Legal challenge to Coventry post office closure

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Nov 9 2007

By Jane Stirland


UNION leaders fghting Coventry's post office closure are to challenge the legality of moving services to WH Smith.

Neil Robinson, secretary of the city branch of the Communication Workers' Union, said officials had asked for a meeting with Post Office bosses to confront them over the issue of transferring services from the Hertford Street Crown office to WH Smith's West Orchards store.

The union will argue that the move would put the new post office too close to the other major city centre post office in the Co-op, Corporation Street.

Unions are hoping there is a legal loophole they can exploit and are convinced that customers will be worse off by having the two branches so close.

He said: "The two offices would, we estimate, be only around 50 yards apart and we think there may be a legal issue here.

Our officers at headquarters are looking into it and will take legal advice if they think there is a case."

The CWU will also be coordinating petitions raised by the union, Coventry Pensioners' Association, Coventry City Council and Dave Nellist, leader of the council's Socialist group, to present to Post Office Ltd, and asking people to sign postcards outside the Hertford Street branch.

And it will be calling for a meeting with postal services watchdog Postwatch.

"We are not sure they are fully aware of the position at Coventry," Mr Robinson said.

Speaking about the Hertford Street office's 28-strong workforce - the majority of which are represented by the union - Mr Robinson said that if they wanted to move to WH Smith, they would have to take redundancy and then apply to the store for a job, but they would face a big drop in pay.

[terrace]

When our local Post Office was being closed I wrote to Royal Mail.The reason they gave for the closure was that they were adopting a policy of maintaining Post Offices within a certain distance of each other,nothing to do with customer numbers.,and those Post offices that are in between are closing.Because my local Post Office(not a Crown Office) was within a mile I think of the next Crown Office it was being closed.It seems they just change the excuse each time to fit the situation.
I also argued that nearest Post Office had inadequate parking space and situated on a slight incline on a very busy main road.Their reply was -the parking is a Council responsiblity not a Royal Mail one.Also it had awkward steps leading up to the front door -hard luck if your elderly or diasabled.
Basically they have no consistent argument or policy over closure.You have to get them to disclose what their closure policy is exactly if this inconsistent with your particular case you may have a chance,but I'm no lawyer.
Good Luck.