Small business owners are being warned that fresh postal strikes will occur in the UK this week as part pf a continuing dispute over job cuts and modernisation.

Up to 20,000 postal workers will take strike action over the next week as the Communication Workers Union (CWU) claim that their workers are, "facing a beating on all aspects of their working lives."

However, the strike is another unwanted headache for small and medium-sized businesses and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has told the CWU to, "wake up to the need for change."

Strikes this week will affect Skegness and Huntingdon today, Rochdale tomorrow, Birmingham, Coventry, London, Essex, Peterborough, Cambridge, Bristol, Leeds and Bridgend on Thursday, London, Stirling and Edinburgh on Friday and Middlesbrough and London and the Isle of Wight on Saturday.