LTB 472/22 REPRESENTATION TO THE GOVERNMENT AND OFCOM ON THE POSTAL USO

[POSTMAN]

https://www.cwu.org/ltb/ltb-472-22-repr ... ostal-uso/

LTB 472/22 – REPRESENTATION TO THE GOVERNMENT AND OFCOM ON THE POSTAL USO
No. 472/22

30th November 2022



TO: ALL POSTAL BRANCHES



Dear Colleagues,

REPRESENTATION TO THE GOVERNMENT AND OFCOM ON THE POSTAL USO

The CWU has today sent the attached open letters to Government and Ofcom expressing our serious concerns about IDS plc’s pursuit of a reduction in the Universal Service Obligation (USO) to five day letter delivery, as announced by the company last week.

The letter to Ofcom also raises our concerns about Royal Mail’s attempt to undermine the postal universal service through under funding of USO activities and prioritising of non-USO commercial services.

This is an issue that has been covered in the press, including in a Sunday Times article on 13th November which raises concerns about staff being told to leave letters behind and prioritise profitable parcels. The full article is available online at the following link: https://archive.ph/WcI6Y.

The Yorkshire Evening Post and Decision Marketing have also covered the issue, highlighting concerns of Royal Mail employees and the direct mail industry about letters being delayed. The articles can be found at the following links:

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... ot-3899793

https://www.decisionmarketing.co.uk/new ... rs-go-slow

When Royal Mail was privatised in 2013, the Government rejected concerns from CWU and other stakeholders about the future of the universal service obligation (USO) and gave assurances that privatisation would not affect postal services.

Another article in the Times (Royal Mail’s plea to end six-day deliveries rejected, The Times, 18th November) reports that in June the government rejected a request from Royal Mail to cut its legal obligation to deliver letters to businesses and homes from six days a week to five. However, the article also states that Royal Mail is understood to believe it is now making headway with the Business Department on this issue.

The CWU is calling on the Government to reject Royal Mail’s request and to provide urgent assurances that the six-day letter delivery service will continue to be enshrined in primary legislation. Additionally, we are also calling on the Government to support an expanded role for postal workers. This can be done by using the advantage of daily deliveries to 32 million addresses to develop new products and services that can add social and economic value to our communities and businesses, ensuring the sustainability of Royal Mail in the long-term.

We are calling on Ofcom to launch an urgent investigation into what can only be described as a deliberate attempt by Royal Mail to run down and undermine the postal USO.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at jdunn@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,



Dave Ward Andy Furey
General Secretary Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

https://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... om-CEO.pdf
https://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... ake-MP.pdf

29.11.22-Kevin-Hollinrake-MP.pdf

29.11.22-Open-Letter-to-Dame-Melanie-Dawes-Ofcom-CEO.pdf

[chickenwittle]

About time all this was exposed.

[hans solo]

Ofcom will need to address issues raised or it will be seen to be irrelevant

[k979aaa]

Ofcom will need to address issues raised or it will be seen to be irrelevant

We as a postal service should not be subsidizing the likes of (TNT Post, UK Mail, Whistle,) Too make a profit at the expense of the service we provide this is perverse!

[kazardaimenu]

Glad they are calling out constant uso failures but if we can’t even get the post out as things are how can we be expected to deliver economic and social prosperity to the nation

[yellowbelly]

Sadly, don't think Dave is preaching to the willing at OFCOM or the Govt. The very same OFCOM report he quotes saying
that the 6 day USO is '....important...' says later on:

Five days a week letter delivery frequency would have a very small impact on residential and
SME users, and our research suggested it would continue to meet the needs of virtually all users.
This evidence suggests that reducing the frequency of letter deliveries requirement to five days a
week would reflect users’ reasonable needs.

• Weekday letter delivery is preferred to Saturday. Whilst findings are similar for residential users
whether the five days are specifically Monday-Friday or include Saturday plus four weekdays,
SMEs have a preference for weekday deliveries.

[Chitchat]

Ofcom will need to address issues raised or it will be seen to be irrelevant

We as a postal service should not be subsidizing the likes of (TNT Post, UK Mail, Whistle,) Too make a profit at the expense of the service we provide this is perverse!

Exactly, Simon has stopped GLS cross subsidizing royal mail. When the only subsidizing that should have stopped is the DSA. It is a failed attempt to place artificial compition into an industry that is declining and everything should be done to prolong the service for as long as tenable. Rather than having to pretend that having a company sort mail for it to then be handed over to the royal mail anyway, once all the profit has been removed from that contract is good for the postal service.

[mrcurve]

I suspect the uso is under threat because a large part of the current top team came in during covid, so they have no experienced of having to meet quality of service standards, which is a frustration to most staff who have worked so hard over the years to meet it.

[clashcityrocker]

Exactly, Simon has stopped GLS cross subsidizing royal mail.

GLS - the business that was built by Rico Back that has employees on terrible terms and conditions.
Ward was on the TV this morning explaining that La Poste is subsidised by its international arm DPD. Elsewhere on these pages is the story of a DPD driver who died working excessive hours.

Why as trade unionists would we want to be subsidised by people on inferior terms to us?

[enskied]

Sadly, don't think Dave is preaching to the willing at OFCOM or the Govt. The very same OFCOM report he quotes saying
that the 6 day USO is '....important...' says later on:

Five days a week letter delivery frequency would have a very small impact on residential and
SME users, and our research suggested it would continue to meet the needs of virtually all users.
This evidence suggests that reducing the frequency of letter deliveries requirement to five days a
week would reflect users’ reasonable needs.

• Weekday letter delivery is preferred to Saturday. Whilst findings are similar for residential users
whether the five days are specifically Monday-Friday or include Saturday plus four weekdays,
SMEs have a preference for weekday deliveries.

Royal Mail management are supposed to report all walk failures to OFCOM.
Only they don't, they send photographs of empty frames where the mail has been stripped from them and hidden.

OFCOM are negligent in not checking. They are being misinformed week in week out by Royal mail Managers.

[redlen]

People are of the opinion the government will protect the USO?

It is true the government back in May 2022 said no plans for the USO released by the then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in October and forced out in disgrace with that mini budget.

There is now a totally new management team in government under a new Prime Minister. The key thing they have now allowed the sale of GLS to VESA.

Time will tell but it is obviously short sighted not to conclude a financial interest exists between government, Simon Thompson and VESA in some form.

[norris9]

Royal Mail clearly don't want letters at all....

The government should take the letters part of the business off Royal Mail on the cheap and maybe even buy the Royal Mail branding too. Us posties go and work for them.


Thompson can go off and create his slave labour owner-driver parcel courier business called 'Thompson's Parcels' with his face on the side of the vans.

[tractorboy2]

Royal Mail clearly don't want letters at all....

The government should take the letters part of the business off Royal Mail on the cheap and maybe even buy the Royal Mail branding too. Us posties go and work for them.


Thompson can go off and create his slave labour owner-driver parcel courier business called 'Thompson's Parcels' with his face on the side of the vans.

IDS should pay the government to take it back.

[Mr Rush]

Thompson can go off and create his slave labour owner-driver parcel courier business called 'Thompson's Parcels' with his face on the side of the vans.

You'd think that would be so much easier, but there's far more money to be made gutting a pre-existing delivery service than starting a new one. We're the low-hanging fruit in a catabolic economy.

[redlen]

Ordered a new headset from the manufacturer for my speech dictation software. It came from Shannon in the Republic of Ireland to the UK. Had taken exactly seven days, including weekends, and delivered to my door through DHL. Shipping cost £5.17 which am more than happy to pay. This is the real competition Royal Mail needs modernisation to survive.

The simple fact being Royal Mail is just too damned expensive for business and domestic customers with its obsession with share dividends and greater profits.