Royal Mail boss: Treat junk mail with respect

[pinstripe]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... se-60.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although most of it ends up in the bin, postmen should still treat junk mail with ‘utter respect’, the head of the Royal Mail said yesterday.

Announcing a 60 per cent increase in profits to £324million, Moya Greene defended the huge amount of unwanted ‘marketing mail’ it delivers.

She said junk mail had contributed to the state-owned company’s profits, together with an increase in the price of stamps and the delivery of a record number of parcels, mostly as a result of internet shopping.

There is no limit to how much junk mail – formally known as ‘unaddressed mail’ – can be delivered every day.

Yesterday Miss Greene, the Royal Mail chief executive, said the company generated £1.1billion from its marketing mail division last year.

She said: ‘We must treat every single piece of mail with utter respect because we need it. It [marketing mail] is a very important way that businesses rely upon us for growth.’

Over the last year, she said the total amount of junk mail delivered by the company had increased by around 200million items to around 3.3billion.

Miss Greene, who enjoys a total pay package of £1.1million a year, yesterday insisted junk mail is ‘a very important strategy’ for the firm.

As more households go over to ‘paperless’ bills which are sent online, the Royal Mail hopes to deliver larger quantities of junk mail. Overall, the amount of ‘addressed’ mail has dropped from 63million items a day to 58million a day

But a spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘Most people don’t appreciate being bombarded with junk mail on a daily basis.

'Not only is it a nuisance to have to pick up and throw away, but it adds thousands of tonnes to the amount of waste councils have to collect.’

Royal Mail is being prepared for a controversial flotation on the stock market which is bitterly opposed by the trade unions.

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: ‘The positive results are more compelling evidence of why Royal Mail should be kept in the public sector.’

The union will begin balloting its members today about whether or not to refuse to deliver any mail which has been initially handled by one of its rivals, such as TNT or UK Mail.

Michael Fallon, the business minister, who has said he would prefer to float the company rather than sell it, described the results as ‘another encouraging step’.

He said: ‘We are committed to a sale but its structure and timing remain open.’

Mr Fallon wants to give at least 10 per cent of the shares to Royal Mail workers, although it is not clear if they will be given away for free or sold at a discounted price.

In April 2012, the cost of a first-class stamp jumped from 46p to 60p after the postal regulator Ofcom axed the cap which used to control how high stamp prices could be increased every year.

[houseoflords]

Junk Mail is just crap that nobody wants.

[Rudolph_Hucker]

Junk Mail is just crap that nobody wants.

That may be a postie's perspective, however others think differently.

Why do you think businesses spend an absolute fortune in having us deliver it? Well I can tell you .... because it works, it generates income for them.

Do you honestly think that say, Dominos would send out leaflets at the rate they do if it wasn't working?

[DirtyHarry]

Junk mail annoys people.
No excuse justifies annoying people.
And in Virmin media's case, to an extent that is simply unacceptable.

Nobody wants to stop companies advertising their tat, but there should be limits as to how much.

[redneck]

Customers deserve all the junk we deliver as the majority of them have voted for parties that have forced us down the free market capitalism route that in turn needs them to buy the advertised products. I've no sympathy. We need the junk to survive

[Darren Bent]

Yes and why do Virgin keep sending junk mail every two weeks. If people want Virgin broadband and TV they would have it by now. I think they should reduce it and make it every 6 weeks but it is not my money they are spending.

[Rudolph_Hucker]

Junk mail annoys people.
No excuse justifies annoying people.
And in Virmin media's case, to an extent that is simply unacceptable.

Nobody wants to stop companies advertising their tat, but there should be limits as to how much.

It annoys some people, it doesn't annoy everybody.

Most of what I get delivered by RM, private companies or individuals goes in the bin.

However, every now and again something hits my doormat and I look at it and I use it.

The last two I can recall using were Sky TV and a new Chinese in my area.

Don't try and tell me I'm the only one in the country who uses the services advertised.

[Tman]

"Junk mail" (and I'm sure the "boss of Royal Mail" didn't really call it that) keeps people employed. Someone has to make the paper, produce the artwork, print the items, distribute and deliver them and then recycle them.In the meantime the firms concerned receive more business through increased turn-over, so they employ people and the cycle carries on.

What sort of intelligence (from the vested interest of RM employees) calls for it to be limited or banned though? Turkeys? Christmas?

[UnhappyGremlin]

Apparently they only require a 2% success rate for it to be financially successful, i.e. they only need 2% of all households that receive the mailings to take up offers and they have more than made up the cost of the campaign.

Will staff not be happy until they have thrown away all our work? like it or not, it does protect jobs, and as always, you get paid 39 hours a week, and can only do so much in that time, when the times up, go home. The rest is not your problem.

[Jimmcguinn]

As annoying as it is(and down-right infuriating in the case of Virgin media),the fact is "junk mail" keeps hundreds of thousands of people employed in this country.

[nogginthenomad]

This whole issue kind of illustrates the futility of life in the UK these days, doesn't it? A veritable army of people producing and delivering advertising for stuff that 98% of the population doesn't want.

It almost makes politicians look useful!

[martin the green]

but it does help to pay our wages and keep us in a job

[TrueBlueTerrier]

but it does help to pay our wages and keep us in a job

Thats what I say to people on my duty - "Sorry Love, its all Junk, but at least it keeps me in a job"

Okay its annoying that a "good" quiet day is ruined by a bulk posting like Sky or Virgin, but one thing is CERTAIN. If we didn't have to deliver it then we wouldn't need quite as many staff.

Next time you get a bulk posting and think thats ruined my day think how ruined it would be if you were one of those who were seen as surplus. Or if you don't like lapsing then the more "Junk" you have to deliver the less chance you have of lapsing, or at least you have more justification to refuse.

Even D2Ds in of themselves are good news for job security and keeping the business going. However I think most on here are not complaining about the D2Ds and Junk Mail persee, but are complaining how they are managed. The moaning is mainly a symptom of bad managerial processes and practices, not widespread laziness, at least i fervently hope thats the case.

[Rudolph_Hucker]

but it does help to pay our wages and keep us in a job

Thats what I say to people on my duty - "Sorry Love, its all Junk, but at least it keeps me in a job"

Okay its annoying that a "good" quiet day is ruined by a bulk posting like Sky or Virgin, but one thing is CERTAIN. If we didn't have to deliver it then we wouldn't need quite as many staff.

Next time you get a bulk posting and think thats ruined my day think how ruined it would be if you were one of those who were seen as surplus. Or if you don't like lapsing then the more "Junk" you have to deliver the less chance you have of lapsing, or at least you have more justification to refuse.

Even D2Ds in of themselves are good news for job security and keeping the business going. However I think most on here are not complaining about the D2Ds and Junk Mail persee, but are complaining how they are managed. The moaning is mainly a symptom of bad managerial processes and practices, not widespread laziness, at least i fervently hope thats the case.

I think D2D's should be filed under ... Necessary evils.