First class post at 3pm plan for Brighton and Hove

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9543722. ... _and_Hove/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Packages will arrive hours later every day because mailbags are “too heavy” to carry.

The Royal Mail has announced cost-cutting moves in Brighton and Hove to push back some deliveries to as late as 3pm.

Mailbags will be replaced with trolleys to “take the weight off our posties’ shoulders”, according to a spokeswoman.

The move comes after a backlog of more than 1,000 parcels and packages built up in the North Road sorting office last week.

Tony Mernagh, executive director of Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership, said the city deserved better from the Royal Mail.

He said: “It’s fair to say that it stopped delivering a service that satisfied its customers a long time ago. Now it is delivering a service that only satisfies itself.

“It sounds like it is taking an internal problem and making it our problem. Those businesses will be impacted will simply take their custom elsewhere.”

Weight off

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “We are making some changes to the way we deliver mail in the BN1 and BN2 postcode areas on a phased basis over the next two months. “We want to take the weight off our posties’ shoulders. We are seeing lots of parcels rather than letters – so now the postmen will not be going out with heavy bags but will be van-sharing.

"The high capacity trolleys make deliveries safer for our postmen rather than them having to carry heavy shoulder bags.

“There won’t be fewer deliveries but they may arrive at different times. Some will be delivered earlier and some will arrive later in the day.”

In August last year revised routes were introduced in Newhaven and Polegate, leaving many residents frustrated and confused.

In November the changes hit Worthing, and Royal Mail has said the whole county will eventually be affected.

Yesterday (February 20), furious customers were still waiting for packages stuck in the North Road sorting office in Brighton.

Apology

The Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “Royal Mail would like to apologise to customers who may be still experiencing delays in the delivery of some parcels and packets. This has been due to some of our vehicles being off the road.

“We are making every effort to complete these deliveries as soon as possible. We hope to be back on track within a few days.”

A spokeswoman for postal workers union CWU said: “The North Road delivery office is currently undergoing a duty revision which can mean significant changes to how the post is sorted and delivered.

"This can be a difficult transitional period and in some cases results in teething problems in the early stages.

“Staff need maximum support at this difficult time to help them minimise disruption to the service customers receive.”

[blackadder]

are they changing there hours down there ??

[kawoxux]

". Those businesses will be impacted will simply take their custom elsewhere"

To who exactly..?

[Stunl3y]

"There wont be fewer deliveries" erm well thats a lie

[demon]

same old s**t posts on here its nowt new we done it for 2 years now and yes it is s**t what have the union done to us all

[DHARMA16]

I work in a sub office in Northern Ireland and after all the changes here we now start work at 8.30 AM when the van with our mail arrives from the Delivery office-NONE of the mail is walksorted as we have promised so it has to be sorted out into the 6 runs-4 rural van runs and 2 town waks.Customers towards the end of the rural runs get there mail on a regular basis at between 4 and 5 o'clock-we all hate delivering the mail so late but RM couldnt give a s**t about us or our customers so everyone takes there time and takes there full breaks and claim OT every day apart from Tuesday

[TrueBlueTerrier]

same old s**t posts on here its nowt new we done it for 2 years now and yes it is s**t what have the union done to us all

Correct its "nowt new" to you, me and our colleagues, but it will be new to customers in the Brighton area. RMC is not just for Posties, its for Customers, Activists Competitors, basically anyone who wants to discuss anything related to the CWU, Royal Mail and the Postal market in general.

[ukbaz]

I Have now some 12 parcels late - presumably STUCK in Brighton sorting office. All sent First class from 28th Feb - so now first class is taking 11 days and counting for first clas mail! I've been to the delivery office twice, numerous phone calls and the number for the manager in Brighton just keeps ringing! I'm thoroughly sick of this non-service. When will parcel deliveries get back on track?