Sarah Green, MP for Chesham and Amersham, has called on Royal Mail officials to ensure postal delays do not dampen the festive spirit this Christmas.
Green met with Royal Mail’s Regional Operational Director and Senior Public Affairs Manager on Friday. She asked for assurance that any backlogs and delays at the Amersham sorting office are cleared before the Christmas rush puts even more pressure on deliveries. She also pushed for clarification on the cause of delays, which have impacted local people intermittently for over a year.
The Royal Mail representatives explained that they have hired ten extra workers for the ‘night shift’ in the sorting office. The intention is that these workers will speed up the processing of mail and help prepare the delivery rounds for the Posties when they start their shifts.
Further industrial action has been called by the Communication Workers Union with strikes confirmed for November 30, and in December 1, 9 and 11 – plus a further four days under consideration for strikes throughout December, including Christmas Eve.
Following the meeting, Green said: “The issues at Amersham sorting office have been causing chaos in the community for over a year now. Local people have suffered due to Royal Mail’s failure to meet the standard of service they should be held to.
“With national disruption making matters worse, I was keen to meet with those in charge to find out how they plan to fix the acute local problems we are seeing.
“I am pleased to hear that they have taken action to bring in extra staff, but I remain concerned that this may not be enough to restore reliable services to our area.
“Vital information and documents come by post, be it a passport, driving licence or notice of a hospital appointment. At this time of year, post is also how we receive gifts and cards from loved ones, which can be a lifeline for those living alone or having a tough time. The Postal workers themselves are trying their hardest. It is essential that Royal Mail management gets to grips with the situation before people in this area are hit with a second round of Christmas chaos.”
0 Comments