Royal Mail centre may stay in Liverpool

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liv ... -21706464/

ROYAL Mail could stay in Liverpool and build one of its three new distribution centres in the city, the Daily Post can reveal.

Last month, the company announced plans to close its Copperas Hill sorting office and move 600 jobs to Warrington.

It planned to transfer its Liverpool and Crewe operations to the town and open another centre there.

But strong efforts by city agencies and local MPs mean the Royal Mail has now agreed to consider building a new centre in Liverpool.

In a letter sent to Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman – and seen by the Daily Post – Christine Nolan, Royal Mail’s head of external relations in the North, said the company was reconsidering.

She wrote: “In our preferred option, we identified the current Regional Distribution Centre in Warrington as our proposed third mail centre site, where work would be concentrated from Crewe and Liverpool.

“However, during the recent extended consultation phase we have held productive meetings with Liverpool Vision and Liverpool 2020 and they are working on a revised proposal to build a third new mail centre in Liverpool to house the Liverpool and Crewe operation, and we have agreed to look at that.

“So today, we can also confirm our decision to transfer work from both Crewe and Liverpool Mail Centres.

“We will continue to evaluate the option for the third mail centre site, which will be located in either Warrington or Liverpool, and no final decision will be made until we have completed our work with Liverpool Vision.”

Royal Mail started reviewing its North West operation in February. Last month, they announced plans to open three modern mail centres and close other sorting offices.

The company remains committed to housing two of the centres in Manchester and Preston.

The city council and Liverpool Vision estimate £26m will be lost from the city’s economy if the Warrington move went ahead.

Mrs Ellman said: “The letter says no final decision will be made until the end of talks with Liverpool Vision. It means they are looking seriously at the options.

“I think that’s quite significant.”

Last week, the city’s economic chiefs met with Royal Mail to discuss the plans. Mark Walsh, Liverpool branch secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said: “I’ve seen the document that’s been put forward.

“We’ve really gone to town pulling the costs down to make it more favourable. It’s been tailored a bit more – it’s specific for Liverpool’s needs.

“I hope it would safeguard the 600 process and distribution jobs.”

The proposed scheme is a scaled-down version of a previous plan floated to Royal Mail by the CWU, Mr Walsh said.

The plans being discussed are understood to cost £20m – around £7m less than the package originally suggested by the CWU.

Royal Mail are considering plans for three sites, two on the Estuary Business Park, in Speke, and another on Stonebridge Park, on the East Lancs Road.

Two of the sites – the Vault in Speke and at Stonebridge – already have buildings that Royal Mail could move into. But the third site is thought to be a vacant lot.

Cllr Warren Bradley, Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council, said the council’s executive board asked the regeneration agencies Liverpool Vision and Liverpool 2020 to approach Royal Mail and try to hammer out a plan to keep their presence in the city around four weeks ago.

Cllr Bradley added: “Our responsibility is the jobs that would be lost to Liverpool.

“They [Royal Mail] are tentative at the moment – nothing’s set in stone, but we’re working hard to save those jobs. It’s up to Royal Mail to say how many they would need.

“I’m reasonably confident because I do believe that with our partners, as a council we should be able to do a deal to keep a company the size of Royal Mail in the city.”

Cllr Bradley added that, while he was keen for a large project to go to North Liverpool to kick-start regeneration there, Royal Mail identified the Estuary as a good site because of its rail links.

Liverpool Vision declined to comment last night.

[andy2007]

It looks like good news for both Coppras Hill, and NWRDC. It's a pity that we won't get the final decision, until they finish discussions. But at least there is some hope, that we will get a good outcome.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Fear Royal Mail jobs will go to Liverpool

http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/crewe-n ... -21714034/

FURIOUS Crewe postal workers are up in arms after learning their jobs could be moved as far away as Liverpool.

Last month Royal Mail announced plans to close its sorting offices in Weston Road and in Liverpool, moving the local 600 jobs to Warrington.

Now the company has confirmed it is considering a new centre in Liverpool and transferring the Crewe jobs there.

A collections hub will still run from Crewe.

The news comes as union chiefs revealed Royal Mail managers have also banned Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson from going to the Weston Road site to talk to workers.

Steve Wright, branch secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said: “We still believe that Crewe should have a mail centre and we’re still fighting to keep Crewe open.”

He said travelling to Liverpool would be impossible for many.

“We would have to work 10 hours a day for eight hours pay anyway and it would cost us £80 a week to get there, including petrol, and would cut down the chances of anybody who wanted to stop for overtime because they would be away from home for 14 hours a day,” he said.

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed the company had been in talks about an alternative site in Liverpool but said: “At the moment we haven’t confirmed where the mail centre to replace Liverpool and Crewe mail centres will be located.”

With regard to jobs, he said the Royal Mail was a big operation and travelling to Warrington or Liverpool would not be the only option.

“There is no value in discussing that until there is a firm decision,” he said.

MP Mr Timpson, who is meeting CWU representatives and borough councillors today, said: “We’re talking about families, people who have devoted 40 years’ service to Royal Mail, who will not be able to re-skill and people who have lived and worked in Crewe all their lives.”

He added he was “astounded” to learn that when union bosses had asked for permission to invite him on to site for talks the management in Crewe had refused.

“I very much hope that this backward attitude would not be supported by Royal Mail’s senior executives,” he said.

[andy2007]

It looks like they are treating Crewe, with the same contempt that they have shown NWRDC, since all this started. Quite frankly, it's pathetic.

A Company as big as Royal Mail, can't even put together a rough idea of where people will be able to go if they move Crewe to Liverpool.

As for trying to prevent MP Edward Timpson, from talking to the Staff. That's just petty. Besides. What's stopping the Staff turning up at one of Mr. Timpson's Surgeries?
If it's in their own time. What can the Managers do about it?

Royal Mail, needs to realise that we are people, not statistics. If they started treating us with the Dignity and Respect, that they seem to expect. Morale would be a damn sight better.