Tag: Royal Mail

Postmasters `told to stick to official line' on closures

Posted by | Aug 3, 2007 | |

Postmasters have been warned they face losing compensation packages if they stray from the official line on closures, it was revealed today.

Anonymous Post Office representatives are to travel around the country to ensure that “key messages” about the plans to close 2,500 branches are being given to customers in an “accurate and professional manner”, according to a letter to postmasters obtained by the Conservatives.

The letter, from Sue Huggins, director of the Network Change Programme, goes on to warn that postmasters whose branches are chosen for closure, risk losing compensation packages if they do not comply.

It states: “Subject to state aid clearance, any compensation offered to you if your branch is selected for closure shall be subject to you having complied, and continuing to comply, with this obligation up to the date of closure.”

Ms Huggins makes it clear that it is preferable that the details of the programme are kept confidential.

But the letter adds: “We do appreciate that customers may ask questions that you might find difficult to answer.”

With that in mind, Ms Huggins also encloses a “key message/FAQ document” for staff to use when answering questions from the public.

George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of SubPostmasters said: “The Federation accepts that this was an error of judgment by Post Office Limited and we are confident that Post Office Limited will apologise to SubPostmasters in due course.”

Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, Alan Duncan, said: “It is shameful that the Government which is closing thousands of Post Offices should blackmail hard working SubPostmasters into parroting the political spin of Gordon Brown to customers.

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Access to Postal Services: A Final Report for Postcomm

Posted by | Aug 3, 2007 | |

In this report for Postcomm — the independent regulator for postal services in the UK — a NERA team led by Senior Consultant Leela Barham, Consultant Simon Maunder, and former Director John Dodgson sets out NERA’s recommendations on criteria for accessing UK postal services. NERA was commissioned to:

Identify the current and future needs of postal users in relation to access to postal services. Access to the universal postal service means the use of access points capable of receiving large postal packets and special delivery.
Develop criteria that takes account of the way that the provision of access to postal services is changing (e.g., mobile offices) by suggesting a minimum number of opening hours, physical accessibility, and how in relation to communities and any other relevant factors this should be measured, with a particular consideration to meeting the reasonable needs of more vulnerable users and SMEs.
Develop recommendations on access to the universal postal service through post boxes and Post Offices, and how this should be measured, taking into account the reasonable needs of users.
Undertake a mapping exercise to examine access points in relation to a) Royal Mail’s license (but not using the straight line method); b) Department for Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) criteria for the Post Office network; and c) any new access criteria suggested by NERA.

This research will help Postcomm to provide advice to the Government on access criteria, and is part of the regulator’s work leading up to Royal Mail’s price control in 2010. Learn more about NERA’s role in this project.

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Postcomm – enforcement guidance

Posted by | Aug 2, 2007 | |

Postcomm has published its first stand-alone document setting out enforcement procedures relating to possible license contraventions. The guidance explains procedures likely to be followed by the postal regulator when it:

– considers complaints
– investigates licensed operators
– takes enforcement action
– imposes financial penalties.

Until now, these procedures have been set out in several Postcomm documents. The aim of bringing them together is to provide greater transparency, by setting out the general principles and approach involved in taking these actions in relation to possible license contraventions.

Some of the procedures set out in the Enforcement Guidance are required by statute, some are not. Where Postcomm is not bound to follow certain procedures, it will aim to apply the approach set out in the Enforcement Guidance on a consistent basis and, in the event that Postcomm decides to depart from the Enforcement Guidance, it will explain its reasons for doing so.

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Update on further strike action announced by the Communication Workers Union

Posted by | Aug 2, 2007 | |

Commenting on the CWU’s announcement, a Royal Mail spokesman said:
“Royal Mail and the CWU have met on a number of occasions under the auspices of Acas and at the request of Acas are meeting again this afternoon and evening, so it is hard to understand why the CWU is calling for further talks when our teams are actively engaged in talks.

“Royal Mail also deplores the move by the union, in spite of these talks, to attempt to cause further disruption to customers’ mail. As the CWU is responsible for calling the strikes, they are clearly free to stop this damaging action at any time. Royal Mail urges them to do so, in the interests of our customers, our people, and the future of the business.

“Royal Mail has been talking to the union since March about the need to comply with new EU legislation, which restricts the speed of 7.5 tones vehicles to 56 mph, to make changes to cope with the later arrival of mail into many delivery offices. The time of last deliveries will not change. As we have discussed with the union, it is better to make this change in the summer when volumes are lighter, and we will advise all our people when we believe it is most practical to introduce the change needed to comply with the law.

“Royal Mail will again do all it can to mitigate the impact of any industrial action, including using non-operational managers to help keep the mail moving.

“We now ask the CWU to engage with the company on using the GBP 1.2 billion loan which the shareholder – the Government – has made available to invest in modern automated equipment to achieve world-class productivity.”

Royal Mail is already losing business because its costs and therefore its prices are too high against rivals who have more efficient operations and, as a result, lower prices. It means business customers, who post 90% pct of the mail, are choosing to take business elsewhere.

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Post staff to end wildcat strike

Posted by | Aug 2, 2007 | |

The wildcat strike began at the Glasgow Mail Centre on last Tuesday 31st July before spreading to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

More than 1,000 CWU members met in Glasgow on Thursday 2 August. Customers in central Scotland were advised not to post items unless they were urgent.

An official 24-hour walkout by members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) also began on Thursday morning.

The unofficial strike began at the Glasgow Mail Centre in Springburn on Tuesday before spreading throughout Greater Glasgow.

It then spread to Edinburgh, where about 100 postal workers called an unofficial strike at the city’s main sorting office at Sighthill on Wednesday 1st August.

They claimed four workers had been suspended for refusing to handle mail transferred from the strike-affected Glasgow sorting office.

Later, Royal Mail confirmed that a “small proportion” of workers at the Aberdeen Mail Centre had also walked out.

Jim McKetchnie from the Communication Workers Union said workers had voted 60 pct in favour of returning to work from the wildcat strike.

The wildcat strike was called against the backdrop of a nationwide dispute over pay, pensions and future industry changes that has seen the CWU call a series of official 24-hour strikes.

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