[News] Royal Mail what next?

[Leekbrookgull]

Over the years thanks to other available communication options, delivery companies and people simply no longer letter writing Royal Mail
has had alter it's business model. When you look at other European countries and their door to door service delivery policy and with the proposal to drop Saturday delivery just how long will it be before it will simply be a Monday, Wednesday and Friday home delivery service ?

 

[The Clamp]

Over the years thanks to other available communication options, delivery companies and people simply no longer letter writing Royal Mail
has had alter it's business model. When you look at other European countries and their door to door service delivery policy and with the proposal to drop Saturday delivery just how long will it be before it will simply be a Monday, Wednesday and Friday home delivery service ?

About a year. Anything else?

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

I would be happy with post 3 times a week. Think I have only had 1 delivery in the past 21 days.

 

[timbha]

Over the years thanks to other available communication options, delivery companies and people simply no longer letter writing Royal Mail
has had alter it's business model. When you look at other European countries and their door to door service delivery policy and with the proposal to drop Saturday delivery just how long will it be before it will simply be a Monday, Wednesday and Friday home delivery service ?

Will we notice any difference?

 

[dazzer6666]

I would be happy with post 3 times a week. Think I have only had 1 delivery in the past 21 days.

This.

 

[Swansman]

Switched to post 3 times a week here this year or last year and I can't say it really created a spark in me to go protest on the streets or whatever.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Over the years thanks to other available communication options, delivery companies and people simply no longer letter writing Royal Mail
has had alter it's business model. When you look at other European countries and their door to door service delivery policy and with the proposal to drop Saturday delivery just how long will it be before it will simply be a Monday, Wednesday and Friday home delivery service ?

Well it's pretty much only a three days a week service now anyway isn't it? especially whilst the industrial action is taking place, (which seems to be making no difference at all).

Such a shame, the GPO, (as was) was the lifeblood of communication until the advent of the internet, reponsible for the phone network too.

How times have changed, will be dead and gone, in it's present form, before too long l fear.

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

It feels like another Blockbuster, that failed to change with the times sadly. Striking at Christmas will not have helped their cause.

 

[GT49er]

How many of us now only use RM to send Christmas and birthday cards and (if we're lucky) receieve the same - plus bills and bank sttements for those of who still prefer to have these on paper? I haven't written and posted a letter for years. And apart from anything else the cost of sending a letter is 60 times what it was when I was a nipper - I know about inflation(!) but 60X is a tad above!

RM's original market just doesn't exist - nor, clearly, does demand. Three deliveries a week - or even two - what's the problem? Sad for the people who will be losing their jobs, jobs that many of them seem to enjoy.

 

[Springal]

Another great example of privatisation….

All while Deutsche Post (74% publicly owned still) are going round buying up DHL, UKMail etc..

 

[The Clamp]

I send about four letters a year to my Gran. Cannot remember the last time I sent anything else.

Sad to see the demise of the royal postal system but when most deliveries consist of bundles of unnecessary marketing bumph, we are bette riff without it.

A weekly delivery would suit the vast majority of households. Might be a different case for business.

 

[Stat Brother]

It feels like another Blockbuster, that failed to change with the times sadly. Striking at Christmas will not have helped their cause.

They're ok.
Many striking posties were able to hold the moral high ground which they've to used to intimidate working posties, while working Sunday overtime to supplement the wages they lost by striking in protest about the prospect of working Sunday's.

 

[vegster]

It will become a service that provides the maximum profit from the minimum in staff with the minimum collections and minimum deliveries. As with many post nationalised services the " service " deteriorates from the once lofty standards the government would maintain in to a poor service that prefers to maintain the shareholders rather than the service.

 

[Brian Fantana]

As someone who has recently joined the company at a fairly senior level, I can tell you that it is a very complicated situation. There is still a massively successful business in there, but it requires some fairly fundamental changes, which are obviously at the root of the current industrial action.

The reduced delivery days is something that I believe is on the agenda and being discussed at a government committee meeting in mid-January. The government have so far been resistant to any changes to the USO.

 

[Stat Brother]

As someone who has recently joined the company at a fairly senior level, I can tell you that it is a very complicated situation. There is still a massively successful business in there, but it requires some fairly fundamental changes, which are obviously at the root of the current industrial action.

The reduced delivery days is something that I believe is on the agenda and being discussed at a government committee meeting in mid-January. The government have so far been resistant to any changes to the USO.

Good luck dragging the old lag unionites with you.

 

[Brian Fantana]

100%. It is going to continue to be a really difficult situation. My personal opinion is that a change of tone between both hierarchies would probably bring the sides closer together.

I can absolutely emphasise with those who have been out on strike about the proposed changes to terms and conditions. I hope that some kind of agreement can be reached fairly soon otherwise there won’t really be a company left in the medium term. Whilst a lot of other carriers couldn’t cope with the additional volume that came their way this year because of the strikes, that won’t be the same in the next couple of years. Their infrastructure network will soon be able to absorb RM business and make it very difficult to win back.

 

[beorhthelm]

Another great example of privatisation….

All while Deutsche Post (74% publicly owned still) are going round buying up DHL, UKMail etc..

how does Deutsche Post operate differently? we're quick to point to the failing of privatisations, use europe examples without examining the differences and what can be learnt from their part privatisation. maybe simply that, putting the organisation into private managment while holding a majority interest, suspect there is more though. have DP been able to modernise, change service provision, new technology without problems?

trouble with mail is its a dieing method of communication. banks and utilities all push going email only, a few circluars all else that comes. they have to move to more parcels and presumably that means a lot of change for equipment, practices and staffing.

 

[NooBHA]

We need Royal Mail. If they disappear then it will be the green light for other delivery companies to start hiking prices on deliveries through decreased competition

 

[Arkwright]

I'm sure I read that over the years letter post is down 95%. Royal Mail are now just one of many parcel delivery companies in a competitive market.
Since the split Royal Mail are losing business to Parcel Force while Royal Mail are trying to nick business off the Post Office with home collections, it's madness something is going to go under.

 

[A1X]

Privatisation will prove to have been the worst thing that could have happened, both in terms of the company’s survival and as a key part of our national infrastructure