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Multiple Royal Mail employees from various delivery offices have reported that letter deliveries are being repeatedly missed, with parcel deliveries taking precedence as staff face overwhelming workloads. According to these postal workers, some letters remain sitting at postal depots for several weeks. The union representing the workers describes the company as being “in crisis.”
Many customers have reached out to BBC Your Voice to express their frustration, citing delayed mail that has caused problems such as missed hospital appointments. Royal Mail, however, emphasized that the majority of mail is delivered on schedule and acknowledged how frustrating delays can be for customers. Juliet from Crawley shared her dissatisfaction, stating, “I have had lots of important NHS letters for appointments arriving after the date.” Similarly, Bernard from Inkberrow called the situation a “complete and expensive mess,” pointing to delays affecting first-class letters and appointment notifications. Other individuals reported missing documents including school certificates and bank statements.
Inside Royal Mail, workers have revealed further details about what they believe is contributing to the service issues. Over 20 postal staff from across the UK spoke to BBC Your Voice, with 19 of them stating that parcel deliveries continue to be prioritized over letters—a claim Royal Mail has previously denied. One postal worker explained that limited van availability forces shared vehicle use, often resulting in days focused solely on parcel deliveries because “that’s where the money is for the company.” Another worker described the unmanageable task of delivering both hundreds of parcels and letters daily, saying, “Imagine being an Amazon driver with around 300+ parcels to deliver a day. Now imagine you also have letters to deliver on top of that to around 800+ houses. Every day. It’s impossible.”
Royal Mail is legally obligated to deliver letters every day except in 35 delivery offices where a new slower delivery target is being trialled, according to the postal union. Two current employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, depicted the ongoing difficulties. Tony, with several years at Royal Mail, described the situation as the worst he’s ever experienced, showing images of piled-up mail and rounds left untouched. He confirmed parcels are consistently given priority, especially if tracked, noting that even some first-class mail sits undelivered for weeks. During the Christmas period, he said mail sorting stopped entirely for two days as the team focused solely on parcels. Despite Royal Mail’s claim that service is returning to normal post-Christmas, staff involved disagree, highlighting ongoing restricted overtime, missed deliveries during annual leave, and persistent staffing shortages.
Bob, the other employee who spoke candidly, pointed out that the primary reason for delayed mail is understaffing. He described how the situation worsens after Christmas once temporary holiday workers leave. He stated, “Every day there’s mail left behind, one, maybe two, maybe three rounds which are not covered… The tracked recorded parcels are done every day, because they make a difference to the stats for the office, but anything that’s not tracked every day there’ll be mail that’s not going out.” The regulator Ofcom has fined Royal Mail £37 million in recent years due to poor letter delivery performance and pledged to continue holding the company accountable.
The Communication Workers Union initially supported Royal Mail’s takeover by the Czech billionaire-owned ED Group in April, attracted by promises to prioritize employees and customers. However, after attempts to engage with the new owners, the union’s confidence has diminished. Craig Anderson from the CWU declared, “I’m not confident that the service is going to improve going forward, it certainly hasn’t since Christmas…Royal Mail is a company in crisis.” Still, some customers like Clive Miller in Oxford have reported satisfaction with the service, remarking, “My first class letters always seem to arrive on time….Maybe I have just been lucky with the post I have sent over the last 10 years.”
Royal Mail stated that its goal remains to deliver both letters and parcels punctually. Parcels, which occupy considerably more space than letters, can accumulate rapidly and pose health risks at depots. Factors such as adverse weather in January and increased sickness absence have led to temporary disruptions on certain routes. A Royal Mail spokesperson said, “Where a delay affects a route, we work to resolve it as quickly as possible by putting in extra support and reviewing performance daily to restore deliveries as quickly as possible.
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