Royal Mail…a thing of the past?
Andrew Bernard, chief executive of CitySprint, writes exclusively for Post&Parcel. Despite an interim deal being agreed by the CWU and Royal Mail earlier this month, talks will continue as both parties look for a long-term solution to the ongoing dispute. For months, the two organisations have been at loggerheads and refused to back down. One side resorted to desperate measures such as smuggling posties into work in the back of vans, whilst the other threatened legal action if the proposal for additional temporary workers was implemented.
The irony of the situation is that the ‘desire to modernise’ over which they are fighting may be too little too late anyway. The Royal Mail has suffered greatly over the past decade, some of which has been its own doing some has been down to changing market conditions. The Consignia debacle must, for example, still make those responsible wince as much as the digital revolution, and associated decline in traditional mail, makes them sigh and wish for the ‘good old days’.
The reality is the world is changing and the Royal Mail has done little to keep pace. The business mail market has been seriously eroded and the further irony of this situation is that this dispute is likely to further motivate this.
In days gone by time sheets, pay slips and customer invoices were all sent by traditional mail. Many businesses have switched over to electronic means whilst others have resisted for fear of disrupting staff and customers alike. However, when there is no other option businesses are forced to harden their position and the question goes from being ‘would you mind’ to ‘we are going to distribute by email’. The strike action is essentially motivating the laggers to switch to electronic means…once you go over to the dark side…you aren’t coming back.
So if traditional letter writing is a thing of the past and pay sheets, invoices etc are being sent by email all that is left are the documents which have to be received hard copy and therefore, by their very nature, require a secure service…is the Royal Mail suitable for this or is this where the couriers step in and offer same day services which are cost effective yet far more secure for all those critical packages that “must get there”?
With industrial action a distinct possibility in the New Year professional courier companies and private postal firms have a few months to consider their service offerings and the opportunities the strike action brings. CitySprint offers a number of ‘alternatives’ particularly in the central London area and is seriously looking at ways in which this can be implemented throughout the UK.
So, whilst the two sides continue to battle it out the rest of us can formulate a plan which could well leave Royal Mail wondering…what happened to our market?
