Royal Mail faces regulator fines threat after blaming industrial dispute for missing service targets

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 11 May 2018, 15:27

http://www.cityam.com/285632/royal-mail ... er-blaming" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail today blamed a bitter spat with postal workers for failing to meet its annual quality of service targets.

Postal regulator Ofcom, which said it was "concerned that Royal Mail has fallen short" will now consider whether to slap it with fines of up to 10 per cent of "relevant turnover". Last year Royal Mail generated £7.7bn of turnover across all of its UK letters and parcel operations.

The FTSE 100 firm delivered 91.6 per cent of first class mail on time – below a target set by regulatory Ofcom of 93 per cent. Some 98.4 per cent of second class post was delivered on time, missing the minimum requirement of 98.5 per cent.

Royal Mail cited "a very challenging industrial relations environment" as one of the reasons for falling short of Ofcom's targets. It pleaded with Ofcom to take into account this and other "exceptional events".

A spokesperson for Ofcom said: “These targets are designed to ensure postal users receive a good, reliable service from Royal Mail. We are concerned that Royal Mail has fallen short, and have met the company to ask them to explain why. We are now reviewing the results in detail and will then consider further action.”

After more than a year of talks and facing the prospect of crippling Christmas strike action, Royal Mail agreed a pay and pensions deal earlier this year with its 160,000 UK workforce.

Cyber Week
Royal Mail also blamed "some very severe weather" and "significantly reduced staffing levels caused by the Australian flu outbreak".

The Christmas period – from the first Monday in December to the first Monday in January – is not included in Royal Mail's quality of service measurements. "Cyber Week", the days around Black Friday, fell outside of this period and Royal Mail said the associated increase in volumes were also to blame for missing expectations.

Today's target miss comes after Royal Mail has delivered bumper returns to investors. After shares sank to an all-time low last November – which led to the firm's embarrassing demotion from Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 index – they have surged more than 75 per cent to all-time highs.

Sue Whalley, Royal Mail's operations chief, said she was "disappointed" about the firm's performance.

"Several exceptional events that took a heavy toll on our performance during the year," she said.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 11 May 2018, 22:45

"so you brought back three pouches of mail and packets. Ok thats 36 letters and four packets ,let me put that in the DODR"

Celgar · Post by **Celgar** » 12 May 2018, 23:01

To say the industrial dispute and the associated lack of any official service-wide strike action had anything to do with RM falling short of reaching Ofcom targets is a complete lie and potentially libelous. RM is very lucky the Xmas period is not covered by the regulations given how the service seriously went down the pan this year in terms of Xmas cards backlogs nationwide.
I would say though that we seem to be overregulated by Ofcom as well as the fake competition regime from the EU. Maybe if we ever get Brexit then something can be done about this situation.

Post by **Navalron** » 13 May 2018, 00:52

Service standards are out the window since the money men and college boys got this once great institution and f****d EVERYTHING about it up. And I mean Everything. We need people with balls to blow the whistle and record what's happening in offices up and down the country in regards to service, bullying, ECT ect. Then give it to c channel 4 dispatches or panorama. Oh i wish I was still there to cause it and show the public the true cost of privatisation. And some people will say it started long before it was sold, but they knew back in 1999 what was coming, hence the way forward bullying and all the hundreds of pounds that were taken out of our pockets every year since. Service doesn't belong in the gig economy, it's up yours Jack and pull up the ladder. Disgrace. Sorry I'm getting angry and going off comment again.

Mr Rush · Post by **Mr Rush** » 16 May 2018, 19:40

The official Christmas period being limited to December is seriously outdated. The permanently lapsed walks here were failing in mid November - which management noticed because they tried to obtain an agreement to bar those two weeks from the holiday sheet in future. They did not get it.

Post by **Navalron** » 18 May 2018, 11:53

No but Mr rush they have got as you say, permanently lapsed duties. That's bullshit and shouldn't be happening. None of this affects me anymore but I hate to see the normal working postie pressured and bullied and threatened into working over their time, not taking m/r, not claiming o/t, being treated like a bit of s**t. That's why I nearly came back into the job , just to become a rep and help some people out. The reason I didn't when I was in the job was because I didn't need to as the managers wouldn't have got away with pulling stunts like they do now, like constant lapsing.

Sir Henry · Post by **Sir Henry** » 18 May 2018, 21:19

Who sits on the board of OFCOM anyway? Jobs for the boys and a few competitors? Was that utter shitheel from TNT not part of it at one point? If that wasn't a conflict of interest I don't know what was.

Foxes in charge the henhouse?
I'll retire to bedlam.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 18 May 2018, 22:14

Mafia model ,corruption ,double speak : it's the new normal

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 19 May 2018, 12:50

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/ho ... fcom-board" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Ofcom Board

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/ho ... -interests" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Register of disclosable interests

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 20 May 2018, 22:11

"Safari can't open the page"

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 21 May 2018, 12:55

BELIAL wrote:"Safari can't open the page"

does on mine

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 21 May 2018, 21:39

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
BELIAL wrote:"Safari can't open the page"
does on mine

Still no. Who knows maybe I'm logged as a technophobe

Post by **rogersh** » 26 May 2018, 15:42

Mr Rush wrote:The official Christmas period being limited to December is seriously outdated. The permanently lapsed walks here were failing in mid November - which management noticed because they tried to obtain an agreement to bar those two weeks from the holiday sheet in future. They did not get it.

Two years ago I was told I was only allowed the last week in November as annual leave because it was booked prior to a change which meant no one could have the last week in November as holiday.
In 2017 I booked the third week in November bearing in mind what I assumed was an official notification.

Is there anything in writing which confirms;
"management noticed because they tried to obtain an agreement to bar those two weeks from the holiday sheet in future. They did not get it."

Mr Rush · Post by **Mr Rush** » 06 Jun 2018, 17:12

Sorry for the late reply. The DOM put it up as a proposal: take the two weeks out of November and redistribute them to the summer block. Along with another proposal relating to the next revision, it was soundly rejected in a union member vote. There's always the possibility of executive action and just implementing it anyway

Spedley · Post by **Spedley** » 06 Jun 2018, 21:10

We smashed our target on the wall this week, it said Customer Complaints Target : 2 and we got 5 ! Smashed it!