The CWU says Royal Mail staff departures, CWU now run at about 400 postmen and women a week after DM26 was introduced earlier this year. The union says the figures point to a workforce under strain as Christmas parcel volumes rise.
DM26 reorganised routes to improve delivery performance, but the CWU says Royal Mail had already been losing about 330 postal staff a week from a workforce of 83,000 before the change. The difference between the two rates amounts to roughly 70 more departures a week.
Bryn Dymott in Wootton
Bryn Dymott, a former Royal Mail postman, delivered post in Wootton in Bedfordshire for nine years before leaving in July. He said he walked away because he could not face another "shambolic" Christmas.
"People put things in the post for them to be delivered, not for them to be delayed because Royal Mail hasn't got the systems in place and enough people to get them delivered," Dymott said. His exit gives a concrete view of what the CWU is describing: a steady loss of staff from the round itself, not just a change in staffing numbers on paper.
DM26 and the daily round
Under DM26, second class post can be delivered every other weekday, while first class mail and parcels are supposed to go out every day. The system also puts workers into groups of three and changes the walking pattern of rounds.
The CWU says the new model is not working in hundreds of offices. Workers speaking anonymously say parcels are still being prioritised and letters are being left behind, even though the redesign was meant to improve delivery performance. One worker in the West Midlands said: "I didn't take any first class mail out on my last shift because I was on a road that's been behind for weeks".
Christmas pressure
Your Voice has heard from staff warning of a "nightmare" Christmas ahead as parcel numbers increase. One postman in the East Midlands said: "We all think this Christmas will be the worst ever, for us and our customers".
Eight workers in different areas tracked their average step counts after the switchover and said their steps rose by a quarter or even a third, often to around 25,000 steps a day. Royal Mail said the reforms are part of its plan to deliver a more "efficient and financially sustainable" service, and a spokesperson said the company always worked to ensure all mail, both letters and parcels, were delivered on time.
The unresolved question is how many of the hundreds of offices are failing under DM26 and whether Royal Mail will make any further changes in response.
