LEYTON: Postal worker defends strikes

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A LOCAL postal worker has lifted the lid on the increasing chaos disrupting services in Waltham Forest.

The worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of the sack, spoke of the “stress and confusion” suffered by posties since Royal Mail earlier this summer brought in changes to collections as part of its modernisation programme.

The number of collections from pillar boxes and from businesses in Waltham Forest has been reduced from five to just two a day.

There is now no collection before 5.30pm, meaning letters posted earlier in the morning sit in pillar boxes all day.

This means postboxes are overfull, and drivers who are limited by law as to how much they can carry in their vans, cannot take all the post away.

Postboxes therefore continue to fill up and are sometimes so full customers cannot post letters.

The worker, who is based at the distribution hub in Leyton High Road, said: “It is absolutely chaos, nobody knows what they are doing.

“Sometimes the vans are still being used for collection the next day when they should be used for deliveries.”

Businesses or organisations which close for business before 5.30pm have also suffered from missed collections.

The worker said the changes, which the Communication Workers Union (CWU) insists were done without proper consultation, have been the reason for postal workers' anger, leading to a series of walk-outs.

She said: “Some people don't understand, this is not about money, we are trying to save the service.

“Utilities are services, not businesses.

“We accept the need to change, but this is not the way to go about it.”

Millions of items are post are also continuing to pile up at the East London Mail Centre, in Bromley-by-Bow.

CWU members have now balloted for a national strike, although the union says it hopes a deal can be reached to avert industrial action.

Workers at Leyton and at Bromley-by-Bow will stage another walk-out tomorrow.

In a statement this week, Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson said the cutbacks have been made under existing agreements and are necessary as use has dropped by 10 per cent in just one year.

[POSTMAN]

You've got collection drivers down my way on long & shorts!!
One day they work 11 hrs,no collection till the last one,during the day they do walks,cut-offs that kind of thing!

[DGP1]

This means postboxes are overfull, and drivers who are limited by law as to how much they can carry in their vans, cannot take all the post away.

I know that each vehicle have a maximum weight but surely several bags of mail wouldn't overload them plus they could always get bigger vans