MP visits sorting office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisishertfordshire.co.uk/mo ... office.php

CLAIRE WARD cut her holiday short and returned to Watford this week to try to clear up the on-going Royal Mail catastrophe.

However, she returned to her family describing the company's management as "in despair" and warning the backlog of undelivered letters and parcels was going to get worse.

It is estimated more than 100,000 letters and parcels, some dating back to July, are now bundled up in crates and stacked in sorting offices in Watford and Berkhamstead.

And while the dispute between Royal Mail and Watford's postal workers rumbles on, the town's residents continue to suffer, with some missing vital hospital appointments because they have not received letters and others still waiting for essential medication.

Indeed, with the dispute now reaching an impasse, one post office worker said the backlog might not be cleared until Christmas.

Postmen were issued with a Return to Work statement on Tuesday, which revealed a full review of working practices will take place so Royal Mail can provide "a more efficient and reliable service".

The notice also said "several" postmen were deducted wages for taking unofficial industrial action last Friday.

Royal Mail would not comment on this, but a representative said the backlogs had "significantly reduced" in the past week.

He added: "We continue to use extra security vetted and trained temporary staff as well as extra managerial resource to continue to clear it as soon as possible, following the recent official industrial action. We apologise to customers and thank them for their patience."

After a fortnight of dialogue with Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier, Ms Ward returned from her holiday this week to find out what is being done to prevent the situation deteriorating.

However, following meetings with Royal Mail management in London and Watford on Wednesday, she has warned things are only going to get worse.

She said: "At the moment there is no hope of it improving as the negotiations are just not taking place.

"There is a sense of some despair from the management that they just can't solve this problem. They don't know quite how to deal with it or what to do with it."

Ms Ward inspected Watford's sorting office, in Ascot Road, on Wednesday afternoon, after meeting with James Farren, operational director of Royal Mail in the morning.

During the meeting she was told Royal Mail was "running to a standstill" and that the crisis was no closer to being resolved.

The dire warning comes a week after Royal Mail denied reports of tens of thousands of undelivered letters and parcels, instead claiming there was a "small backlog".

Royal Mail currently delivers around 200,000 letters to homes in Watford every day. However, Royal Mail chiefs say postal workers have adopted a deliberate "go-slow" attitude, meaning the backlog continues to grow.

Ms Ward added: "The management has no way of solving this at a local level and that is why, in my opinion, this is not going to get any better at the minute."

In the meantime she has promised to keep pressurising Royal Mail to find a resolution.

"There is a solution here, but neither side is prepared to budge and, quite frankly, unless we can get negotiations further up the line I cannot see Royal Mail has any way of dealing with this."

Meanwhile one customer who is still unhappy with Royal Mail is accounts assistant Sara Speigel, who works in Watford. She has started a petition on the 10 Downing Street website called Close Royal Mail.

Sara, 33, from Wembley, said: "I just think it's ridiculous. We didn't have post for a week and there's at least two packets that we know of that haven't arrived.

"If we privatise Royal Mail, we could have fair competition and companies who provide a fair service. Royal Mail will go but existing staff who know the job will be taken on by new companies."

7:20am Sunday 9th September 2007

[dvbuk55]

Well Sara from Wembley let me say it takes some guts to talk out of your backside in the media, particularyly spouting on about something you obviously know absolutely nothing about. Go for it girl - Big Brother beckons.

[L Tommo]

From Fred from Cockfosters.

FRED SAYS::: Feck off you silly fecking bitch. You aint got a clue love, and wot aload of claptrap,, the posties are going just to Royal Mails guildlines and not a GO SLOW... Which is not legal now so get your fecking facts right you lie like a cheap suit...

bollox luv Fred.. x


OUT!!!

[Stormproof]

From Fred from Cockfosters.

FRED SAYS::: Feck off you silly fecking bitch. You aint got a clue love, and wot aload of claptrap,, the posties are going just to Royal Mails guildlines and not a GO SLOW... Which is not legal now so get your fecking facts right you lie like a cheap suit...

bollox luv Fred.. x


OUT!!!

[L Tommo]

I think Fred and Sara will get on famously from now on!!! Dont you??

OUT

[theflyingpostman]

That story is also here as well http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search ... office.php


It seems The Watford Observer really have it in for the Watford posties:

Postal woes continue http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/l ... ntinue.php

The Watford mail crisis has been going on for weeks but this overflowing post box is proof things are not getting any better.

In recent weeks the Watford Observer has reported on the chaotic situation at the Ascot Road sorting office where tens of thousands of letters and packages have been stockpiled.
This week Royal Mail said postal problems in Watford have been "significantly reduced" and highlight the fact that in between April and June, 96.7 per cent of first class mail in Watford was delivered the next day.

However hundreds of residents continue to flood the Watford Observer with complaints about parcels and packets they have not received, some of which were posted more than one month ago.

Watford's MP Claire Ward and Watford's Mayor Dorothy Thornhill have both visited the centre and urged Royal Mail boss Adam Crozier to sort out the problems.

But even though thousands of residents have been inconvenienced by the problems - as bills, appointments and important packages fail to arrive - a solution still seems elusive.
This post box in The Avenue, Watford, was yesterday brimming with uncollected mail.

Meanwhile the Watford Observer continues to receive complaints from residents who have not received any post at all, or have only received junk mail.

Ms Ward has said of the situation: "At the moment there is no hope of it improving as the negotiations are just not taking place.
"There is some sense of despair from the management that they just can't solve this problem. They don't know quite how to deal with it or what to do."

Meanwhile Ms Thornhill has said there is much anxiety about the town's "extremely poor mail service".

I like this comment posted by a member of the public

Posted by: auntie, Watford on 8:40pm Sun 9 Sep 07
Week ago last Friday I was about to go on holiday when a supervisor and trainee or agency postman knocked and asked if they could leave three sacks of mail behind my hedge whilst said trainee delivered mail in my road as he couldn't carry them all at once. I agreed providing they did not expect me to be responsible for them. I have no idea how long they were left there, I half expected the sacks to still be there when I returned a week later. However, they had disappeared, whether legitimately delivered I have no idea but the methodology seems distinctly dubious to me and I wonder whether it is in fact legal for sacks of post to be abandoned like this, albeit temporarily. If anyone could enlighten me I'd be grateful because if it happens again I will report the matter to the police.

[POSTMAN]

We got any Watford guys on here,if not we need to get 'em.
I would send some Flyers out but..........................

[ianpostie]

We got any Watford guys on here,if not we need to get 'em.
I would send some Flyers out but..........................

we get our mail from watford,allegedly agency workers are now trained on all aspects of the job at watford mail centre,only trouble is rm had to hire a interpreter to tell the poles to stop opening the amazon and qvc packets!could only happen at rm!

[fatherchristmas]

watford still in s**t mail everywhere, had 12 bags to deliver today took back 5. We have been doing the job properly for 8 weeks now and we dont seem to be getting any support from around the counrty boys and girls are starting to get pissed off. :lfo :cfo

[Big Daz]

HAve Senior/HQ CWU bods given you any support/? They keep telling us to do the job properly! Lets have some morale boosting from them!

[DirtyHarry]

Sara , Sara , Sara Those silly, silly, newspapermen put another 3 before your age.

[johnnyp]

watford still in s**t mail everywhere, had 12 bags to deliver today took back 5. We have been doing the job properly for 8 weeks now and we dont seem to be getting any support from around the counrty boys and girls are starting to get pissed off. :lfo :cfo

Sorry to hear about your s**t lads Trouble is take most offices around the country and most staff dont give a feck about you boys as long as they can get home early If everyone was like this site we would have had R/M by the nuts ages ago and got a deal sorted by now.

[fatherchristmas]

bobby gibson told us the whole country was going to be doing it starting to feel like we have ben shafted.what other offices are doing the job properly, this action has pretty much bought watford delys to its knees.

[disheartened]

I've got nothing BUT praise for my collegues at Watford on the delivery section,they have had some right sh1te slung their way over the past 7/8 weeks.As i have said before the backlog is embarassing,the guys in the callers office are getting their ears bent all day long by members of the public,the office is swamped with casuals and managers from other office's and they are still struggling to clear the backlog,packets are going to Berkhamstead to be sorted and delivred by casuals/managers.The phone on the delivery section has been removed.The RM have also needed to hire mini-buses and vans to ferry casuals around who are doing deliveries and also for the packets that are being done at Berkhamstead.

Since the delivery staff decided to do the job properly....ie use the vans,the management have told them cars are definetly banned now,the conduct code will be used if anyone is seen to use their private cars.Two high ranking managers have bent over backwards to provoke a walkout from the staff at Watford,but the lads have not taken the bait YET.

The office is flooded with casuals,mostly Polish anad Russians,they are doing outward sorting on the processing as well as deliveries,apparently they are mostly students,so in theory they should be back at College/Uni next week,dont know what the RM will do then.

This action at Watford has caused havoc,i know another couple of offices WERE doing it,but i think most have gone back to working practices as per pre IA days.....Is there any other office working along the same lines as Watford.

[ianpostie]

watford still in s**t mail everywhere, had 12 bags to deliver today took back 5. We have been doing the job properly for 8 weeks now and we dont seem to be getting any support from around the counrty boys and girls are starting to get pissed off. :lfo :cfo

Sorry to hear about your s**t lads Trouble is take most offices around the country and most staff dont give a feck about you boys as long as they can get home early If everyone was like this site we would have had R/M by the nuts ages ago and got a deal sorted by now.

fair play to watford they are showing up most other do's,but i agree that there are alot of selfish prople in do's that only think about themselves and what time they can get home.an example is hatfield do that is in same area as watford--they agreed to go on later starts and started it this week.thats what your battling against!