post office to cut 16,000 jobs?

vivatifosi

Then I must apologise. That and ask why Crozier and the government have been allowed to tell me that you are losing money... All I'm hearing is "we've got to open to competition because our costs are too high", or "we've got to close local post offices because they are no longer competitive", so what's the truth?

custardy

Generali wrote: »

What does "keying in downstream access" mean please?

sorry,RM technobabble
this is the competitors mail
so for example TNT collect and sort mail in postcode areas
this mail i delivered to RM mail centres for them to distribute to delivery offices and then be delivered
they pay RM Xpence per letter as set by the regulator
this is downstream access as the mail is entering into the mailstream on its 'downward' journey to the delivery offices

custardy

vivatifosi wrote: »

Then I must apologise. That and ask why Crozier and the government have been allowed to tell me that you are losing money... All I'm hearing is "we've got to open to competition because our costs are too high", or "we've got to close local post offices because they are no longer competitive", so what's the truth?

well you need to see the whole picture and RM are very good at hiding it.
eg every delivery office i am in contact with(and this is nationally) are telling me they are behind budget
yet here we are posting massive profits
post offices are posting profits yet again we are told they must close
i accept some needed to close but as is the norm in RM its all or nothing

right now delivery offices are being told to cut massive amounts of hours from the offices
many are struggling now.coupled with a recruitment/overtime freeze

Mobeer

PasturesNew wrote: »

They'll end up building a big wall of postboxes - and make you pay to rent them. And make you pay to go in and collect your mail from your mail box.

A robot system will sort the mail and drop it into the mailboxes from behind, using conveyors and a quick air blast to knock any one letter for you off the conveyor belt into your box.

Anybody not collecting their mail after 2 weeks will have an automated text sent to remind them, this will cost them £5 to receive.

This sounds like a great idea. It would certainly improve on the current situation where I receive post for other people and other people receive post for me. Plus even if these errors did still occur I would be in the right place to post out peoples items once again.

motch

Mobeer wrote: »

This sounds like a great idea. It would certainly improve on the current situation where I receive post for other people and other people receive post for me. Plus even if these errors did still occur I would be in the right place to post out peoples items once again.

You might not think that way after a few months picking it up every day (if it's important stuff) and paying for the privilege.
+ looking at your location - queueing up for it.

custardy

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/02/09/royal-mail-s-1m-to-kit-out-new-office-115875-21108926/

mrposhman

The big picture is not whats being posted above.

Take for example last years profits, they represented around about a 1% profit margin. How many of you other posters can tell me that your businesses survive on a 1% profit margin.

There seems to be no distinction so far in this thread over the Post Office and Royal mail.

The Post Office continues to lose money. It is only profitable due to a subsidy paid by the government which will continue to be reduced as the government don't want to pay the going rate for the number of post offices leaving the post office with the same dilemma that every other business has. Lose money, or close down to a more manageable and possibly profitable number of outlets.

Likewise, Royal Mail are modernising. Just look at the competition, all way ahead of Royal Mail in terms of modernisation. There is massive investment in order to increase efficiency and with increased efficiency comes less staff costs and greater profitablity.

I'm sure those moaning about job cuts are probably also the same ones complaining about a bloated public service. Remember, these companies are still public owned and therefore inefficiencies cost YOU more money.

custardy

mrposhman wrote: »

The big picture is not whats being posted above.

Take for example last years profits, they represented around about a 1% profit margin. How many of you other posters can tell me that your businesses survive on a 1% profit margin.

There seems to be no distinction so far in this thread over the Post Office and Royal mail.

The Post Office continues to lose money. It is only profitable due to a subsidy paid by the government which will continue to be reduced as the government don't want to pay the going rate for the number of post offices leaving the post office with the same dilemma that every other business has. Lose money, or close down to a more manageable and possibly profitable number of outlets.

Likewise, Royal Mail are modernising. Just look at the competition, all way ahead of Royal Mail in terms of modernisation. There is massive investment in order to increase efficiency and with increased efficiency comes less staff costs and greater profitablity.

I'm sure those moaning about job cuts are probably also the same ones complaining about a bloated public service. Remember, these companies are still public owned and therefore inefficiencies cost YOU more money.

RM have over 1/2 there last government subsidy still to spend
this was supposed to go towards modernisation yet its not being used

mrposhman

custardy wrote: »

RM have over 1/2 there last government subsidy still to spend
this was supposed to go towards modernisation yet its not being used

Thats not a subsidy. The subsidy is to enable the post office to continue to keep unprofitable offices open in rural communities.

You are talking about the LOAN facility that is available, its not a gift, its a loan that has to be repaid with interest being paid on top. You talk so graciously about a "massive" £93m profit last year, well if they were to borrow just half of the loan facility then the interest payments would most likely be £25m. Equity is the better solution.

Besides this news hasn't come from RM its come from the union and everyone knows what spin they put on things,

Last year, Crozier said that RM were 40% less efficient than the competition and had 25% more costs. The union (believing all costs are in staff costs ) span that to their members that they were 40% lazy and 25% overpaid!! I very much doubt the number of people being spoken about will be anywhere close to the number that are offered VR.

kurjam

royal mail post people do a great job, getting up to go to work to deliver mail in all weathers and yet the general public still moan because mail is delivered at 1pm onwards.....yet they do not start delivering till 10am in our area.....