A DISPUTE is building up between union leaders and Royal Mail over claims postal workers are being pressured into walking faster.

The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said delivery staff were being told to walk at a speed of 4mph, an increase over a previous target of 2.4mph.

The union said delivery workers were being pressed to complete "unrealistic" rounds to gain financial savings. But Royal Mail said nobody was being pressured.

Meanwhile, the wait goes on for six postal staff from the Burslem depot who are appealing after being sacked last year.

CWU area delivery representative, Malcolm Brundrett, said the 4mph figure comes from a computer system which calculates the optimum post load that can be delivered by staff.

However, he said Royal Mail has not reached any agreements with the union about how to use the results from the system, called Pegasus Europe Geo-route.

He said: "There has been no national agreement for the use of Pegasus and the values that are entered into it. Royal Mail has always said to us that the values are based on university studies.

"If you are only walking 100 yards down the road then you might be able to go at four miles an hour but when you are stopping at delivery points, it is different."

National CWU officials have claimed workers were facing "bullying and harassment" by managers trying to force delivery workers to take on larger rounds.

A Royal Mail spokesman denied this claim and said the average postal worker covers less than six miles in a 3.5-hour period.

She added: "Royal Mail carefully plans every postman and postwoman's walk so that no-one is asked to cover a greater distance or deliver more mail than they are capable of doing.

"The systems we use to help us plan the most effective delivery walks have been successfully used nationwide in many hundreds of delivery offices since 1996."

The latest dispute between the CWU and Royal Mail comes as six workers from the Burslem delivery office await the result of an appeal into their dismissal.

The workers were among 12 to be suspended from the Scotia Road depot in September 2006 and were sacked last year amid allegations of bullying and harassment.

CWU branch secretary Andy Plant said they hoped to be reinstated after the hearing.

He said: "Everything has been heard. We understand that the report has been concluded but we are just waiting for the decision."

Mr Plant agreed that it was unfair to expect postal workers to complete their rounds at an average of 4mph.

He said: "It is unrealistic to expect four miles an hour from people on three-and-a-half hour delivery spans.

"I think if you expect that from someone who is carrying a pouch with 16 kilos for that amount of time, then you are being unreasonable."