Royal Mail: 'We're sorry - blame the council'

[POSTMAN]

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THE Royal Mail has blamed Fife Council’s failure to keep pavements and roads clear for the chaos disrupting postal services in West Fife in recent weeks.

Posties have claimed the long delays were caused by the introduction of a new delivery system in the run-up to their busiest time of the year but the company insists the problem was purely down to the dangerous state of the pavements.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said, “The postmen and women have been hampered by the state of the roads and pavements in Dunfermline and the senior delivery and collection manager explained to the MSP (Jim Tolson) that in the 16 local authority areas he covers, Dunfermline’s roads and pavements were the worst he had seen.”

The spokeswoman added, “There has been some disruption to our service and we apologise wholeheartedly for this.

“We are now taking a range of measures that mean households and businesses receive all of their mail. We have been absolutely focused on getting our mail to our customers and we continue to be so.”

After meeting Royal Mail management, Mr Tolson said, “I remain unconvinced by their argument.

"They are sticking to their line that the delays were caused by the bad weather and blaming the council for not clearing pavements.

“I’m of the view that the principal cause was the new delivery system.

"Basically, they were unapologetic, saying it was not their fault and it was nothing to do with the new system, which they said was introduced with the co-operation of the unions and staff.”

Not surprisingly, Fife Council is unimpressed about being made the scapegoat and transportation chair Tony Martin said, “I’m very disappointed that Royal Mail management have been saying this at meetings with the MSP and MP when they’ve not had any meeting with us.

"It’s not helpful to have one public body criticising another public body.

“I don’t want to escalate this. The best thing to do is to sit down and discuss the matter and not do it through the media.

"I would have hoped that Royal Mail would have shared that approach.

“We’ve had people coming on to us looking for the council to criticise Royal Mail over the disruption to postal services but that’s not something we would do.”

Meanwhile, Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty, who also met Royal Mail management, said, “It was a productive meeting.

"They now accept there was a problem in West Fife, that they let down their customers and they apologised profusely for that.

“I don’t think posties should have to risk injury by venturing out when Fife Council are saying pavements are not safe because they can’t grit them.

"One postie suffered a broken limb during the bad weather as it was.

“The council were so poor at clearing the roads and doing anything at all with the pavements that it created this backlog in West Fife.

"However, I personally don’t think it’s all down to the council. Royal Mail management took decisions which added to the problems.”

Mr Docherty added, “It was a very positive meeting I felt.

"There was an extra delivery on Sunday and their target is to clear all the backlog by this weekend.”

Labour group leader Alex Rowley slammed the council over the condition of pavements and roads which were treacherous again this week with black ice affecting many areas.

He said, “I fully sympathise with the posties and what they’ve had to cope with getting around the streets.

“I was in Kelty Main Street on Tuesday and the condition of the pavements was atrocious. As I stood there were people slipping and falling.

“It’s simply not good enough.

"Where the council are doing anything, it’s sand that’s being put down instead of salt and is having no effect on the ice.”

This was borne out by an email Mr Rowley received from George Lawrie, area parks team leader, on Tuesday in response to an inquiry about the state of the streets.

Mr Lawrie replied, “There is no salt being applied, sand only which is why the paths keep re-freezing.”

The Press website again provided an insight into the mail chaos.

‘Ghostman Pat’ posted, “I work in Dunfermline Delivery Office and the comment made by the Royal Mail spokesman about there being minor teething problems with the new system (Press, 6th January) is total nonsense.

“Right from the onset it was clear that the new system was a disaster. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense knows the intelligent thing to do when implementing new work practices such as this, is to do it in stages and test each stage to ensure that it is workable. It would’ve also made common sense to make these changes at a much less busier time.

“Heads should roll for the embarrassing shambles that has become Dunfermline Delivery Office,” he added.

‘Hayne33’ wrote, “The local postal system is not only a shambles but is seriously affecting small businesses like myself who rely on the post to ship goods out to customers and bring in stock from suppliers.

“Parcels and packets I wanted before Christmas arrived on Christmas Eve (after I had gone away for a few days) and were left in the grey wheelie bin with a note through the door.

“It was just as well I never asked the neighbour to put my bin out!”

[noggin1969]

Roy

[blue1873]

Their excuses are becoming tedious now,
"was'nt us big boy's done it and ran away
added to their already nonsensical terminology
is A. D .D.?....AVOID,DEFLECT, DENY.
It's par for the course for them