CWU Hails Small Businesses’ Support for Post Offices

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The Communications Workers Union has warmly welcomed the call by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for the government to halt any further post office closures.

In an survey of FSB members' opinions, 80 per cent of respondents revealed that they depended on post offices both for mail and other key business transactions, while almost half - 47 per cent - said that they visited their local branch at least twice a week.

And, with 2,500 post offices already having closed over the last year and a half, many fear that more cutbacks could damage their businesses.

Around one-fifth of those businesses surveyed said that post handling is already taking longer because of lengthening queues, while a similar number - 17 per cent - complained of having to travel further because their local branch had closed.

Summing up the feelings of his members, FSB industrial policy spokesman Clive Davenport explained: "The current system is not operating efficiently, which is leaving small businesses wasting valuable time travelling to another post office or waiting in queues.

"We are urging the Government to ensure we have a fully operating postal service to serve the needs of our 4.7 million small businesses," added Mr Davenport, who was one of the key speakers at the CWU Keep the Post Public rally this week.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward welcomed the survey, which, he said: "provides further evidence that the need for a fully integrated post office network is recognised right across society.

"Our members who provide the service and businesses and members of the public who depend on the service all agree that government must act to defend and expand this vital public service."

And CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey agreed, adding: "Government should ensure our Post Office network is viable and they should give them the remit to extend its financial services by becoming a state owned bank, which will ensure small businesses thrive and prosper."

The FSB survey, which polled 5,300 federation members, also indicated strong opposition to controversial government plans to part-privatise Royal Mail.