Tag: Royal Mail

Royal Mail agrees to examine customer concerns about earlier final collections

Posted by | Jun 5, 2007 | |

Postcomm has secured Royal Mail’s agreement to assess further the needs of its customers in all those geographic areas where the final daily mail collection is being made before noon.

Postcomm’s intervention was prompted by concerns raised over Royal Mail bringing forward some final collection times, mainly in rural areas, to as early as 9am. Postcomm wanted to find out how widespread these practices were and whether these changes cause significant problems for mail users.

Postcomm has reached an agreement with Royal Mail which has been informed by some extensive market research and by a public consultation. The consultation found that, although earlier collection times do not present any widespread problems, final collections at 9am do not meet customers’ needs.

Read More

Royal Mail requests suspension of penalty payments

Posted by | Jun 4, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has asked the postal regulator to suspend rules that force it to compensate customers if it is unable to meet service targets because of industrial action by staff.

The request was submitted to Postcomm after the Communication Workers Union decided to ballot its members in a vote that is expected to support industrial action when the result is announced on Thursday.

Under the terms of its licence, Royal Mail must compensate business customers if it fails to meet its service targets for delivering bulk mail on time. Its prices for all users can also be pegged back in the following year if service falls below acceptable levels.

Royal Mail has told the regulator the risk of incurring hefty penalties could force it to shelve its modernisation plans to head off disruptive industrial action.

That would undermine its drive to become more efficient for the benefit of all postal users and its staff, whose job security would be threatened.

Read More

Royal Mail union predicts national strike as bosses claim big bonuses

Posted by | Jun 4, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has awarded its chief executive hundreds of thousands of pounds in bonuses in a move that is likely to increase the prospect of an all-out strike over pay, The Times has learnt.

Adam Crozier is understood to have received a bonus of up to GBP 370,000 and further benefits, taking his total package to more than GBP 1 million.

His award comes as the Communication Workers Union is holding a strike ballot over a pay offer of 2.5 per cent or a GBP 600 lump sum. The union is increasingly confident of winning the ballot, which could trigger the first national postal strike since the summer of 1996. That action led to huge backlogs of mail around the country.

Details of Mr Crozier’s pay, which makes him the highest-paid civil servant in the country, will be revealed in Royal Mail’s accounts and financial results for the past financial year. Publication has been delayed and Royal Mail has not set a date for them to appear.

Some union sources believe that the organisation has delayed publication to avoid controversy over the pay awards, which will also go to other executives, while the ballot is running.

The result of the ballot is due on Thursday. Independent polling by the union last week predicted a vote of 65 per cent in favour of industrial action. If the union does win a “yes” vote, it could begin strike action the following week, although it could leave some time for last-ditch talks with Royal Mail

Read More

Pubs to run UK post offices

Posted by | Jun 3, 2007 | |

More than 500 pubs are being earmarked to run post offices inside them.

The move would offset the Royal Mail’s axing of 2,500 post offices over the next two years.

Industry Secretary Alistair Darling sees pubs as ideal locations for “outreach post offices” to be set up in remote communities.

Royal Mail chiefs have been involved in talks with campaigners to match pub sites with areas where closures are likely.

The Pub Is The Hub coordinator John Longdon said: “It’s great the Government has recognised the role pubs can play in the community.”

Hilary Scott, who runs a post office from her pub in Wistow, North Yorks, said: “The post office brings in new people – our pub has become a real focal point.”

The Communication Workers Union said they are confident a secret ballot of their 130,000 members will show a huge vote for strike action on Thursday.

Read More

Post strike could cost Royal Mail GBP 300m

Posted by | Jun 3, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has privately warned that a national postal strike could cost up to GBP 300m in penalty payments and lost income, according to senior industry figures.

Royal Mail executives have made the claim to a group representing major business users, while indicating similar consequences to industry regulators.

As the Communication Workers Union prepares to announce on Thursday the results of a national strike ballot over pay, conditions and a potential restructuring of the business, Royal Mail has drawn up contingency plans that include drafting in up to 7,000 managers.

The CWU is confident that its 130,000 membership will vote in favour of the first national strike in 11 years, pointing to independent polls which indicate that 65 per cent will say yes to action.

Earlier this month Royal Mail asked Postcomm, its regulator, to make an exception in the case of industrial action to regulations governing penalty payments if service standards fall. At present a strike is not considered ‘force majeure’ under the regulations, and if there is a stoppage, Royal Mail can be penalised.

This can happen in several ways: a compensation scheme for businesses which reduces Royal Mail’s future revenues, a quality benchmark that it must meet or trigger penalties – known as the ‘C factor’ – and direct fines from Postcomm. Royal Mail believes the first two measures could cost it up to GBP 300m in the event of protracted strikes, and on 2 May asked the regulator to waive them for two years.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!



View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest