“Hijacked!”

A simple poll on the Post&Parcel homepage has thrown up some interesting results. We asked our readers to vote on the question: ‘Declining mail volumes mean: Deregulation should be halted; USO has to be modernised; USO prices have to be increased.’

Over the course of the month the poll was active, the votes cast were evenly spread, until members of the internet forum ‘royalmailchat.co.uk’ got wind of the feature. One administrator from the site asked his followers, presumably formed from current and ex-Royal Mail workers, to “hijack” the poll, which saw a rise in favour of option (a).

The final results were: Declining mail volumes mean:

– Deregulation should be halted (73%)

– USO has to be modernised (23%)

– USO prices have to be increased (4%)

Now, this article is not intended to pour scorn on our poll being ‘hijacked’. We are a public site, and we welcome and encourage participation from all levels of the mail and express industry. A balanced view is always sought. But it was interesting to see how determined the forummers were to have their voices heard, to stand together, and to show overwhelming favour against deregulation. Furthermore, if deregulation would cause such uproar, and seemingly be a disaster for the ‘everyday postal worker’ – then should the governments in question take heed and put deregulation to bed once and for all?

One industry expert doesn’t think so. When asked what might occur if deregulation was halted completely, Paul Jackson said: “Labour costs will rise, mail will decline, investment will be less and prices will go up…we are therefore in danger of making mail less competitive and less relevant to society. In the end the declining businesses will be forced into radical restructuring with unpleasant consequences particularly for the millions of postal workers.”

In search of an opinion from all sides of the industry, Post&Parcel has invited the administrator of Royal Mail Chat for his views. After all, Post&Parcel was designed to provide a platform for each and everybody to share their thoughts.

And for everybody else, do you agree with Paul? Also, what are your thoughts on the USO? Whilst it remains an aspiration for the developing world, is it now a hindrance for developed Posts in light of the recent economic turbulence?

We want to hear your views below. Plus, if you want to comment but stay anonymous we now have a new feature allowing you to do so…