Postal workers claim parcels remain priority as staff shortages continue to bite

‘Tracked is priority’

One Yorkshire-based postman added: “At our delivery office ‘Tracked is priority’ has been the mantra from managers even before the onset of the pandemic so our current situation has only pushed this to the extreme.” 

Another based in London said: “People are getting annoyed at us on the doorstep when they’re waiting for letter, but there’s not a lot we can do. We’re really short staffed and we’re being told to prioritise parcels over all but NHS letters.” 

A spokesman for Royal Mail said the group was “working hard” to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible delivering letters and parcels in “challenging circumstances”.  

Royal Mail admit some area are suffering delays

He added: “Despite our best endeavours, it is possible that some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to higher volumes of mail during the lockdown, the ongoing impact of Covid-related staff absences and necessary social distancing measures at local mail centres and delivery offices.”

Due to a combination of staff shortages and a huge uplift in online ordering from people locked in their homes, Royal Mail is under the biggest strain in its history. 

Postal workers often have to shift parcels first in order to create room to manage letter deliveries and this is causing many parts of the country to experience long delays in letters arriving. 

Under Ofcom regulations, Royal Mail must deliver 93 per cent of its first-class post nationwide within a day of collection.

Parcels prioritised to free up space in delivery centres

While Royal Mail insists urgent NHS vaccination letters, Covid test kits and test result letters continue to be prioritised above all deliveries, other letters from HMRC tax demands to birthday cards can often arrive days later than expected. 

The spokesman for Royal Mail added: “Due to the amount of space they take up, parcels can restrict the movement of both people and mail in our offices leading to health and safety issues and delays to other mail. In times of emergency such as during the pandemic, we may occasionally at a local level clear parcels to free up space and address health and safety concerns so that we can keep all mail – including letters – moving efficiently through our network.”  

In an attempt to counter staff absences due to Covid-19, Royal Mail has retained around 10,000 temporary Christmas workers and offered additional overtime to existing employees, as well as hiring 6,000 additional vehicles and keeping four temporary Parcel Sort Centres open.