Consignia blames strikes for poor record on first-class deliveries of mail

2 articles:
1. Jeremy Cope, group managing director for mail services at Consignia,
the state-owned company that runs Royal Mail, said last Friday the
number of first-class letters delivered the following day fell to
just 86.5% in the three months to June 30. Cope said the performance was unacceptable, but blamed it on railway problems in April and May, and an unofficial dispute that involved tens of thousands of workers. Cope said services had improved in the second quarter, but admitted it would be a very stretching task for Royal Mail to hit the target of 92.1% first-class deliveries overnight by March set by PostComm, the postal regulator. The company said it would have hit the target if not for rail and
industrial problems. PostComm is expected to decide next month whether to issue a licence to Hays, the business services group, for overnight mail services in central city areas, including London WC and EC the capital’s West
End and City districts.
A spokesman for PostComm said that if the targets were not met, the
regulator would consider a number of options, including fining
Consignia. Peter Carr, who chairs consumer watchdog PostWatch, said the figures were a disaster. He said that anything below 90% is a disaster, but this average figure is masking an even more serious problem. Carr said the only postcode outside London with a delivery record of under 80% was the Hebrides.
Copyright 2001 eFinancial News. Source: Financial Times – Europe
Intelligence Wire.E FINANCIAL NEWS, 03rd September 2001

2. POST bosses yesterday blamed wildcat strikes and rail chaos for their
failure to deliver more than one in eight first class letters on time. Between April and June just 86.5 per cent of first class mail arrived the
next day, Consignia admitted. Only 97.3 per cent of second class letters arrived within three working days of being posted, below the Royal Mail’s target of 98.5 per cent. Consumer groups said the figures were the latest sign of the deterioration of the postal service. Consignia, the new name for the Post Office, admitted its performance had been ‘unacceptablebut pointed to disruption-caused by illegal industrial action and chaos on the railways. Ninety per cent of first class mail does now arrive on time, it said. Further improvement is expected this month as a result of more reliable rail
services and a fall in the number of industrial disputes at the Post Office. In May, five million homes were hit by five days of strikes involving 15,000
workers – the worst industrial action to hit postal deliveries since 1996. The industry’s regulator has set the Royal Mail a target for first class
post of 92.1 per cent by the end of the year – a figure Consignia said would
be difficult to achieve. Peter Carr, chairman of consumer group Postwatch, said the figures masked the fact that millions of customers in London were receiving a ‘worse than appalling’ service. ‘We doubt that Consignia will ever provide a first class service unless they are put under pressure from competitors,’ he said. ‘Customers are not receiving the services they are paying for but have little option but to continue to use the Royal Mail.’ Consignia described its performance as ‘ unacceptable’. Jerry Cope, managing director of mail services, said.
DAILY MAIL, 01st September 2001