campaign on a range of issues, including pay, pensions, and privatisation, according to the union.

An early victory has been claimed on the second issue, after the government agreed a package late last month to put £1.7bn into a package to wipe out a large proportion of Royal Mail’s £5.5bn deficit.

While the deal, which Leighton claimed would eventually pay back one pound in five to the government, has been attacked by the far right press as a case of government bailouts for the public sector, supporters have pointed out that the government took out far more during an earlier 15-year ‘pensions holiday’ and profit-taking exercise.