Union slams mail office merger plan

Photo: Darren Robinson

New delivery and collection office at Royal Mail, Oldham

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PLANS to merge delivery offices into one large inter-borough depot in Oldham has been branded as an unworkable Royal Mail cost-saving exercise and a potential danger to the local community.

Communication Workers Union area representative Paul Fenney says proposals to close Ashton and Heywood delivery and callers offices and move them to Oldham's Hamilton Street site would have a huge impact on the workforce and customers and pose a road safety issue for nearby Horton Mill Community Primary School.

A consultation process is currently taking place to thrash out the proposals which would see 80 staff from Ashton and 40 from Heywood transferred to what is currently an unused vehicle workshop.

Mr Fenney says from what the union has seen of Royal Mail's plans to convert the old garage there isn't enough space to house the workforce and production and there would also be an impact on the Oldham staff who work there.

It would mean residents from Tameside having to travel up to 16 miles to collect their undelivered mail and at least a 30 minute journey for customers from Heywood.

He says there is an existing agreement for Royal Mail to consult the public on such moves but since privatisation they are refusing to do so.

"There is no benefit to Oldham in this," said Mr Fenney.

"At the moment they have car parking space but if these proposals go ahead they won't have one space for staff which means they'll have to find alternatives on surrounding streets and Royal Mail will be seen as a bad neighbour by other business and the community.

"There's a school around the corner and it could pose a serious risk. At school pick-up and drop-off times this extra traffic would be dangerous.

"They're proposing to convert an old motor workshop to house the Ashton and Heywood offices but from the plans we've seen there isn't space. They'd have to knock a lot of walls down but they just seem to be doing everything they can to make it viable so it will fit."

If the proposals go ahead - which could be as early as mid 2017 - he says the knock on effect to customers and staff will be huge and the union is fighting it every step of the way.

"During the consultation Royal Mail have to present us with the benefits of moving them to Oldham and closing down the offices and at the minute there's no benefits at all," he said.

"They have been in touch with local Post Office Counters to see if they can take on some of the undelivered mail but they haven't had a response yet.

"In Ashton the callers' office is convenient for customers in the town centre. The best way to maintain service to the customer is to leave it where it is but it looks like these proposals are based on a cost-saving exercise and if they have an empty unit or building they want to use it.

"At the minute our members can walk to work in Ashton and Heywood but if they move to Oldham a lot of people might not be able to get there."

He said the moves would also disrupt delivery times as postal workers would have to take their journey times to their rounds off their allotted four-and-a-half hours.

It could also jeopardise Ashton and Heywood's contracts with British Gas to act as a daily equipment collection pick-up point.

"There are so many things we don't know about these proposals and the impact they'll have which is why we're opposing them on behalf of our members and the public," he said.

Ashton and Failsworth MP Angela Rayner has consistently condemned the plans and says she is continuing to fight them - and the closure of Droylsden's delivery office - every step of the way.

"These closure plans for Ashton and Droylsden are crazy. The Royal Mail is deserting local people and leaving them without a first class delivery service," she said. "There is absolutely no case for closure - if anything the offices should be expanded."

Royal Mail, who are proposing to close a number of Greater Manchester delivery offices, said the moves are at the proposal stage and they couldn't comment while discussions with employees and the Communication Workers Union were ongoing.