Royal Mail 'rationing' cut price Christmas stamps to pension

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail 'rationing' cut price Christmas stamps to pensioners

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Royal Mail has been criticised for "rationing” cut price stamps to the less well off.

Royal Mail is offering cut price Christmas stamps to five million pensioners and other people on benefits in November and December.

The move is intended to head off criticism about a huge increase in the price of first and second class stamps from the end of this month.

For standard letters, second class stamps will increase from 36p to 50p, and first class stamps will rise from 46p to 60p.

However people on pension credits, and employment and support allowance will be limited to 36 stamps at the current prices, prompting campaigners to complain that Royal Mail was “rationing” their sale who lived with food rationing through their child hoods.

Roger Turner, general secretary of the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners, said Royal Mail was being insensitive to people who grew up with rationing in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.

He said he planned to raise his concerns at a meeting with senior Royal Mail executives on Thursday, and is expected to ask the company to lift the cap on the sale of the discounted stamps.

He said: “I abhor the idea of ‘rationing’ stamps. I think it is hugely insensitive to ask a group of society that potentially lived through a time of history where rationing was common place to be asked to accept this again.”

Mr Turner continued: “Does Royal Mail believe that pensioners only have 36 friends and family they wish to contact over Christmas? I am sure the Royal Mail is very aware that the average person sends far more correspondence than 36 letters/cards over the festive period.”

People on benefits will be able to buy three books of 12 first class or second class stamps, or a combination of the two in a single transaction.

Customers would have to present proof that they are in receipt of the relevant benefits in the form of a letter, for example from the DWP.

Mr Turner continued: “It is also alarming that Royal Mail is expecting pensioners to turn up at Post Offices brandishing a letter and photo ID declaring their entitlement.

“This is not a generation that enjoys pleading poverty and they should not be forced to do this in such a public way.

“This is particularly harsh when a great many of them will not see a huge amount of benefit anyway as they will be forced to buy regularly priced stamps in order to reach out to all those they wish to during Christmas.

"For a generation that is not always necessarily 'au fait' with social networking, old fashioned letter writing had continued to provide them with an effective – and affordable - means of communication with friends and family from across the UK and beyond."

Details of the plans, originally announced last week, were set out in a letter from Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene to MPs on the Business Innovation and Skill committee.

In the letter, Ms Greene said the scheme was “legally consistent” with a legal requirement to provide a ‘one price anywhere’ universal postal service.

She told them: "Our legal advice is that there is nothing in the [Postal Services Act 2011 and Ofcom's proposed Universal Postal Service Order] which precludes single piece services from being offered at different but geographically uniform prices throughout the United Kingdom."

Last night James Eadie, a spokesman for Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail’s scheme this Christmas will enable people on low incomes to buy up to a total of 36 First or Second Class Stamps in one purchase at 2011 prices – 46p for First Class and 36p for Second Class.

"Recent research by the Greetings Card Association shows that 31 cards are sent on average per person each year. While postage accounts for a very modest proportion of household expenditure, we know that there are some people for whom any price rise is difficult.

"People on pension credit and employment and support allowance (or incapacity benefit) are eligible for participation in the Christmas scheme. Around 5 million people are eligible under these criteria.”

[Lounge Lizard]

"Roger Turner, general secretary of the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners, said Royal Mail was being insensitive to people who grew up with rationing in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s." Does Roger not realise that 'people who grew up with rationing in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s' worked at a time when wages were good, houses were affordable, the welfare state looked after all and lucrative pensions were easily built up, a generation that literally never had it so good, and one that now moans about how many Christmas stamps they're allowed discounted - what a terrible example to set for today's youth.

[blackadder]

pensioners never had it so good. free bus travel when you hit 60, state pension and private pension, free prescriptions, winter fuel allowance, free telly at 75. dont say they earned it cos they paid there tax. im sure they have paid there tax but that was to pay for the pensioners when they were working and there wernt so many around. where as the likes of us poor sods who are working will have to till we 80 as there be no state pension and the private pension i wouldnt hold my breath it still be any good when i want it. is a shame that in the smilies there aint a gordon brown and tony blair hammer as they have a lot to explain