Royal Mail gets tough on postmen

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Local postmen are being disciplined and are at risk of losing their jobs for “fairly trivial things,” according to Southport MP John Pugh.

The Liberal Democrat has questioned Royal Mail’s actions against postmen who travel from house to house by bicycle without wearing a helmet and said: “I have been shown a frighteningly long list of scores of local postmen who have been disciplined by the Royal Mail for what look like fairly trivial things.

“However when I have asked for the numbers of people disciplined from Royal Mail management I have been told that I cannot have it due to the Data Protection Act.”

Explaining there are cases of postmen in the town facing the sack for not wearing a helmet the MP, who opposes the proposed part-privatisation of the Royal Mail, added: “The only one at risk is the postman himself but its is not even consistent. Behaviour that is tolerated in one area may be the subject of disciplinary action in Southport.

“I understand that in times of change there is friction but the unwillingness of the Royal Mail to provide statistics on the number of disciplinary actions and the reasons for them will back up conspiracy theories, If it’s not about replacing full time staff with casual labour and reducing the huge pension bill, there's really no good reason not to be open.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson told Champnews.com: “We do not discuss individual personnel issues. However, Royal Mail takes the safety of its employees very seriously which is why it is mandatory for all Royal Mail staff who use a bike to wear personal protective equipment, including cycle helmets.”

A spokesperson for the communications union, CWU, which represents postal workers, said: “We can’t comment on any individual cases but we have found that Royal Mail are often not willing to apply mitigating circumstances in disciplinary hearings, and we believe that full time duties must be maintained under any use of conduct codes or disciplinary hearings. To reduce full-time to part-time work is completely unacceptable.”