Our national postal service - the last of the dinosaurs

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Did you get your post this morning? Or are you one of the millions of households across Britain who have been affected by the series of 24-hour walk-outs staged by postal workers over the past few weeks?

If so, then you will have been as outraged as I was to see pictures that showed sack-loads of parcels and letters being unloaded onto the street by Royal Mail managers, secretly drafted in to deal with the chaos caused by the current disruptions.

They were unable to sort them at the local delivery office, 100 yards away, because it had been shut down following a walkout by staff.
Last post: Sorting in the street due to the strike

Casually consigned to their temporary home on the public highway, those anonymous-looking sacks undoubtedly contained packages of great importance to the people so desperately awaiting them, from exam results to overdue bills, from credit cards to letters from loved ones.

Yet, with a backlog of some 20million items reported in London, and millions more across the country, the strikes mean that it may be quite some time before they are delivered - if indeed they are ever delivered.

As I gazed at them, I was struck by just how reminiscent this scene was of an incident I witnessed back in 2004 as part of an investigation into the Royal Mail for Channel Four's Dispatches.

Working undercover as a postman in several sorting offices in London, I will never forget the occasion on which two untrained agency workers were sent out onto the busy Edgware Road with a huge stack of letters to deliver.

All they had to help them was a map and by the time they got halfway round, they were so confused that they tried to sort the letters themselves - sitting on the pavement outside a pub in Marble Arch.

Eventually, they gave up and dumped the trolley back at the sorting office - it's anyone's guess as to whether the mail ever reached its destination.

Given the furore it caused after its broadcast, I had hoped that my documentary might bring about some improvements in the service, but here we are, five years later, in even more of a mess.

And the unions must take much of the blame for this parlous state of affairs. The leaders of the Communication Workers Union claim that the Royal Mail has provoked their action by 'bullying' staff over cost-cutting and modernisation plans intended to end a range of inefficient working practices dating back to the 1970s. So what is the truth?

Well, as someone with direct experience of the job, I do have some sympathy with Britain's posties.

They get up at a horribly early hour each morning, spend the first part of their day in sorting offices which can be grubby, antiquated and wholly depressing, and then embark on often physically demanding rounds which require them to be out in all weathers.

I am also aware that the Royal Mail has many loyal staff who try genuinely hard to provide us with a good service. But their efforts seem far outweighed by those who follow the union line and insist that they be accorded privileges which are not only outdated but simply unacceptable in today's highly competitive business world. I saw many of these astonishing practices for myself.

Although staff in the sorting offices I worked in were paid to work from 6am until 2pm, many went home as soon as they had finished their rounds - often as early as 10.30am. One manager who asked them to stay until the end of their shift was met with jeers.

'You really are taking the p***,' shouted one worker, outraged at the very idea of being asked to work the hours for which he was paid. Not that there was always much work being done. During some shifts, I saw colleagues playing football in the office when they should have been sorting the post, and one was even running a thriving mobile phone business during working hours.

It's hard to imagine any other job in which staff would be paid set overtime at Christmas - even if they had not worked extra hours, with similar payments made for Easter Saturday.

Other Spanish practices reported to be commonplace (though I didn't see them myself) include postal staff claiming a full day's overtime to cover for an absent colleague even if only half a day is required and worked.

Meanwhile, van drivers apparently expect overtime pay for making collections outside their usual route - even if they are made within normal working hours.

But are the members of the Communication Workers Union grateful that they are still in employment at this time of economic crisis? Not judging by their determination to defend perks which could one day mean they are without jobs.

With EU rules forcing Britain to open up the postal system and allow more private competition, the unions and the management should be working hand in hand to keep the Royal Mail competitive, not fighting each other onto the scrapheap.

Alas, what I saw during my time with the Royal Mail convinced me the customer mattered little to all too many of its employees - whether in management, or on the 'shop floor'.

At the end of one shift, I told a manager about piles of first-class letters which were meant to be delivered the next day but had yet to be sorted. 'Oh, don't worry about it,' he said casually.

One engineer told me that the machines which are supposed to speed up the sorting process were meant to last only ten years but were still going more than 20 years later - just about.

'Sometimes the machines rip the letters to pieces or chew them up into a thousand little bits,' one worker laughed.

Long-delayed letters were commonplace. I found one cast aside on a shelf that was postmarked four months previously. When I mentioned this to one of my colleagues, he smiled and said he had recently come across one that was posted more than a year ago.

On other occasions, I saw letters lying on the floor and being walked on by staff. One was marked Special Delivery but there it was on the floor, discarded and ignored.

No wonder business customers are deserting the Royal Mail in droves, for efficient rivals or relying on email instead. Given the level of service we receive, it's questionable how long even home users will bother with the Royal Mail if there's alternative available - myself included.

A few months ago, I received one of those red slips through the door, advising me that I was out when the postman had attempted to deliver an item which needed to be signed for. It's a common enough occurrence, but in this instance I knew that I was in at the time. So why hadn't I heard the doorbell ring?

I have since heard that, because agency workers are not authorised to get items signed for, they are often just given these slips and told to put them through the door without knocking, forcing the householder to go to the sorting office for their parcel. How ludicrous.

Not least as such agency staff might not even be necessary if the full-time postal workers broke with their Spanish practices, worked to the end of their shifts, and covered for sick or absent colleagues like workers in every other industry.

Sadly, modernisation seems unlikely to come about any time soon, with the CWU due to hold a referendum today on whether to launch an all-out nationwide strike.

If it goes ahead, it will mean more misery for us all. But there may be one small consolation.

My hope is that the resulting battle might highlight the inefficiencies within this dinosaur of an industry, thus dragging it into the 21st century and giving us a national postal service to rely on.

But, then again, that's exactly what I hoped for during my last investigation.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... z0RHI4BrSA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Phantom]

I've never read so much bullshit, 10:30am finish? i don't think so. Just more tory bollocks printed in the media, nothing to worry about lets carry on with the fight!

[ihatelazypostmen]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

and the Award for the most uninformed post goes to..............................


Post Office and Royal Mail Letters are 2 different organisations within the Royal Mail Group. The Post Office are not the ones being balloted or going on strike. Now if you can't even get this right, and its a basic fact, it shows you won't be willing to read and understand the views of ordinary postal workers.

[Stormproof]

[banner18]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

Clueless idiot. Prepared to work? I can assure you that in my experience, most postmen work hard and work their hours. Those that finish early are the ones that run around and go in early. There is some deadwood, but tell me any industry that doesn't have any?

I'm sick and tired of people voicing there ill informed opinions concerning our working standards. I've noticed one thing that people like you, Steve Lawson, Mandelson and ignorant members of the public have in common. None of you have ever done the job or are having to deal with the issues we are facing on a daily basis. All of the problems that the business has, are trying to be solved by making postal workers pay the price by trying to make us do more work than is reasonable. A fair day's work for a fair day's pay? What more can anyone ask a worker to give. My experience is that we give that, maybe not in the past in the rosey times, but we do now.

I'm sorry about the rant but it just really annoys me that I've just finished work, went right to my time, worked hard all day in order to clear my workload after getting up at 5.30am.

It's all about dignity and respect, thats all.....can we have some?

[Wessex]

I've never read so much bullshit, 10:30am finish? i don't think so. Just more tory bollocks printed in the media, nothing to worry about lets carry on with the fight!

I didnt get out until 10;30 am to deliver my first letter today

[Night Tonic]

As I said before, expect more like this. CWU is on a sinking ship with no land in sight but Billy boy can easily jump to dry land if things get too rough for him, you watch. Amazing considering his stature.

[Fred B]

I'm sick and tired of people voicing there ill informed opinions concerning our working standards

Correct! Especially when those people work for Royal Mail. (See above post!)

[DirtyHarry]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

And there Ladies & Gentlemen is a good example of why Britain is the country she is now, too many idiots like the above loon, who are only too willing and well able to stand back, do nothing, and watch as the future for our descendants gets bleaker and bleaker.

[pickaname]

As I said before, expect more like this. CWU is on a sinking ship with no land in sight but Billy boy can easily jump to dry land if things get too rough for him, you watch. Amazing considering his stature.

I disagree.

The CWU has recently showed strength and guts by forcing Royal Mail to the negotiating table to make good on their commitments from 2007. Sinking ship? Far from it.

Hopefully both the Union and RM can work together to bring modernisation into the company that will ensure a good future for everyone concerned.

[OnAFlyer]

All they had to help them was a map and by the time they got halfway round, they were so confused that they tried to sort the letters themselves - sitting on the pavement outside a pub in Marble Arch.

Eventually, they gave up and dumped the trolley back at the sorting office - it's anyone's guess as to whether the mail ever reached its destination.

Of course it did you idiot, more than likely the next day.

'You really are taking the p***,' shouted one worker, outraged at the very idea of being asked to work the hours for which he was paid. Not that there was always much work being done. During some shifts, I saw colleagues playing football in the office when they should have been sorting the post, and one was even running a thriving mobile phone business during working hours.

Can I go and work in this office please, because I struggle to find time to go and make a cup of tea when we're sorting!

It's hard to imagine any other job in which staff would be paid set overtime at Christmas - even if they had not worked extra hours, with similar payments made for Easter Saturday.

Easter Saturday - I have been missing out then because I don't get paid any extra!

Other Spanish practices reported to be commonplace (though I didn't see them myself) include postal staff claiming a full day's overtime to cover for an absent colleague even if only half a day is required and worked.

Nope, you don't get full duty time for half a duty.

Long-delayed letters were commonplace. I found one cast aside on a shelf that was postmarked four months previously. When I mentioned this to one of my colleagues, he smiled and said he had recently come across one that was posted more than a year ago.

Dead mail obviously!

On other occasions, I saw letters lying on the floor and being walked on by staff. One was marked Special Delivery but there it was on the floor, discarded and ignored

.

So someone dropped a letter - it happens all the time with people carrying mail everywhere, it soon gets picked up and sorted. And as for it being an actual special delivery, I doubt it! What's the odds it was one of those bits of mailsort crap that are marked 'Urgent', 'Recorded', 'Tracked' or Special Delivery' when they are nothing of the sort?

No wonder business customers are deserting the Royal Mail in droves, for efficient rivals or relying on email instead. Given the level of service we receive, it's questionable how long even home users will bother with the Royal Mail if there's alternative available - myself included.

No, there's no nationwide alternative available and there probably never will be. If it was profitable why aren't these companies out there now? It's much more profitable to take advantage of Postcomm's unfair 'Competition' rules and give it to Rm to deliver for peanuts. Then you wonder why the service is going downhill.

A few months ago, I received one of those red slips through the door, advising me that I was out when the postman had attempted to deliver an item which needed to be signed for. It's a common enough occurrence, but in this instance I knew that I was in at the time. So why hadn't I heard the doorbell ring?

Because he knocked and you didn't hear it? Happens all the time, if you've actually done the job for more than a day you'd know that.


I

have since heard that, because agency workers are not authorised to get items signed for, they are often just given these slips and told to put them through the door without knocking, forcing the householder to go to the sorting office for their parcel. How ludicrous.

Absolute garbage, totally untrue.

Not least as such agency staff might not even be necessary if the full-time postal workers broke with their Spanish practices, worked to the end of their shifts, and covered for sick or absent colleagues like workers in every other industry.

The difference is our deliveries are given to us by our Employers as being enough to fill our working hours. If we want to work through breaks and use our cars to get finished a bit earlier why should we have to do more because of that?

As for covering for sick leave, this is physical work that takes time, not paper shuffling. Would you do your working day, and then do another couple of hours for nothing on a regular basis?

Sadly, modernisation seems unlikely to come about any time soon, with the CWU due to hold a referendum today on whether to launch an all-out nationwide strike.

Yes you're right - maybe you need to ask RM where the £600m Government loans it took out for new equipment have gone, because we aren't seeing any.

If it goes ahead, it will mean more misery for us all. But there may be one small consolation.

My hope is that the resulting battle might highlight the inefficiencies within this dinosaur of an industry, thus dragging it into the 21st century and giving us a national postal service to rely on.

The only way to do that is to run RM as a public service again and not a 'profit at all costs' business. RM's revenue is falling, so in order to increase profits cuts in services have to be made. That's why the Postal service is up sh*t creek without a paddle.

But, then again, that's exactly what I hoped for during my last investigation.

You should be ashamed to call yourself a reporter.

[ihatelazypostmen]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

And there Ladies & Gentlemen is a good example of why Britain is the country she is now, too many idiots like the above loon, who are only too willing and well able to stand back, do nothing, and watch as the future for our descendants gets bleaker and bleaker.

The 'above loon' has a good point - one day you guys will realise that if you want to get paid and enjoy a decent life, you have to WORK! There is no way round that unless you guess six lucky numbers in the lottery. If you don't want to work, fine, get out of the Post Office and make way for some of the unemployed who would be delighted to have your jobs. Get real.

[DGP1]

"Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed.

The the PO could hire some people who are prepared to work and then we can have a postal service that might actually do the job it is paid to do.

And there Ladies & Gentlemen is a good example of why Britain is the country she is now, too many idiots like the above loon, who are only too willing and well able to stand back, do nothing, and watch as the future for our descendants gets bleaker and bleaker.

The 'above loon' has a good point - one day you guys will realise that if you want to get paid and enjoy a decent life, you have to WORK! There is no way round that unless you guess six lucky numbers in the lottery. If you don't want to work, fine, get out of the Post Office and make way for some of the unemployed who would be delighted to have your jobs. Get real.

Not the Post Office it's Royal Mail and to answer your question about leaving to make way for the unemployed, the new starts that we get are brought on on 20hour contracts, can't book any overtime and as a result, leave within days (normally saying that they didn't realise how hard the job actually is).

[Ahebban]

... "Carry on with the fight" - go ahead - end up with the mass of unemployed ...

ihatelazypostmen ... using the Freedom of Information Act, I would suggest you approach Royal Mail to find out the percentage of turnover in their staff at DOs and MCs over a year. I believe you will be surprised at the number of 'unemployed' that do come through the front door of Royal Mail and within a short space of time are walking out that same door complaining that they cannot cope!

You would have to use the Act as RM are not keen to share any information with anyone if it is likely to cast doubt on any figure they come up with to suit their agenda.

I have been with RM nearly 8 years now (having worked in the private sector 30-plus years prior to joining RM) and I can safely say that RM is quite simply the most mis-managed business I have come across. Managers come and go, but your workforce are the mainstay of the business. You upset that balance at your peril as RM are finding to their, and the country's, cost.