Royal Mail hires 20,000 temps, but 400 Kent jobs face axe

Royal Mail has recruited almost 20,000 people to help handle its festive mailbag of around 2bn items. More than 70,000 people applied to work with Royal Mail over the Christmas period.

The recruits will work in mail and distribution centres across the UK helping to sort Christmas cards and packets before they go to more than 1,400 delivery offices for postmen and women to take out on their rounds.

Royal Mail’s head of resourcing, Maurice Harbottle, said: “We have seen a phenomenal response from people keen to earn extra money over the festive season and help Royal Mail deliver a great Christmas for its customers.

“We are delighted with the number and quality of the applications and, as well as some new temporary recruits, many of the people we will be using are regulars who support our operation Christmas after Christmas.”

Royal Mail expects to handle around 750m Christmas cards this year as well as 165m items ordered online – an increase of 10m on last year.

However, 400 jobs could be cut in Kent, as Royal Mail plans to close four regional sorting offices.

According to reports, plans are in place to close facilities in Dartford, Canterbury, Tonbridge and Maidstone, with the creation of a flagship centre in Rochester.

The Rochester facility could open in 2012.

Speaking to the BBC, regional operations director Tom Willis said: “By asking people to demonstrate a reasonable flexibility, we expect that everyone who wants to remain in Royal Mail will be able to do so.”