Bradford MC:No need for compulsory redundancies

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail bosses aiming to ensure no need for compulsory redundancies in city

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Royal Mail bosses said they are seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies following an announcement it will close Bradford’s main sorting office where nearly 400 people work.

The closure of the sorting office in Forster Square is part of a nationwide shake-up which will see hundreds of jobs moved from the city to Leeds.

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed that 380 jobs at the sorting office would be affected and operations would finish at the centre by 2013.

The spokesman said: “The company hopes to achieve these changes without any compulsory redundancies and will continue working closely with the unions to support affected employees.”

The spokesman told the T&A that the restructuring would not affect delivery offices across the Bradford district.

Royal Mail took the decision to close the Bradford sorting office following a review of its operations and five months’ consultation between managers and union officials.

As part of its “modernisation programme” bosses decided the business would operate “more effectively” with a regional network of mail centres in Tyneside, Leeds and Sheffield.

Work carried out by employees at Bradford’s Forster Square sorting office will be transferred to Leeds Mail Centre, along with sorting duties from York. There will be about 800 fewer people working for Royal Mail in the North East region from a total workforce of 18,000. The changes will take place between 2012 and 2015. The Communication Workers Union said it had ensured safeguards were in place to protect staff. The CWU said it was “confident” there would be no compulsory redundancies.

Alison Wright, regional operations director for Royal Mail’s North East region, said: “Our mail centres are facing considerable challenges, with competition from rival operators and electronic communication increasing and mail volumes continuing to decline, meaning there are now 16 million fewer letters posted each day compared with five years ago. So we urgently need to modernise and re-shape our mail processing network.

“Our service to customers will continue to be a top priority during these major changes, which are essential in securing the six-days-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere universal service which is so vital to businesses and consumers throughout the UK.”