Royal Mail: there is nothing to sort out

Royal Mail has declined an invitation to attend a public meeting to discuss concerns surrounding three Saddleworth sorting offices and mail deliveries.

Protests grew after two local borough councillors received copies of a leaked document shown to local postal workers, members of the Communications Workers Union, which claims sorting offices in Uppermill, Greenfield and Dobcross would close.

The note, written by a Royal Mail manager, said postmen would be transferred to Oldham and part-timers would take over deliveries in Saddleworth.

Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has already committed to speak at the meeting, which will be chaired by ward councillors Alan Roughley and John McCann at Uppermill’s civic hall on Friday.

The two councillors had a 90-minute meeting with Royal Mail officials in Oldham last week. Councillor Roughley said: “ Royal Mail has refused to attend the public meeting.

“It is still claiming there will be no difference to the delivery service and sorting will still be carried on in Saddleworth. This is a contradiction of the detail given in the proposals.

“We are still hopeful that Royal Mail will be willing to tell the people of Saddleworth what is happening”

But a Royal Mail spoke-sman said today: “We reiterated in our meeting with councillors Roughley and McCann that we have no plans to close our delivery offices in Dobcross, Uppe-rmill and Greenfield.

“Quality of service to our customers would not be adversely affected by the operational changes we plan to make, and staff who currently deliver in the area would continue to do so.

“As a result, we also advised the councillors that there is no need for us to attend the public meeting on Friday.”

From the outset Royal Mail insisted postmen would not be moved to Oldham and current sorting offices would remain.

But Councillor McCann said: “The document said there would be savings of 224 man hours a week and four full time postmen would be made redundant.”

Councillor Roughley commented: “We spoke with Royal Mail Oldham who confirmed the document had been sent but claimed new working methods would have no effect on the postal service.

“We found this difficult to believe.”