RM's biggest RIVAL has demanded a clampdown on posties pay

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail's biggest RIVAL has demanded a clampdown on posties' pay and conditions

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ro ... ed-4701731" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dutch-owned postal giant Whistl dismissed warnings that Royal Mail services are under threat because rivals are “cherry-picking” the profitable routes

Royal Mail’s biggest rival has sparked fury by demanding a clampdown on posties’ pay and conditions.

Dutch-owned postal giant Whistl - formerly TNT Post - dismissed warnings that Royal Mail services are under threat because rivals are “cherry-picking” the profitable routes.

Royal Mail boss Moya Greene told MPs the firm’s universal six-day-a-week service faces an “existential threat”.

But Whistl chief executive Nick Wells said the warnings were a “smokescreen”.

“What Royal Mail need to do is improve their efficiency and modernise their labour relations policy,” he told the Commons business committee.

Last year newly-privatised Royal Mail agreed a 3% pay rises for all staff and a ban on zero hour contracts.

By contrast, corporate fatcat Mr Wells admitted Whistl currently has all its posties on ‘flexible’ contracts.

Under fire from MPs, he was unable to say how many are zero-hours.

But he brazenly insisted: “Royal Mail need to change their work patterns.

“What they entered into with the unions in a declining market was a 10% increase over three years and no changes to the structure of their network, no changes to their terms and conditions, no compulsory redundancies.”

Sheffield MP Paul Blomfield raged: “The impression most of us have is when you talk about changing labour relations policy, what you’re talking about really - forget the weasel words - is driving down workers’ conditions and pay rates.”

His Labour colleague Ann McKechin added: “I welcome the fact Royal Mail workers are benefiting from a reasonable pay rise. They do a very hard and responsible job.

“And they are not on the salary levels of anything like anyone here on this panel."

Mr Wells also demanded a review of the Royal Mail’s cherished universal service obligation (USO), which means every home in the UK receives a fixed-price, six-day a week service.

He said some countries are now stopping weekend deliveries and even raised the spectre Canadian style ‘community letterboxes’ replacing deliveries to every door.

“I’m not advocating this,” he insisted.

“But I think the point here is it will need reviewing.

Ms Greene said the Royal Mail is still “committed” to the USO but warned competition from rivals in profitable towns and cities is making it harder to deliver post to expensive far-flung places.

“It’s very plain that if you siphon off the urban letter traffic, and you put into the Royal Mail network the mail that Mr Wells’s company does not choose to deliver because it’s too expensive, you will undermine the economics of the universal service very quickly,” she said.

Speaking in the House of Commons, David Cameron insisted the Government’s pledge to protect universal services will not be broken.

“I know how important the universal service obligation is,” the PM said.

“It’s very important it’s maintained.”

But Labour’s shadow trade minister Ian Murray said: “Labour warned that David Cameron’s Royal Mail fire sale would put vital services at risk, and Moya Greene’s evidence today has confirmed our worst fears.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable, who oversaw the sell-off, accused Royal Mail of “scaremongering”.

“There is no prospect of the universal service obligation being removed,” he said.

“The truth of the matter is, the Royal Mail is operating in a very competitive market. We knew that when they brought in private ownership.

“We don’t want frankly, people whinging about it. They’ve got to compete.”

[DGP1]

A race to the bottom, if the MPs actually listen to him then they need removed, if you take away peoples ability to earn then you destroy the economy, it's very simple really.

[The_Wax_Man]

Oh if only they could ban Whistl from any DSA

Soon see who's whinging then

[Surreypostie]

They are not our rivals, without us they cannot fulfil their contracts. I suggest they go whistle.

[janitor]

Mr wells has a good idea, RM need to change the way they work, so RM need to follow TNTs example, and only deliver TNTs mail three days a week, of course RMs own business could continue to be delivered six days.

[POSTMAN]

we cant.gif

[rainbowwarrior72]

Nick Wells can go and f**k off I earn my money as do all my colleagues sorry for the language but it has to be said. How much does Nick earn?

[raikky]

its horrible to see fat c***s such as nick wells saying lower terms and redundancies are a god thing.

[cyclemech1]

its horrible to see fat c***s such as nick wells saying lower terms and redundancies are a god thing.

It's called capitalism.

[senior man]

Perhaps vince cable and Nick wells could start their own delivery company and go show us all how easy the job is, they could give me a zero hour contract cos thats exactly how many hours I would work for them.

[raikky]

its horrible to see fat c***s such as nick wells saying lower terms and redundancies are a god thing.

It's called capitalism.

i call it greed.

[cyclemech1]

its horrible to see fat c***s such as nick wells saying lower terms and redundancies are a god thing.

It's called capitalism.

i call it greed.

Same thing.