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POLITICIANS must intervene to stop a deepening crisis at Royal Mail putting May’s Holyrood elections “at risk,” according to the CWU today.
The union, which represents more than 100,000 postal workers across Britain, sounded the alarm as the service, privatised in 2013, grapples with backlogs in letter delivery and chronic staff shortages.
More than a fifth of new starts in Scotland leave the business within 90 days, the highest rate in Britain, which rises to 23 per cent after a year.
The CWU argue that the retention problems, coupled with “management decisions” to prioritise small parcels over mail, is already harming communities across Scotland, especially rural, highland and island areas dependent on the universal network.
CWU Scottish secretary Craig Anderson said: “CWU members are disappointed and alarmed by management decisions which favour short-term cuts over a properly resourced, safe and reliable postal service.
“We are hearing reports of important mail, such as medical letters and legal correspondence, being delayed.”
Warning that the harm could spread to the Scottish parliamentary elections, he added: “This is not just a jobs issue; it is a threat to vital public infrastructure, and now, with the imminent Scottish election, we fear that there is a potential threat to democratic processes.
“We need a clear guarantee from Royal Mail that every Scottish election mailing and postal ballot will be delivered on time and properly, and assurances that our democratic process won’t be put at risk by Royal Mail failures.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We reject claims that postal services in Scotland pose any risk to the delivery of election material or postal votes.
“We take our role in supporting UK democracy extremely seriously and have successfully delivered elections for many years.”
The Scottish government, postal regulator Ofcom, and the Electoral Commission were contacted for comment.
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