Future technological evolution within postal automation
Dr Paul H Barton, Engineering Director, Royal Mail
World Mail Review November 2007
Tag: Royal Mail
Poor postal results hit Scotland
Postwatch Scotland said that this summer’s strikes and widespread flooding seriously affected the quality of postal services across the UK.
Dundee, Falkirk, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh, Perth and Motherwell were in the worst 20 performing postcodes.
Royal Mail said the low quality of service results were due to the industrial action.
Speaking after Royal Mail’s release of their half-year performance results, Alan Alexander, chair of Postwatch Scotland, said: “Given the floods and the industrial dispute, customers will not be surprised that Royal Mail’s performance has been seriously below par during the summer.
Next year, customers in Scotland should expect Royal Mail to be announcing a much improved performance
“It is particularly disappointing that six out of the worst 20 performing postcode areas for the delivery of first class mail are in Scotland.
“Industrial peace between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union means the industry, after a step backwards, can take great strides forward.
“Next year, customers in Scotland should expect Royal Mail to be announcing a much improved performance. That should help all of us to post with confidence.”
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said the low quality of service results in Scotland were due to the official and unofficial industrial action which took place during this period.
Read MoreSelect Committee enquiry into post office closures
In a Westminster Hall debate by MPs this week on the programme of 2,500 post office closures, Peter Luff, Chairman of the relevant Select Committee, stated:
“It is a great pleasure that the swansong debate of the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, now the Select Committee on Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, should be so popular. I am informed by the Speaker’s Office that this is the most popular ever Westminster Hall debate on a Select Committee report.”
“The new Select Committee will launch an inquiry early in the new year into the progress of the post office closure process. We will have hearings, probably in late January or early February, and will revisit the process then, because this matter is obviously of deep concern to many colleagues.”
Read MoreStrikes and floods cause poor service results by Royal Mail
With the release of their half-year performance results, Royal Mail has confirmed what customers already knew: this summer’s official and unofficial strikes and the widespread flooding seriously affected the quality of postal services throughout the UK.
Howard Webber, Chief Executive of Postwatch, commenting on Royal Mail’s announcement said, “Given the floods and the industrial dispute, customers will not be surprised that Royal Mail’s performance has been seriously below par during the summer. There will, however, be a collective sigh of relief that the bad news is over and that the future looks distinctly brighter.
“Industrial peace between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union means the industry, after a step backwards, can take great strides forward. Next year, customers should expect Royal Mail to be announcing a much improved performance. That should help all of us to post with confidence.”
Read MoreEU clears UK to provide GBP 634 Million subsidy to Royal Mail unit
The European Commission cleared the U.K. government to provide a GBP 634 million subsidy to a unit of state postal carrier Royal Mail.
The subsidy will be paid out over a three-year period to Post Office Ltd. which operates 14,000 post offices in the U.K. The funds will cover the costs of the postal carrier’s loss-making operations, ensuring universal service across the country.
The commission for the past 15 years has been trying to dismantle postal- service monopolies in the European Union. Some freight services have been opened to greater competition, but basic letter carriage remains a closed market in most countries.
Last month, E.U. countries voted to delay full postal-service liberalization to 2011. The commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, had pushed for a 2009 deadline.
Under E.U. rules, state subsidies to businesses are legal only if they don’t distort competition. Since the Royal Mail is a legal monopoly, the commission reviewed its subsidy to ensure the money won’t unfairly subsidize services such as bill-payment and cash handling where Royal Mail competes with private-sector companies.
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