Saturday deliveries under threat as UK Royal Mail looks to slash 30,000 jobs
Postal deliveries could be the latest cutback as the Royal Mail may be forced to implement cost-cutting measures by Government review.
Postal deliveries on Saturdays in the UK are under threat because the Royal Mail could be forced to axe up to 30,000 jobs in a cost-cutting drive.
The chair of an independent review of the postal service for the Government, has told MPs and peers that half of the group’s 69 sorting offices could be shut. Labour MPs and unions said the shake-up could see deliveries and collections to homes and businesses reduced to five days a week.
The possibility of scrapping deliveries on Saturdays will also heighten fears for the future of the ‘universal service’ – the Royal Mail’s commitment to deliver letters to every address in Britain at the same price.
The threats to Saturday collections and deliveries were raised after Mr Hooper, the former deputy chairman of Ofcom, briefed politicians ahead of the publication of his review of the cashstrapped Royal Mail.
MPs and unions last night warned this would ‘inevitably’ lead to a reduction in postal services. A spokesman for the Department for Business said: ‘We are committed to maintaining a universal postal service that meets the changing needs of consumers and businesses.’
