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Leaders clash over postal dispute Leaders clash over postal dispute
(41 minutes later)
David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of lacking the "courage and leadership" to intervene in the postal dispute to prevent two days of planned strikes.David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of lacking the "courage and leadership" to intervene in the postal dispute to prevent two days of planned strikes.
The Conservative leader said postal unions had been emboldened to take action by Mr Brown's "weakness".The Conservative leader said postal unions had been emboldened to take action by Mr Brown's "weakness".
Labour's decision to drop plans to part-privatise Royal Mail had led to the current situation, he added. He said that since plans to part-privatise Royal Mail had been shelved, "union militancy has got worse".
Mr Brown accused the Tory leader of politicising the situation and urged unions and managers to agree a deal. Mr Brown said that had nothing to do with the dispute and urged unions and managers to agree a deal.
At prime minister's questions, Mr Brown said the strike, due to begin on Thursday, would be "counter-productive" for the business, its staff and the public. The Royal Mail and the Communications Workers Union have been in contact on Wednesday but no more face-to-face talks are scheduled ahead of the two planned 24-hour strikes.
He denied any connection behind the abandonment of a bill to sell off part of the Royal Mail, in the face of opposition from Labour MPs, earlier this year and the current industrial dispute. 'Negotiation and mediation'
Discussions between Royal Mail and the postal workers' union are set to resume later in a last-ditch attempt to avert the two planned 24-hour strikes. At Prime Minister's questions, Mr Brown said the strike, due to begin on Thursday, would be "counter-productive" for the business, its staff and the public.
He said the Bill which would have sold off part of the Royal Mail - which was strongly opposed by Labour MPs - had "nothing to do with the dispute at the moment", which he said dated back to 2007.
He said politicians should be urging "negotiation and mediation" adding: "It's in nobody's interest that this strike goes ahead."
He told Mr Cameron: "I would urge you to reflect on your comments as to whether anything you are saying is making it easier for us to solve what is a difficult dispute."
But the Tory leader accused the PM of "an appalling display of weakness" in apparently dropping legislation to reform Royal Mail.
Mr Brown said the reason the plan had been halted was that there had been no commercial buyer for the service - he also claimed a Conservative frontbencher had said they were not sure the Tories could sell it either, if they won power.
'Condemn it'
But Mr Cameron said his party would support the bill and asked why Mr Brown did not have "the guts" to bring it to the House of Commons.
"Since the government abandoned part-privatisation of the Royal Mail, union militancy has got worse," he said.
"You didn't stop the Bill because you couldn't sell the Royal Mail. You stopped the Bill because you couldn't sell it to your own backbenchers."
Mr Cameron urged the prime minister to "condemn these strikes and join me in sending a direct message to the trade union to call this strike off".
But Mr Brown accused him of bringing industrial relations "into the political arena".
He added: "It would be far better if the Conservative Party and other parties encouraged there to be negotiation and, if necessary, arbitration on this matter.
"I repeat to you, the 2007 modernisation is at the heart of this dispute and that is what's got to be moved forward. The Bill is nothing to do with this dispute."