SNP MP leads protests over 'shambolic' mail deliveries

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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new working practices blamed for causing postal chaos in dundee
By David Perry

Published: 12/01/2011

The UK Government is facing fresh Commons protests about “shambolic” Royal Mail deliveries in Dundee.

City SNP MP Stewart Hosie has made an appeal to Speaker John Bercow to try to force Business Secretary Vince Cable to make a statement on the introduction of new working methods which he blamed for the chaos.

He claimed it compounded the difficulties making deliveries caused by one of the harshest winters for decades.

Hundreds of posties and Royal Mail managers did special Sunday rounds at the weekend to try to tackle the backlog.

But Dundee East MP Mr Hosie claimed it was the introduction of The Way Forward system of working that had been “shambolic for nearly two months with many constituents receiving mail late or not at all”.

The Speaker has now invited Mr Hosie to intervene in a questions session Mr Cable faces tomorrow.

Mr Hosie said he had made sure ministers were aware of what was going wrong, before the working system was introduced elsewhere. He said: “They rolled it out in Dundee early in November and it has caused huge difficulties for local people.

“I have had 150 complaints about it, the majority since Christmas.

“People are having their mail, including financial documents, NHS appointments, job interviews and business payments held up.

“Posties have been working very hard during the bad weather to try to clear the backlog, but I thought it important to raise what is going wrong with ministers before the system is introduced elsewhere and problems become more wide-spread.”

Royal Mail said last night it “apologised wholeheartedly” for the disruption to its service in Dundee, claiming severe weather had hampered attempts to put right “some initial problems” with new, nationally-agreed efficiency measures.

A spokeswoman said changes were being made to help it compete in a tough marketplace and the measures introduced in the city were part of this.

She added: “We have taken a range of measures, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that households and businesses in the Dundee area receive all of their mail.”

The Way Forward efficiencies include dropping letter-only deliveries by walking posties on rounds and replacing them with vans with two postal staff delivering letters and parcels at the same time, reflecting falls in letter business but an increase in parcel traffic.



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[Wiggins79]

“Posties have been working very hard during the bad weather to try to clear the backlog, but I thought it important to raise what is going wrong with ministers before the system is introduced elsewhere and problems become more wide-spread.”

A bit late for that one Sherlock. And these are the people in charge of the country? I wonder if they are as thorough in actually trying to find out some facts about everything else involved in their jobs, or if they just, y'know, make it up as they go along?

[demon]

its not a way forward its a way back just royal mail carnt see this 1500000 postman carnt be wrong can they

[clashcityrocker]

its not a way forward its a way back just royal mail carnt see this 1500000 postman carnt be wrong can they

No wonder they are looking to cut jobs.
Someone's office must be overstaffed.

[rmdriver]

Royal Mail said last night it “apologised wholeheartedly” for the disruption to its service in Dundee, claiming severe weather had hampered attempts to put right “some initial problems” with new, nationally-agreed efficiency measures.


I did wonder what had happened to Comical Ali after the Iraq invasion.