Union serves Post Office strike notice in UK
Post Office staff in the UK could strike after a ballot notice was served by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) today.
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UBS to advise on Royal Mail’s future
The UK government said it has appointed investment bank UBS AG (UBS) to advise it on options for the future ownership of Royal Mail.
Read MoreRural UK post offices ‘need support’
Post offices in thousands of villages could close over the next few years after Labour failed to give a manifesto commitment to support the loss-making rural network. Colin Baker, the general secretary of the Federation of SubPostmasters, said that he was disappointed at the lack of support after he and other organisations had lobbied for a pledge that rural offices would be protected. Mr Baker said he feared that all 6,000 loss-making rural post offices, of the rural network of 8,000, would close without government cash.
Rural post offices are supported by an annual government payment of Pounds 150 million but that is intended to continue only until the end of 2007. The threat to rural post offices comes after the recent closure of 2,600 urban post offices.
Labour has said: “We have made no commitment for the future of the post offices after 2008 but we are keeping the matter under review.”
Read MorePost offices target key role in financial services delivery
Given postal service operators’ extensive branch networks, the provision of financial services is a natural choice for those operators seeking to diversify their revenue streams and fulfil government obligations to provide universal banking services. New research from VRL Publishing* reviews the evolving role played by post offices in the distribution of retail financial services and the opportunities and threats posed to traditional bank providers.
Read MoreUK post offices in jeopardy despite big cutbacks
The future of some post offices remains uncertain despite a huge closure programme designed to boost the financial viability of those that remain, an official report has found. Almost one in three, or 7,000, post offices has been closed in the past 22 years, to the fury of many small communities and elderly people. However, the drastic cuts in the network may still leave some sub-post offices vulnerable to falling volumes of business, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. A report by the Government’s main spending watchdog concludes that the future of the remaining post offices cannot be “guaranteed” and urges the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to be alert to the problem. Post Office Limited is on course to shut about 2,500 urban post offices in the latest closure programme. However, the NAO said there was still some uncertainty as to whether the programme, backed by Pounds 210 million of public money, would achieve its long-term aim.
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