Managers at Royal Mail have been blamed for failing to provide a “basic and reliable” postal service by the Crewe and Nantwich MP.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed that standards had “not been good enough” when he was questioned by MP Connor Naismith in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Naismith, whose constituency includes Haslington, Winterley and Oakhanger, said: “It is clear to me and many across this house that despite the hard work and dedication of our postal workers, Royal Mail management is failing in its obligation to provide a basic and reliable postal service.”
He said the people of Crewe and Nantwich were “paying the price” through missed appointments, late fees and in some cases, county court judgements.
He asked: “I have full confidence in this prime minister to deliver for our country.
“Will he join me in calling on Royal Mail’s management to do the same, including by working with the Communication Workers Union and through the implementation of the recommendations of the select committee report published earlier this year?”
The report found that only 74.9% of first-class mail was delivered on time, against a 93% target, resulting in an estimated 219 million letters arriving late over the year.
Royal Mail owner Daniel Kretínský and senior executives denied operating a policy that prioritised profitable parcels over time-sensitive medical and legal letters.
The Communication Workers Union presented internal documentation and frontline worker testimonies alleging that staff were routinely instructed to leave letters behind when stretched beyond capacity.
As the “Chronicle” reported last Christmas, former Royal Mail worker and now Congleton and Cheshire East councillor Rob Moreton said those expecting important post over the busy festive period should “prepare for disappointment”.
After joining the service at the age of 16 in the 1980s, Coun Moreton said the service was now unrecognisable, and said the changes had begun after its privatisation in 2013.
He said: “From that point on, things began to deteriorate for me and my colleagues. Hours were cut year-on-year, delivery rounds grew larger and mail and parcels increasingly failed to be delivered on time.
“This steadily destroyed staff morale. People who cared deeply about their jobs were being set up to fail.
“Morale was at an all-time low, mail was piling up and the main shareholders seemed uninterested in delivering a public service. All that appeared to matter was cutting hours and dismantling what was once a fantastic institution.”
Coun Moreton left Royal Mail in 2022, and since then he felt things had “gotten even worse”.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Naismith said: “I have full confidence in this prime minister to deliver for our country; will (Mr Burnham) join me in calling for Royal Mail’s management to do the same, including by working with the Communication Workers Union and through the implementation of the recommendations of the select committee report published earlier this year?”
Mr Burnham responded: “It is good for me to be able to credit the Communication Workers Union, because I know it has done a huge amount of work over the years raising some of the issues within Royal Mail.
“It’s because of that work that there has now been a commitment from the business sector to invest £500 million in frontline resourcing, but I think everyone in this house will know that standards have not been good enough; people have been facing an unreliable service.
“We are committed as a Government to a comprehensive universal service obligation; that is what will safeguard Royal Mail’s future.”
He added: “The company now needs to listen to my right honourable friend in saying; get on and deliver it.”
The “Chronicle” has carried several stories about people having trouble with the mail, receiving none for days on end and then receiving it all at once, missing medical appointments and other date-sensitive events. Postal staff have said locally they have been told to prioritise more profitable work ahead of the regular post.
