TUC - Royal Mail bosses “must answer” for “chaos” in postal service

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-royal-m ... al-service

Royal Mail bosses have serious questions to answer from MPs at Business and Trade Select Committee hearing, says TUC

Postal workers’ union CWU says bosses must prioritise working conditions to deliver quality service

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak says Royal Mail bosses “must get their house in order”

The TUC has today (Tuesday) said the Royal Mail bosses must answer” for the “chaos” in the postal service in a Business and Trade Select Committee hearing this afternoon.

Bosses at the 500-year-old institution will appear in front of MPs to explain the crisis in the service, ranging from failures to meet delivery targets and widespread service delays.

The CWU, which represents workers at the company, will be giving key evidence regarding the service crisis in Royal Mail and the experiences of frontline postal workers.

Crisis

The hearing comes after a report by the committee earlier this month highlighted the “service failures” at Royal Mail, with 219 million letters arriving late and the company failing to meet quality targets.

The report found just 74.9 per cent of first-class post was delivered on time between April 2025 and January 2026 – well below the target of 93 per cent.

The CWU says the company is facing a “recruitment crisis” due to its decision to impose "gig economy standards” on new recruits who have joined the service since 2022.

The CWU says that since 2022, 27,000 new entrants have left the Royal Mail, with 50 per cent leaving within the first year.

The union is currently in intense negotiations with the company over the Royal Mail’s decision to introduce the Optimised Delivery Model (ODM), which moves second-class mail to alternate-weekday delivery while keeping first-class deliveries six days a week and reducing delivery route numbers in a bid to save money.

But after it has been piloted at dozens of offices, the CWU says members are describing it as a “car-crash” strategy. Instead of being guided by workers’ ability to deliver a quality service in their working hours, the union says work cannot be completed in time, and the postal worker comes back the next day with all the work from the previous day to complete.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “The Royal Mail is one of our most treasured national institutions.

“But with staff overworked and underpaid – is it any wonder the company is in crisis?

“Royal Mail bosses must answer for the chaos in the postal service at the Select Committee hearing today.

“They need to get their house in order. That starts with listening to the workers who know better than anyone how to get the service back on its feet.”

CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail and EP Group have made excuse after excuse over why Royal Mail’s service has been consistently poor over the past few years.



“Now it is time for the truth. The job of a postal worker has been devalued and shareholder profit has been prioritised over service to the public - this is what is creating the crisis.



“The CWU welcomes the opportunity to speak for postal workers before the Select Committee.



“But Parliament must begin thinking seriously about the situation Royal Mail is in, and take real action to prevent this great institution from sliding even further into managed decline.”



Editors note
- About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.3 million working people who make up our 47 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.

Contacts:

TUC press office 
media@tuc.org.uk  
020 7467 1248 

[scotchy1962]

All sounds very much in favour of the humble postie, but the days of the TUC having much in the way of power are long gone.
These billionaires and big business in general are so big and powerful now it nearly takes a act of parliament to bring them to heal.
I think that is the only hope for posties, i imagine it would suit Dan the man to offload letters so perhaps see if there's a way to deliver letters at a cost effective method so as not to be a burden on the nation, then take them off him and tell him to feck off.
From what you heard from the trio of halfwits yesterday, they could care less about letters or the health and well-being of their workforce.

[derekm]

All sounds very much in favour of the humble postie, but the days of the TUC having much in the way of power are long gone.
These billionaires and big business in general are so big and powerful now it nearly takes a act of parliament to bring them to heal.
I think that is the only hope for posties, i imagine it would suit Dan the man to offload letters so perhaps see if there's a way to deliver letters at a cost effective method so as not to be a burden on the nation, then take them off him and tell him to feck off.
From what you heard from the trio of halfwits yesterday, they could care less about letters or the health and well-being of their workforce.

Pretty much on the nail scotchy.will probably come back with a proposal of you will have to subsidise the company if you want letters delivered. Think he tried that with the Dutch post which he’s a large shareholder think they kicked it into touch.

[scotchy1962]

All sounds very much in favour of the humble postie, but the days of the TUC having much in the way of power are long gone.
These billionaires and big business in general are so big and powerful now it nearly takes a act of parliament to bring them to heal.
I think that is the only hope for posties, i imagine it would suit Dan the man to offload letters so perhaps see if there's a way to deliver letters at a cost effective method so as not to be a burden on the nation, then take them off him and tell him to feck off.
From what you heard from the trio of halfwits yesterday, they could care less about letters or the health and well-being of their workforce.

Pretty much on the nail scotchy.will probably come back with a proposal of you will have to subsidise the company if you want letters delivered. Think he tried that with the Dutch post which he’s a large shareholder think they kicked it into touch.

I would imagine he would get the same response from Starmer, he knows what he bought into and so do the government.
In the long run it could be in the countries interest to take it off them, but like i said it's how you get it financially viable so it isn't a burden on the taxpayer.
I'm sure it's possible and even if it broke even it could be enough.

[dazzler123]

if the gov did take letters back, who would we be working for?

[SpacePhoenix]

if the gov did take letters back, who would we be working for?

The government would have to set up all their own delivery offices and mail centres. Either that or some DOs and MCs would have to become letters only, some parcels only.