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NORTHERN Isles MP Alistair Carmichael says it is time to “turn up the heat” on Royal Mail to end staffing issues at the Lerwick sorting office.
He claimed the company had shown a lack of effort in tackling concerns over staffing in Shetland and said a “public campaign” was now needed.
In response a spokesperson for Royal Mail said recruitment and retention in Shetland remain challenging due to “limited affordable housing and low unemployment”.
They added that Royal Mail “remains fully committed to our Universal Service Obligation and to serving rural, remote and island communities across Scotland”.
Concerns about staffing, as well as the Lerwick sorting office and mail flights from Glasgow, were among the topics at a ‘crisis’ meeting held in May regarding the postal service in Shetland.
While Carmichael and MSP Beatrice Wishart attended the virtual roundtable session alongside union representatives, no one from Royal Mail was present, with a spokesperson later saying senior figures were unable to attend due to the “short notice” of the meeting.
At this meeting it was said that postal staff were leaving “in droves” due to low pay and pressured working conditions.
The Lerwick sorting office was also described as “antiquated” and “out of date”.
It was also said at the time that one quarter of postie jobs in Shetland were vacant.
Speaking on Friday, Carmichael said: “After months of engagement with both Royal Mail and the CWU [Communication Workers Union] – more so with the CWU than Royal Mail it must be said – it is increasingly clear that the only way we move the dial is through a public campaign.
“Local workers and local management are stepping up – it is Royal Mail head office which is getting in the way.
“The simple fact is that Royal Mail is not putting enough effort into re-staffing its Lerwick operations and making them sustainable for the long term.
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“We cannot allow basic services in the isles to be managed out of existence simply because Royal Mail appears not to consider them worth their while.
“They are bound by the Universal Service Obligation but also by their historic obligations to the community.
“It should not be for local people and local workers to do Royal Mail’s job for them or to decide what they are going to do to fix this.
“Clearly, however, something needs to change in how they are handling the issue – so we are going to turn up the heat until they do better.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said in response: “We met with Beatrice Wishart MSP in June in person in Shetland, and while we were in Shetland we met with Alistair Carmichael virtually while he was in Orkney.
“Recruitment and retention in Shetland remain challenging due to limited affordable housing and low unemployment.
“We have a recruitment campaign ongoing and offer retention bonuses.
“Royal Mail remains fully committed to our Universal Service Obligation and to serving rural, remote and island communities across Scotland.”
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