She also talked about the pressures of the busiest time of year, when around twice the normal volume of letters and parcels is processed.
Scottish Labour candidate Monica Lennon visited Royal Mail postal workers at the Glasgow South East Delivery Office in Cambuslang, standing in solidarity with staff serving the communities of Rutherglen, Cambuslang and Blantyre ahead of the Christmas peak.
As an active member of the CWU Parliamentary Group – the trade union representing thousands of postal workers – Lennon met with experienced and new posties, including her own local postman, to hear first-hand about the pressures of the busiest time of year, when around twice the normal volume of letters and parcels is processed.
Crucially, Lennon highlighted the urgent need for robust health and safety protections for staff, particularly concerning the threat of dangerous dogs, which posties cite as their biggest workplace risk.
Ms Lennon said: “Our posties are essential workers, delivering for our communities every single day, and their commitment doubles during Christmas. They deserve our full support and, most importantly, a guarantee of safety at work.
“As the Scottish Labour and Co-op candidate for Rutherglen, Cambuslang and Blantyre, I am dedicated to championing the rights of our postal workers, and proudly work with the CWU on the issues that matter most to our posties and the people they serve.
“It was worrying to hear that dangerous dogs are the number one health and safety concern for our posties. This is an issue I know too well, having been bitten by a dog while delivering leaflets over the summer. There’s work to be done to ensure that dog owners take practical steps to minimise the risk to our posties.
“Over the festive period, I know that our communities will appreciate the extra distance that our posties are going to ensure everyone receives important mail and parcels. With Royal Mail taking on new responsibilities, like age verification for alcohol and weapons, everyone should be aware that when your postie asks for ID they are following the law.”
Central Scotland MSP Lennon also spoke to lead customer operations manager Barry Ross about the immense effort being made by the team. The Glasgow South East Delivery Office has recruited four temporary staff and employed 12 temporary vehicles to meet the festive demand.
Lennon praised the staff’s professionalism in adapting to the massive growth in parcel volumes, highlighting the importance of Royal Mail’s strategy to expand choice and convenience for customers through its UK-wide network of over 24,000 parcel points.
Barry said: “Christmas is our busiest time of year and the whole Royal Mail team in Glasgow South East is proud to play a part in it. It was great to have Monica visit our Delivery Office to show how we are pulling out all the stops to deliver Christmas for our customers.”