Small business concerns on Royal Mail future

[norbert]

http://www.smeweb.com/economy/news/smal ... 20925.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Government must take action to prevent more Post Office closures, FSB says.

Small businesses cannot afford any further Post Office closures, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned, ahead of a Government announcement on the future of Royal Mail on Thursday.

In a survey of 5,300 members of the FSB, 80 per cent said they depend on Post Offices to send their mail and for other business transactions, while 47 per cent said they visit the Post Office a couple of times a week.

The government has this week being trying to diffuse anger over its plans to part-privatise Royal Mail. Postal workers have protested in Westminster after it was announced that 30 percent of the company is to be sold off.

Government argues that Royal Mail simply cannot survive in its current state and must be part-privatised to fund modernisation and fight a growing pensions deficit which, the Royal Mail pension scheme trustees have warned, could be “significantly larger” than the 5.9 billion pounds estimated last year, Reuters reports.

Small businesses rely on an efficient network to run their business – and with 2,500 Post Offices already having closed over the last year and a half, further closures could have a serious impact on their business.

Closures have had already had a negative effect: nearly 20 per cent (19.5) said post handling takes longer because queues are longer and 17 per cent said they had to travel further because their local branch had closed.

The FSB is urging the Government to take action now to ensure our small businesses are able to use an effective system without further post office closures.

Nearly half (48 per cent) said they wanted Royal Mail to remain in state ownership, while 27 per cent said they would consider part-privatisation as the way forward if it meant no more post offices would be closed.

Clive Davenport, Trade and Industry Chairman, commented, "We have already seen more than 2,500 Post Offices shut over the last year – any more closures will have an even more damaging effect on small businesses which use its services daily."

"Yet, the current system is not operating efficiently, which is leaving small businesses wasting valuable time travelling to another post office or waiting in queues," he stressed.

"Post Offices are small businesses in their own right and are at the heart of many communities. Over 80 per cent of small businesses said that if their post office closes, it would have a significant impact on their business. The FSB is urging the Government to ensure we have a fully operating postal service to serve the needs of our 4.7 million small businesses," said Davenport.

[norbert]

biggest complaint is having to go further to get the reggies and recordeds out - the other is getting mail too late

[heapsy]

Nearly half (48 per cent) said they wanted Royal Mail to remain in state ownership, while 27 per cent said they would consider part-privatisation as the way forward if it meant no more post offices would be closed.

Isn't this another case of people not realising what is happening? Most post offices are privately owned now. Those that are still owned by the PO are not owned by RM. People don't seem to understand what has happened over the years, with Thatcher splitting the PO up ready for the original abortive attempt at privatisation.

[pinstripe]

Maybe if Small Businesses had supported our strike instead of bleating to the press about the unacceptable action we were taking costing them business, don't we know about e-mail, we're waiting for cheques etc, then they wouldn't be in this situation. Strange how they only think of themselves and expect everyone else to care about them as well. And haven't they heard of the Internet, you can do banking on it and send e-mails.

[norbert]

Maybe if Small Businesses had supported our strike instead of bleating to the press about the unacceptable action we were taking costing them business, don't we know about e-mail, we're waiting for cheques etc, then they wouldn't be in this situation. Strange how they only think of themselves and expect everyone else to care about them as well. And haven't they heard of the Internet, you can do banking on it and send e-mails.

http://www.no2eu.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it's amazing how Hellmail changed it's tune , all the p*** taking ; calling the Union & it's members fit to burn - then " suddenly " the grass wasn't greener on the other side and Mandy Mail could be very expensive with poor service .

All to appeal to the same " experts " that wanted British Rail privatized

[heapsy]

Maybe if Small Businesses had supported our strike instead of bleating to the press about the unacceptable action we were taking costing them business, don't we know about e-mail, we're waiting for cheques etc, then they wouldn't be in this situation. Strange how they only think of themselves and expect everyone else to care about them as well. And haven't they heard of the Internet, you can do banking on it and send e-mails.

The saying "if it aint broke then don't fix it" springs to mind here. People are quick to condemn something, only for them to realise later that things were not quite as bad as they first thought.
Royal Mail does have its problems, but people also have to consider the size and complexity of the operation, then put things in to perspective. Governments interferance along with the EU has put the whole future of RM and its staff in jeopardy. Companies do not realise the real cost of providing services such as ours. They may well be very sorry in the near future, if, as could well happen, RM becomes a fully privatised operation.