Postal workers union calls on Royal Mail to urgently invest in failing delivery service

ALMOST a third of postal jobs in Shetland vacant, posties driving a fleet of aging vehicles and a Lerwick delivery office which is “not fit for purpose”.

Add to that an hourly pay rate which is lower than generally offered in the isles, and a lack of accommodation for workers who want to come to Shetland to work as posties.

These are the key issues the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents postal workers across the country, thinks are leading to high wait times for postal services.

It says there is a real danger Royal Mail is “priced out of the market” unless the company starts investing in the business to turn around its fortunes.

The union’s regional secretary for Scotland, Craig Anderson, says he has now written to Royal Mail management, local politicians and other stakeholders calling for roundtable talks to tackle a host of short- and long-term issues with the postal service.

While complaints over slow delivery times are piling high, Royal Mail says the lack of postal workers and a significant increase in parcel traffic are to blame for longer waiting times.

Lack of posties and more online buying behind increased waits, Royal Mail says

The CWU union, however, claims the problems in Shetland and elsewhere run much deeper and require fundamental change.

And judging by the responses Shetland News received to a story published on 17 October (see link above), there is a widespread feeling, not just in Shetland, that communities are being let down by Royal Mail.

Anderson said the union was keen to work with the company to resolve some of these issues, while acknowledging that some, such as the availability and affordability of homes for postal workers, would require government to step in.

According to the union, the list of problems that need urgent attention include:

• As of June this year, 15 of the 48 posts at Royal Mail in Shetland were vacant;
• A consistently high attrition rate of 35 per cent year on year, meaning that more than a third of the local Royal Mail workforce is leaving Royal Mail employment in any one year;
• The hourly rate of pay for a postie of £12.54 is not competitive in the local context;
• Deterioration of the fleet of delivery vans due to the age of the vehicles but also because Royal Mail does not have its own garage or maintenance service on the islands;
• With the change in mail bound for Shetland being sorted in and flown from Glasgow rather than Aberdeen, the opportunity to send mail north on the ferry in case of delays/cancellations has been lost;
• The delivery office in Lerwick is being described as “not fit for purpose” as it not enough storage, not enough loading bays and packing facilities;
• Royal Mail is unable to send up workers to alleviate the situation due to lack of available accommodation.

“We are looking for the company to provide more investment to address some of the issues, but on a larger scale we believe that there needs to be intervention by government,” Anderson said.

He said the service had eroded over the years and called on Royal Mail to halt the downward trend. Some simple changes could make a significant impact locally, he suggested.

“The current fleet, we believe, is in poor condition, which is impacting on our reliability, and the delays in getting vehicles repaired is causing an issue,” Anderson said.

“This is something that could be easily resolved by bringing newer vans to the islands from elsewhere, Aberdeen for example, where there is a workshop.

He added: “More people in the islands rely on online ordering for essentials, for foods and medicines. There is absolutely no doubt that there is an increase in the amount of parcel traffic (to Shetland), per head it is one of the highest in the country,” he said.

“And if the vans are not big enough, then – obviously – we need bigger vans.

“The company has to adapt to the market conditions, but as I said before, there are underlying issues here that are exacerbating the simple things that could be done like providing a larger van.”

Anderson said that is why the union is seeking talks with politicians and stakeholders.

“We are looking at a roundtable meeting with stakeholders to look at what issues need to be addressed by the company and what needs to be addressed with the help of the Scottish Government and local authorities, such as: how do we possibly attract people to the islands when there is no or not sufficient affordable housing?”

He also floated the idea of paying postal workers distant islands allowance, as is being paid to employees in the public sector, to boost the hourly rate of pay and to avoid that postal workers are losing out.

“We want this to be a service that is going to deliver,” he added. 

In response Royal Mail described the local job market as “challenging” and added that this makes it “persistently difficult to recruit”.

The company disputed claims that there was no back-up for mail being delayed at the Glasgow sorting office and advised that mail is still transported by ferry when necessary i.e. if there is a capacity issue on the plane or with resourcing at Lerwick.

Royal Mail also said that items is not held back at the Glasgow mail centre. However, when the ferry is used to ship mail to Shetland the tracking data won’t be fully updated until it arrives.

The company also said that they already have been in conversation with stakeholders and met local MP Alistair Carmichael only on Wednesday.

A spokesperson added: “Delivering mail consistently and on time is our top priority. At Lerwick delivery office the delivery of mail has, on occasion, been disrupted due to vacancies and high demand.

“During these periods, our posties work hard to minimise delays and deliver items as soon as possible, doing their best to prioritise those who experience a delay.

“We are actively recruiting and encourage anyone who has concerns about their deliveries to contact us directly.”