Royal Mail is to take its latest pay offer for the UK's 160,000 postmen and women to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) in an effort to avoid "damaging disruption" to postal services. The offer – which Royal Mail says is 14.5% - is linked to changes already outlined in Royal Mail's turnaround plan, including the introduction of a new transport network and the move to a single daily mail delivery. The latest offer – linked to performance and increased efficiency – will see a basic pay rise of 3% effective 6 October 2003, followed by a 1.5% rise in basic pay effective 5 April 2004. Also, targeted mail centres will be called upon to save between 5% and 10% in staff costs by March 2004. Royal Mail also confirmed the closure of four mail centres – Paddington, Slough, Guildford and Farnborough – occurring in the next two years.