According to the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) there are two main reasons for the current problems.
The first is a new shift system which is being trialled at 38 sorting offices around the country, including Milton Keynes, Southend and Ipswich.
It’s called optimised delivery, which will see second class post delivered on alternate weekdays only on a two-week rotating schedule.
“We don’t agree with it, it’s putting too much strain on our people and it’s clearly not working,” said Mark Harper, CWU’s regional officer for the East and the Midlands.
“We have a better idea about how this could be done and we have entered into intensive negotiations about this.”
He said that at other depots an overtime ban meant when staff are sick they were not always being replaced.
“All our postmen and postwomen want to do is to get everything out in one day but at the moment they are being hamstrung because they aren’t able to do that,” said Harper.
Royal Mail said the changes were necessary because letter volumes had declined sharply from 20 billion a year a decade ago to 6.7 billion.
“We appreciate what Royal Mail is going through,” said Harper. “It’s not easy when people are sending fewer letters. It is a private company and it has to make a profit.”
