‘Morale’s at an all-time low’: What posties REALLY consider Royal Mail

Last winter, the postal system floor to a halt following a bitter dispute between Royal Mail and the unions over jobs, pay and dealing situations.

Earlier this 12 months, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) agreed to a three-year pay deal.

However, postal staff have instructed This is Money that situations haven’t improved – and it’s having a knock-on impact on deliveries.

Royal Mail is beneath fireplace for enormous delays to letter deliveries amid claims that it’s prioritising packages over letters – a declare that Royal Mail refutes and was backed up by a latest Ofcom probe. 

But regardless, This is Money revealed that some households have waited weeks to obtain their put up, which typically arrives in giant bundles.

We’ve heard from posties throughout Britain who say that packages do take priority – whatever the official line – and prospects shopping for first-class stamps are paying a premium for a service that’s removed from premium.

‘We are woefully understaffed’

The rise of on-line procuring and decline in letter volumes has meant the character of posties’ work has modified dramatically.

Royal Mail’s final annual report confirmed letter volumes remained 18 per cent under pre-pandemic ranges, and 60 per cent since their peak in 2004/5.

At the identical time, the variety of postal staff has fallen dramatically, including to their workload.

In 2010, 130,000 postmen and ladies labored for Royal Mail throughout 1,371 supply places of work. 

Its most up-to-date annual report reveals this quantity fell to 90,000 staff throughout 1,200 places of work.

One postman within the North West mentioned: ‘Morale is at an all-time low. I’ve two kids and have to make use of a meals financial institution to feed them.

‘There are many points of my work that I get pleasure from… [but] blaming Covid or strikes is affecting our psychological well being. 

‘We are woefully understaffed as new starters depart due to the workload.’

Last week, Royal Mail boss Martin Seidenberg mentioned: ‘I do know that high quality is essential for buyer satisfaction and sustainable progress, so we’re pulling out all of the stops to ship Christmas for our prospects. 

‘This contains recruiting 16,000 seasonal staff, opening 5 momentary sorting centres and launching an incentive scheme for operational workers value as much as £500 every for hitting native and nationwide high quality targets.’ 

A spokesman for Royal Mail added that it had employed 7,000 extra everlasting workers and recruitment was ‘ongoing’. 

‘Loads of individuals depart with out being changed’

Under the settlement struck by the CWU, Royal Mail employees will obtain a ten per cent pay rise over the following three years and a one-off lump sum of £500.

However, it’s effectively under an annual improve in keeping with inflation, which the union had initially demanded. 

Workers may also see adjustments to sick pay, attendance requirements and revised contracts for brand spanking new starters.

But some are frightened about Royal Mail’s ‘common service obligation’ (USO), which requires it to ship letters six days every week (Monday to Saturday) and parcels 5 days every week (Monday to Friday) to each tackle within the UK. 

One postie mentioned: ‘We misplaced sick pay, new seasonalised begin instances, Sunday working and a raft of different issues… 

‘Most importantly the union was damaged and, with it, any voice to guard the USO and postal deprioritisation.’

A heavier workload and staffing points are piling strain on posties, and This is Money has heard that many are leaving the corporate altogether.

A postman within the South West mentioned their workplace had ‘unbelievable employees turnover… illness goes hand in hand with 36 posties protecting over 50 duties’.

They added that one other 9 duties have been added to present duties with no further time allotted, ‘simply the demand that we begin earlier’.

One postie within the South mentioned: ‘The purpose the letters pile up is normally right down to a postie being on depart or off sick, and there not being sufficient employees to cowl all of the duties.

‘For the previous 18 months we have had a great deal of folks depart with out being changed. This, coupled with rounds being elevated in dimension makes the job not possible to do within the time, even when a postie is on the market.’ 

Last week, Ofcom handed Royal Mail a £5.6million fantastic for failing to fulfill its USO targets.

Under its guidelines, Royal Mail is required to ship 93 per cent of first-class mail inside a working day and 98.5 per cent of second-class mail inside three working days.

In 2022/23, Royal Mail delivered simply 73.7 per cent of first-class mail on time, and 90.7 per cent of second-class mail on time.

There are no indicators that the service is enhancing both. Figures present that within the second quarter of 2023/24, it delivered 74.1 per cent of first-class and 91.3 per cent of second-class put up.

Another postman mentioned: ‘Don’t purchase first-class stamps. You are paying for a premium service you might be unlikely to obtain. Buy second-class stamps and ship early.’

‘We ARE being instructed to prioritise packages’

Royal Mail has come beneath fireplace for prioritising packages over letters, one thing it has regularly denied.

Ofcom mentioned it too had discovered no proof of this occurring, however posties up and down the nation have instructed This is Money they’re instructed to deal with parcels day-after-day.

A postie within the South mentioned: ‘Just this week, I used to be requested at some point to do the parcels for 2 rounds and never fear about letters. 

‘This is after we would been fined by Ofcom. 

‘The managers nonetheless do not care about letters.’

A postman within the North West instructed This is Money he and his colleagues are ‘instructed 100 per cent to prioritise tracked parcels over mail.

‘I’ve been ordered on many events to take the mail from my body, so it appears prefer it has been delivered and numbers look good for administration. 

‘But if it will get in the way in which of finishing tracked parcels, then deliver the mail again.’

He mentioned it has had a knock-on impact on the remainder of his rounds, as he has to untie and put again the undelivered mail, which means he has much less time for the following day’s supply.

‘It means it should take me longer to finish my stroll, so I will not be capable to full [it] and need to deliver even increasingly mail again day-after-day. 

‘Thus, the build-up will increase day after day.’

The identical postman mentioned he was ordered to depart all mail however tracked gadgets.

A postie within the South West mentioned managers ‘can solely be focused and bonus paid on tracked parcels… it is all they care about’

‘We take the put up out of the body for the place we’re delivering parcels. 

‘It might be days and days earlier than the general public obtain any put up. 

‘When I arrived at work, we’re instructed to depart the mail, strip out all of the tracked and huge parcels, and take no matter mail time is left.’

Commenters on a Royal Mail on-line discussion board, who declare to work for the corporate, have slammed Ofcom’s investigation into Royal Mail and say posties throughout the nation are directed to prioritise packages. 

Ofcom mentioned Royal Mail had ‘inadequate’ management and oversight over decision-making at some supply places of work the place excessive absence and vacancies could have led to managers ‘making on-the-day choices about what to ship.’

One postman mentioned administration put strain on posties who deliver tracked gadgets again with out trying supply.

‘One of my feminine colleagues was lowered to tears by administration strain simply this week. 

‘They tried it on me as soon as just a few weeks in the past saying tracked take precedence. I requested the supervisor to place it in writing, after all they would not do this.’

And the problems do not cease there. 

One postie mentioned: ‘When we finally do take the mail, we’re carrying such heavy hundreds over lengthy distances and beneath immense strain to complete the spherical, it doesn’t matter what time we end.’

A spokesman for Royal Mail mentioned: ‘We don’t function a coverage of prioritising parcels and we deal with each merchandise of mail with equal significance. 

‘We commonly remind colleagues that the supply, assortment and processing of letters and parcels needs to be handled on this method.’