Home / Business and Economy / Royal Mail Delays: Post Crisis Deepens
Royal Mail Delays: Post Crisis Deepens
16 Feb
Summary
- Royal Mail faces widespread delivery delays impacting over 100 UK postcodes.
- Staff report parcels are prioritized over urgent letters for weeks.
- Storms and staff sickness cited as reasons for the disruption.
Royal Mail has acknowledged delays affecting more than 100 UK postcodes, citing stormy weather and elevated staff sickness as primary causes for the disruption. This announcement comes amid reports from postal workers who claim that urgent letters are being held for weeks, with parcels consistently prioritized.
Employees have detailed an 'impossible' workload, where vans are shared and parcel delivery is financially incentivized, leading to letters being sidelined. Some workers describe the current situation as the worst they have experienced, with instances of mail not being sorted for days.
The company states it is adapting to increased parcel volume due to online shopping while letter volumes decline. However, the backlog of parcels can obstruct delivery office pathways, leading to their clearance first. This operational shift has real-world consequences for individuals awaiting vital correspondence.
Regulator Ofcom has previously fined Royal Mail for poor delivery performance and has sanctioned changes to services, such as the potential Saturday discontinuation of second-class letters. A dispute resolution process with the Communication Workers Union is ongoing regarding workforce impacts.
