Lives "on hold" as Gloucester MC staff face job cuts

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail workers' lives "on hold" as Gloucester Mail Centre staff face job cuts

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Sorting office workers have “put their lives on hold” as they wait to see whether they will lose their jobs.

Up to 160 of the 372 workers at the Gloucester Mail Centre, on Eastern Avenue, are facing redundancy as plans go before Gloucester City Council to enable the site to be sold.

Some staff will be transferred to Bristol and other sites ahead of Royal Mail’s sale of the building in 2014 but almost half will lose their livelihood.

Paul Trehearne, secretary of the Communication Workers Union Gloucester branch, said there was a sombre mood at the centre.

"They are ploughing ahead with their plans and some people have already taken redundancy. It is really unnerving people because they have put their lives on hold. It is a joke. To rub salt into the wounds, a plaque was recently installed on the wall saying that it was the best mail centre in the south west.”

For today's comment piece by The Citizen editor Jenny Eastwood on the Gloucester Mail Centre, click 'Jenny Eastwood, editor of The Citizen: Site must deliver more employment'.

A four-phase removal of workers is under way. The third phase begins in October and the final workers will leave between January and March.

Royal Mail this week started the process of getting the 5.5-acre site ready for the sale, which could go through in a matter of months.

Plans have been submitted to the council to allow a future buyer to use the site as a warehouse, distribution centre or offices.

Royal Mail spokeswoman Val Bodden said: “This is a technical application to establish future use of the buildings for general office, distribution and general industrial use for potential buyers. We have been clear from the outset that a sale of the site would be undertaken.

“The mail centre will remain open until 2014 and the sale process will not impact Royal Mail’s commitment to ensuring the best possible outcome for all our colleagues who are affected by the closure of the site.”

Royal Mail is transferring sorting office operation to Bristol, while some mail processing and mail collections will move to Gloucester North in Brockworth, and Stroud delivery offices. Mail collections will also be moved to Gloucester South and Lydney.

The changes come after falling numbers of deliveries and an increase in competition in the mail delivery market.

A previous plan to close the centre was overturned in 2007 after a long-fought campaign by postal workers.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Workers at the Royal Mail in Gloucester must feel rather like they are in limbo at the moment.

Up to 160 of the 372 workers at the Gloucester Mail Centre, in Eastern Avenue, are facing redundancy.

For today's full story on the Gloucester Mail Centre, click 'Royal Mail workers' lives "on hold" as Gloucester Mail Centre staff face job cuts'.

Meanwhile, as they are still working away, a planning application is already going in to determine the future use of the building to make it more appealing for buyers.

This is an awful situation to be in for the staff and one that must be hard for those with many years of service there.

It is not the first time a decision was taken to close the site but in 2007 this was overturned after a hard-fought campaign.

Sadly with the competition in the mail delivery market as it is, this time the outcome is very much decided.

We just need to ensure that those workers who lose their roles are given to help to find alternative jobs and the sorting office site goes to someone wishing to invest in the economy and local employment.
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[Red Robbo]

When will it all end ?

[UnhappyGremlin]

When will it all end ?

Not for some considerable time.
Think RM will be in a state of flux for at least the next decade, if not perpetually.

[Brain Fury]

Gloucester MC has been under threat of closure for years. It was supposed to be part of the amalgamation at Swindon but RM gave in to the campaign to keep it open. I can't believe anybody there is too surprised that it's finally closing.