Business Post strikes new blow to Royal Mail

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Business Post strikes new blow to Royal Mail with demand for split

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 872717.ece

Christine Buckley

One of Royal Mail’s biggest rivals is to petition the Government to break up the state-owned postal group, in an escalation of pressure for change from its competitors.

Business Post made the call as sales at its mail division, which competes with Royal Mail, rose 59 per cent. The company argues that last month’s Royal Mail strikes have made more people aware that there is a competitive postal market.

Guy Buswell, Business Post’s chief executive, is to make a formal request to the Department for Business for Royal Mail’s network to be separated from its sales operation in January. By then it intends to produce a detailed paper with outside consultants.

Mr Buswell said: “The Government must be wondering what to do with Royal Mail. If the network were separated from sales, it would end the questions of what is Royal Mail’s future. We want to help start the debate.â€

[andy2007]

Why don't they just impose the USO on any Company wanting to provide a Postal Service?
That way, there would be no conflict of interest in RM. The rivals would simply have to deliver the final mile too. Either that or subcontract to us.

That's what the Government should be Lobbied for. What do you think?

[Tman]

Why don't they just impose the USO on any Company wanting to provide a Postal Service?
That way, there would be no conflict of interest in RM. The rivals would simply have to deliver the final mile too. Either that or subcontract to us.

That's what the Government should be Lobbied for. What do you think?

That's one way, but I'd prefer to say to DHL, TNT and the rest, "we'll take your mail the final mile" (as they say) "and you pay us the going rate. If you don't like it piss off and build your own distribution network"

We (RM) are either a public service and don't require to make a profit, or we're a private concern and can do what we like to the competition.
Postwatch/Postcomm can't have it both ways.

[Crackerjackpencil]

I agree they want to compete, then let's do it nice and fairly impose the USO on them and close down stream access or let us use them to deliver our mail too only at the same cut price they get to use us for....should see the buggers cak their pants with that...Never happen though Gordon Blair will see to that bugger.

[dogfood]

We (RM) are either a public service and don't require to make a profit, or we're a private concern and can do what we like to the competition.
Postwatch/Postcomm can't have it both ways.

I agree, but in reality we are a public purse used to create wealth for the private sector

[dvbuk55]

The same difference applies to our delivery network as it does to BT. It was public funding that developed and built telephone exchanges and yet now every TD&H can use them to provide cheaper services. A Lady from BT rang me the other day, I used to be a BT subscriber, to ask if there was anything they could do to entice me back from SKY - I said give me TV, Broadband and free calls to UK Landlines for £60 a month and I'll come back. Of course she couldn't compete.

But to the point, there is nothing to stop RM hiring out parts of our buildings, frames and equipment to our competitors so they can set up a final mile system of sorts.

[BELIAL]

If the powers that be were truly serious about creating a competetive end to end postal market , they could simply allow charges for bulk mailers to rise to a point where it would be profitable for entry level competitors to develop their own network

They have no intention of doing this. They chant the mantra: choice ;competition ;market forces;liberalisation yet constantly manipulate the system to line the pockets of their paymasters, the super rich.
True unfettered unmanipulated competition might be a blessing for those who wish to be postal workers. You would have a choice of employers ,you could follow the money, pouch weights would fall as walks were duplicated, and there will always be a limit to how far you could walk on one shift.
You might even get a union capable of serving the interests of it's membership. How many employers faced with the threat of IA and with customers able to switch end to end providers virtualy overnight would be tempted to screw the workforce like RM?

Course this stuggle has nothing to do with market liberalisation and competition ,It's about asset stripping and pocket lining and perhaps most significantly about boosting the mega profits of Alans favourite bulk mailers by reducing the final mile costs or in other words our pay and terms

[Tman]

[="dvbuk55"]The same difference applies to our delivery network as it does to BT. It was public funding that developed and built telephone exchanges and yet now every TD&H can use them to provide cheaper services

.


Yes and no. When System X came in in the early 1980s, the telephone exchanges which required armies of Engineers to maintain were replaced by a cabinet the size of a small suitcase, and were virtually maintenance-free. This in itself changed the status quo whether BT wanted it to or not.
Postmen and the necessary infrastructure required to "back them up" hasn't changed in decades. The need for "local" DOs and a network to service them may have been modernised/automated/etc but the need hasn't gone away. My point is if the "powers that be" have decreed that GB needs competition in the postal market, then make it true competition and be done with it.
I'm willing to bet that I never see a DHL/TNT postie on my drive every day, ever, and when the profits have been sucked out of the PO by such people, the same will happen here as happened in Australia, and the "competition" quietly folds up it's tents and disappears into the night.

[pinstripe]

Just tell him to F*** Off! He wants us to continue delivering his cr** fo a reduced rate. Maybe he wants us to deliver it for FREE! UK Mail, TNT, DHL can all sod off. Set up their own Universal Delivery Operation, delivering 6 days a weeks to every single address, then we will entertain the notion of separating Royal Mail. He is a prize to**er, like our glorious leaders. :lfo :cfo

Like all his kind, he's only interested in profit and his obscene bonuses!

[BELIAL]

[="dvbuk55"]The same difference applies to our delivery network as it does to BT. It was public funding that developed and built telephone exchanges and yet now every TD&H can use them to provide cheaper services

.


Yes and no. When System X came in in the early 1980s, the telephone exchanges which required armies of Engineers to maintain were replaced by a cabinet the size of a small suitcase, and were virtually maintenance-free. This in itself changed the status quo whether BT wanted it to or not.
Postmen and the necessary infrastructure required to "back them up" hasn't changed in decades. The need for "local" DOs and a network to service them may have been modernised/automated/etc but the need hasn't gone away. My point is if the "powers that be" have decreed that GB needs competition in the postal market, then make it true competition and be done with it.
I'm willing to bet that I never see a DHL/TNT postie on my drive every day, ever, and when the profits have been sucked out of the PO by such people, the same will happen here as happened in Australia, and the "competition" quietly folds up it's tents and disappears into the night.

YES but system x was developed and installed by BT at great PUBLIC expense ,so yet another example of taxpayers money appropriated by stealth for private individuals