Published Date: 09 October 2008
By Anna Sexton
Hundreds face redundancy in major shake up
UP to 900 posties could get the sack if Royal Mail decides to close its Dawson Road sorting office.
And while moving the operation out of the city is the company's 'favoured option' a Royal Mail spokesman would not officially confirm the closure yesterday.
James Taylor said: "Milton Keynes mail centre site, as it stands, may not be suitable for the new technology and equipment needed because of its limited size.
"As a result we are looking at the option of transferring processing operations to a new, modern state-of-the-art mail centre in the nearby M1 corridor."
Mr Taylor was referring to the new regional centre, on the outskirts of Northampton, which was given planning permission earlier this week.
If the switch goes ahead, it means city post will travel there to be sorted before delivery, while the 2,200 employees at the three existing offices – Milton Keynes, Northampton and Coventry – will have to compete for the 950 jobs planned for the new site.
The Communications Workers' Union (CWU) says transferring the Milton Keynes operation to this new centre seems at odds with the projected growth of the city and threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of local employees.
CWU branch secretary Paul Olden said: "Milton Keynes is the fastest growing city within the UK. There is currently 11.3 per cent business growth, which is higher than any other area.
"We've been told there won't be two centres to serve the three regional postcodes. So the huge investment in the Northampton centre can only mean one thing.
"Yet Royal Mail still denies the Milton Keynes office is closing.
"They can't sit there and keep our people on the edge. It's either closing or it's not closing."