Northwich delivery office postie blasts Royal Mail bosses

[POSTMAN]

https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/new ... oyal-mail/

A POSTIE based at Northwich delivery office has blasted Royal Mail over staffing levels, impossible workloads, and low morale, claiming it is having a serious knock-on effect for customers.

The delivery worker, who asked not to be named, contacted Northwich & Winsford Guardian outlining a series of concerns about current practices at the office.

These include claims vacancies, holidays, and sickness absences, are often not covered, leading to backlogs and inevitable delivery delays.

According to the postie, some customers have experienced mail arriving days or even weeks late when staffing gaps have been left uncovered.

In response, Royal Mail said the recent rollout of its new delivery model in Northwich had 'significantly improved' service levels, but acknowledged there are staffing issues.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Some resourcing challenges, mostly due to high sickness absence rates, have meant a small number of customers have received deliveries every other day in the last two weeks.

"Recruitment is underway to ensure this is fixed."

The whistle blower also claimed overtime opportunities had been restricted, making it impossible to complete daily delivery rounds.

Royal Mail rejected the allegation, stating: "There is no restriction on overtime, and it is used in line with business need."

Concerns were also raised about what the employee described as 'unachievable' workloads on some rounds.

Royal Mail said it was aware of issues on certain routes and was reviewing workloads, adding: "The management team is currently undertaking a review to ensure fairness."

The whistle blower further alleged when rounds cannot be completed, staff are instructed to prioritise certain items, including Special Delivery parcels, passports, Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 parcels, and first-class mail.

Royal Mail confirmed it operates a 'prioritisation framework' during periods of disruption, such as severe weather or high sickness absence.

Under the guidance, Special Delivery items, first-class letters and parcels, Tracked 24 products and NHS correspondence are prioritised ahead of second-class post, economy mail, and promotional leaflets.

The postie also questioned why promotional leaflets continued to be delivered when other mail remained outstanding.

Royal Mail said the deliveries form part of contractual obligations.

"These leaflets are a regular workload item, and failure to deliver them would be a breach of contract with our customers," the spokesman said.

The whistle blower additionally raised concerns about pay progression, claiming increases in the National Minimum Wage had narrowed the pay gap for longer-serving staff.

Royal Mail pointed to an agreement reached with the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) earlier this year, which included a 4.75 per cent pay rise for employees on newer contracts, backdated to April 1, 2026, and a 3 per cent increase for workers on legacy contracts.

Other concerns included staff morale, employment conditions for newer recruits, and the use of small chocolate bars as rewards for employees.

Royal Mail said the office's management team maintained a 'strong and constructive' relationship with local union representatives, and met daily to discuss staffing and operational issues.

The company said changes agreed with the CWU in April also included enhanced terms and conditions for employees who joined after December 1, 2022.

A CWU spokesman said: "British postal workers are under serious stress due to the historic mismanagement of Royal Mail from successive corporate leaderships which have created a struggling company, and an understaffed, demoralised workforce.

"We urge members of the public to treat their posties with decency and patience in this time."

Royal Mail stressed that service levels in the area are improving.

A company spokesman said: "The vast majority of mail in Northwich is being delivered on time.

"Where individual delivery routes are affected, our posties are working hard to ensure any outstanding mail is delivered the next working day.

"We are also actively recruiting for additional posties to support colleagues at Northwich Delivery Office, and maintain a reliable service for our customers.

"Our latest published results show that performance in the CW postcode area, which includes Northwich, is improving.

"First Class performance has risen from 66.6 per cent delivered the next working day at the end of the last financial year to 85.4 per cent in our latest results.

"We take the wellbeing of our colleagues seriously, and will continue to engage with employees and provide support where needed."