Leeds parcel backlog Christmas threat

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6630490.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Parcels are piling up at a Leeds delivery depot sparking fears that the backlog will not be cleared in time for Christmas.
Postmen working from the Sheepscar depot at Sackville Street are prioritising the delivery of letters as they adjust to a new system introduced across the country by Royal Mail, the YEP has learned.

The delivery office that serves the city's Headingley and Hyde Park student areas is struggling to get bulkier items out, and a postman told the YEP that it was doubtful that the mail mountain would be cleared before the New Year.

One customer said that four of his parcels had gone missing in the last month, and phone calls to the depot to find out what is going on have gone unanswered.

Communication Workers' Union reps have criticised Royal Mail bosses for implementing changes at the start of the busiest period of the postal calendar.

But they have stressed that the workforce will be pulling out all the necessary stops to make sure that they get on top of the changes.

Those changes, introduced as part of a national £2 billion investment and modernisation programme, mean that:

* Letters will be machine-sequenced by street and house number, saving postmen time in the mornings;

* Postmen will ditch the traditional postbag and do their rounds using a trolley, allowing them to deliver letters, parcels and packages all in one go;

* Rounds will be extended and covered by two postmen who will work together to deliver a higher volume of post;

* Postmen will travel between streets by van.

But Bhokul Miah, CWU delivery rep, said that the biggest problem was that postmen were getting used to new working conditions and this was causing delays.

Some postmen were concerned that their new larger rounds were taking too long, he said. Items not delivered during a shift are returned to delivery offices.

Mr Miah said: "We can go at a reasonable speed but we have to stop every now and again to deliver a package and that slows us down.

"Many postmen have to get home to collect children and just cannot work overtime.

"We would rather work earlier but machines are set to sequence letters at a specific time and we have to wait for that to be done before we can go out."

He added: "We asked for the changes to come in after Christmas but they said that the machinery was already here."

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "We are working hard to implement these major changes with minimum disruption to service and are confident that the changes will not adversely impact our Christmas operation."

Royal Mail delivery offices at Moortown, York Road, Bramley and Pudsey are operating under the new system, which is due to go live at the city's Wellington Road delivery depot on Monday.

[taurus88]

But Bhokul Miah, CWU delivery rep, said that the biggest problem was that postmen were getting used to new working conditions and this was causing delays.

Mr Miah said: "We can go at a reasonable speed but we have to stop every now and again to deliver a package and that slows us down.

Yes, of course it is. That's the biggest problem. It's sad when a CWU representative is peddling RM's propaganda. Fact is it cannot be done. The service is f*cked and it's not going to be fixed because no-one is prepared to admit that it's f*cked. I feel sorry for the public but I'm laughing at Royal Mail. Just think, this was a great service at one point. Look what happens when you let ideas and money men get a hold of something that was working just fine. Totally f*cked.

[jockstrapp]

Oh and they forgot to say MAIL VOLUMES ARE FALLING

[morleyposty]

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[postie222]

Five more office in Leeds are going live soon . Hope they work !!!!!!!

[ldsposti]

"Five more offices going live in leeds" No they are not all revisions put on hold till who knows when

[Stormproof]

"Five more offices going live in leeds"

[brunswick]

a royal mail spokesperson says we are suffering teething problems with the changes that have been introduced,these changes should have been introduced or should be introduced at a time when the business was at its least busy ie the summer,or should not have been introduced at all (leave well alone) springs to mind. one suggestion to clear any backlog that occurs is to have packet deliveries from 3-00pm till late evening,this delivery span is already being done in inner london,so you can bet your bottom dollar its coming to you soon. going back to the phrase a royal mail spokesperson, lets have these persons named and then when their forecasts fail to happen they are sacked not as currently happens they just blame the actions of the cwu members.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I am getting the feeling from comments on RMC, and news stories that the push to get revision in before Christmas is part of a strategy to get them in as fast as possible. Perhaps someone didn't realise that Canada Post is roughly half the size of RM not in geography but certainly in statistics, 15million addresses as opposed to 28million and 45 million items a day as opposed to 78million.