RM accused of secretly cutting first class deliveries

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail accused of secretly cutting first class deliveries to alternate days

Royal Mail has been accused of quietly reducing deliveries to every other day in parts of the country as campaigners claim the next day post is now a thing of the past in many areas.








Some people claim they can now wait up to 48 hours to receive items sent by first class post Photo: PA





By Andy Bloxham7:30AM BST 03 May 2011


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Householders said the changes were introduced without warning and claim they can now wait up to 48 hours to receive items sent by first class post.


A legal challenge is being prepared to try to force Royal Mail to adhere to its Universal Service obligations, under which its staff are required to deliver every day, six days a week.


Unions claim it is breaking the law by failing to fulfil the obligations. They say Royal Mail is cutting costs by not providing cover when postmen are ill or do not arrive for work.


The staff who are on duty are then expected to extend their routes.


However, Royal Mail is then refusing to pay overtime, campaigners claim, meaning the postman cannot complete extended rounds in one day, making the delivery of much first class post a day late.

Royal Mail claims the changes are not permanent but, instead, are local “delivery issues” which it is hoping to resolve.

Critics, however, suggest it is unofficial policy.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "There's no truth in that whatsoever. It's a short-term situation in a very small number of areas.

"We are delivering the Universal Service apart from in certain cases which we are trying to resolve.

"In many parts of the country we are making changes to modernise the business and if there are teething problems we'll seek to solve them."

He added: "At times of the year there's less mail to deliver so we ask staff to cover the duties of other people but if overtime is needed we'll pay it."

Householders who have repeatedly attempted to contact Royal Mail to complain say they have failed to get through or had their issues ignored.

Suffolk, Lancashire and Cumbria are already suffering the diminished service but there are fears that it could spread nationwide.

Cllr Peter Stevens, a Conservative member of St Edmundsbury council in west Suffolk, said: “We pay for a first class service and we get second class delivery.”

Lesley Cooper, a retired head teacher who now works for the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “I work from home so it is very frustrating not knowing when letters are going to arrive. A lot of businesses locally must also be suffering.”

She said she was behind a legal campaign to improve the service.

Bill Worth, who is retired and lives in the village of Cavendish, Suffolk, said: “We used to have two postmen on this round but now we only have one.

“It means he can only do half the village in one shift and because they won’t allow him overtime he has to come back the next day to do the other half.”

A spokesman for the Communication Workers Union, which represents Royal Mail staff, said: “It won’t admit to it but it’s attempting to cut costs by not providing cover.

“Royal Mail is not coming clean but it’s trying to introduce this “under the radar” in rural areas and it’s only going to spread unless action is taken.”

A spokesman for Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services, said Royal Mail was undergoing changes to the way it works but said it would investigate the claims.

[hans solo]

happens all the time in rural areas of ayrshire since p and l introduced in some offices they deliv one part of deliv then double mail on other part of deliv next day
ie; del every 2 days this has been happening for months and senior mgmt and senior cwu know this is happening

[demon]

should see what happen to your parcels they can spend a week or more piled up in our office

[oypostie]

Thought that no excess and cut off not being covered on OT was now the norm in most places.

About time someone started kicking up a fuss