Watchdog rules out cut in post deliveries

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Watchdog-ru ... 4071490.jp

Published Date: 11 May 2008

By Marc Horne
BRITAIN'S mail regulator has ruled out scrapping postal deliveries on Saturdays, despite the Royal Mail plunging into the red for the first time.
Speculation had been growing that the Postal Services Commission was set to respond to the company's financial difficulties by recommending that deliveries be reduced to five days a week, sparking an angry backlash from mail users, unions, politicians, businesses and watchdog groups.

But Postcomm, the independent body that regulates the postal service for the Government, insisted there was no question of Saturday deliveries being abandoned.

A spokesman told Scotland on Sunday last night: "I can say categorically, robustly and definitively that this is not going to happen. There is absolutely no truth in the suggestion we are going to recommend a reduction in service."

Postcomm will, however, reveal recommendations in the next 10 days on the future of the service, including securing 'universal service', the promise to deliver letters to each of the 28 million addresses in Britain for the same price.

Royal Mail revealed last week that its postal service made a £100m loss in the year to March. The average daily mailbag shrunk from 83 million letters in 2006-07 to 80 million in the year to March – the second consecutive fall and a far bigger decline than the one million figure a year earlier.

As part of attempts to cut costs, the mail service has already stopped twice-daily deliveries and post office mailboxes are no longer emptied on a Sunday. The downturn has been blamed on the rise of the internet, with people increasingly using e-mail to communicate and paying bills online.

Royal Mail said it welcomed a recommendation that universal service should continue. A spokesman said: "Royal Mail is dismayed by the idea of adverse changes and reducing our first-class quality of service targets."

Business leaders said cuts had gone far enough. David Frost, chairman of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "We can't allow any further fall in service. Otherwise businesses will get round using Royal Mail by using electronic communications or by using rival operators."





The full article contains 354 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

* Last Updated: 10 May 2008 7:55 PM
* Source: Scotland On Sunday
* Location: Scotland

[Tman]

The average daily mailbag shrunk from 83 million letters in 2006-07 to 80 million in the year to March – the second consecutive fall and a far bigger decline than the one million figure a year earlier.

What a load of rubbish!
Why, there's blokes on here whose bags are MUCH heavier now than before, and that PROVES it's rubbish.
I bet the journo who wrote that piece was a manager really.....

[DirtyHarry]

The average daily mailbag shrunk from 83 million letters in 2006-07 to 80 million in the year to March – the second consecutive fall and a far bigger decline than the one million figure a year earlier.

What a load of rubbish!
Why, there's blokes on here whose bags are MUCH heavier now than before, and that PROVES it's rubbish.
I bet the journo who wrote that piece was a manager really.....

Listen mate, if your masters will continue with slashing jobs, increasing the workloads of those workers left in the business, and then bleat about a drop
in mail volumes only they can percieve.............Tough s**t.

[DGP1]

According to RM's figures letters reduced from 83 million to 80 million which works out at just under 10000 items per day over the entire business.

[Tman]

I make it a drop of about 43,000 per MC per day, and that's unsustainable in the long-term. Time for a few to get thier heads out of the sand, I reckon..

[DGP1]

I make it a drop of about 43,000 per MC per day, and that's unsustainable in the long-term. Time for a few to get thier heads out of the sand, I reckon..

That's fine, maybe your job should go then because us on delivery will still be getting our backs broken carrying all that non existent mail.

[Tman]

I'm sure it beats signing on because of the non-existant mail, but what "broken back" has to do with my my job God-alone knows.
Is there a hidden meaning?

[Darren Bent]

it is bullock, I mean it is probably mean 15 millions fewer small letters and 12 millions heavier letter/catalogue/brochure. Then Royal Mail would earn more money from heavier post.

[sevenandseven]

Figures may suggest a drop but my bags are certainly not getting lighter. Stamped mail person to person certainly is less evident and probably has been falling since the advent of the telephone never mind email. However there are definitely more catalogues, brochures, Sky mags, Saga mags, and small jiffy type packages and not forgetting all those 'too small' for drivers to take.

[Tman]

Very true 6&7, the make-up of the mail and the type of mail has been changing for years, leading to heavier bags.
So a heavier bag now (as opposed to the "same" bag 10 years ago) doesn't equal more mail in said bag and doesn't mean "there is no drop in mail volumes".

[DirtyHarry]

Very true 6&7, the make-up of the mail and the type of mail has been changing for years, leading to heavier bags.
So a heavier bag now (as opposed to the "same" bag 10 years ago) doesn't equal more mail in said bag and doesn't mean "there is no drop in mail volumes".

Does it really matter? Whichever way management look at it, it would be immoral to slash jobs, especially if that sort of careless action results in
postal workers being faced with intolerable, unmanageable, workloads.

[24601]

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Watchdog-ru ... 4071490.jp



A spokesman told Scotland on Sunday last night: "I can say categorically, robustly and definitively that this is not going to happen. There is absolutely no truth in the suggestion we are going to recommend a reduction in service."

Methinks he protests too much !!!!!!

[dongash]

who counts the mail now? we all used to weigh our own in? my mate works at our local m.c and says when they are pushed for time they just push the mail straight out onto the wagons without weighing it!!!! p.s you can make figures say anything you want them to!!!! :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo

[Tman]

who counts the mail now? we all used to weigh our own in? my mate works at our local m.c and says when they are pushed for time they just push the mail straight out onto the wagons without weighing it!!!! p.s you can make figures say anything you want them to!!!! :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo

Except that's not how the national throughputs and statistics are compiled....

Only a cynic would truly think our employer would ever lie about such things or anything for that matter and i just cant believe you would even say such a thing as that, because that would be fraud and neither the Goverment or RM would ever do such a thing to try and push their own agenda? You naughty person. LOL.

Back to the old "RM is telling porkies" line again. Certainly seems like yet another Groundhog Day on RMC..
Wonder why so many seem to want to believe it's all part of some great underhand conspiracy theory, when the facts are so easy to check, and the chances of RM being found out so high?

[k979aaa]

WHO CARE'S TURNOVER IS NOW UP TO 9.4 BILLION POUND'S AND RISING!. HOW CAN TURNOVER BE UP AND VOLUME'S DOWN SOMETHING'S SMELL'S FISHY!.