Should Royal Mail be de-privatised?

Hannah_Alumni

Lately, we've had quite a few posts in our community about the backlog of correspondence from benefit assessments. These have been because of covid, the strikes and the holidays. 

With the chief executive of Royal Mail, Simon Thompson speaking to allegations that "parcels are the priority" at a parliamentary committee this week, we have started our own discussion. 

You can access the committee parliaments webpage for notes from the meeting 

Do you think Royal Mail should, once again, be publicly owned? Have you had a delay in written correspondence? We would love to hear your opinion.

66Mustang

I am not going to comment on the politics but I do want to share a relevant experience. I had a letter r.e. my benefits dated mid December, which arrived exactly 27 days later in mid January.

Now, fortunately, the letter was nothing important which may be why it took so long. It was not anything that needed any action or attention. But if it was, say, a decision that I was unhappy with and I had (I believe?) 28 days to appeal from the date the letter is dated, that's giving me 1 day to get my appeal in.

Now I do accept there was Christmas, New Year, and a load of strikes between December and January. But that is a bit of a worry!

rebel11

I posted a letter, 1st class, recorded delivery, to the DWP at 12.51pm yesterday, the DWP received it at 13.59pm today. That is awesome, I get the 'parcel' thing. 

I remember working for a company, for some strange reason we started selling hampers, money transfer nothing to do with the core business. I told the Managing Director that was a stupid idea. There was over 700 stores.    

Hannah_Alumni

@66Mustang Was there no extension of appeal time? Because that would be so unfair for many.

Wow @rebel11 and does the company still do that now? 

66Mustang

@Hannah_Scope it wasn't a letter that needed any action taking, it was just an information letter. My concern is if it was a decision letter with a wrong decision, or a letter asking for information, presuming a 28-day deadline, I would only have had 1 day to get my appeal in or send off the information!

rebel11

Hannah_Scope said:

@66Mustang Was there no extension of appeal time? Because that would be so unfair for many.

Wow @rebel11 and does the company still do that now? 

No, it merged with another company that had 500 stores, all the stores closed down, although the company trades online now. I fought a 'monumental' battle to stop the company moving employees, had a meeting with the MD, told him 'he should work in a store for a week'. Kept HR busy for 11 months not knowing what to do. 

I should write a book.

Hannah_Alumni

Oh @66Mustang I thought you were commenting as knowing this even though it wasn't an important letter.

@rebel11I'd definitely read it! Before my job here at Scope, I worked retail for about 12 years. 

66Mustang

Hannah_Scope said:

Oh @66Mustang I thought you were commenting as knowing this even though it wasn't an important letter.

All I know is it took them 27 days to get the letter to me so if it was a letter asking for action with a 28 day deadline that is cutting it short - hopefully there is something in place like an extension but I am not sure!

Hannah_Alumni

@66MustangHmmm will have to research that for future! Didn't even think, you just assume people would be nice about it. Thank you  

woodbine

Not had any noticeable delays in deliveries, I do believe that Royal Mail should ever have been sold off, and I do think there is wide support for RM to go back into the public domain.
Personally I'm not sure I care either way as long as we get a good service.

Hannah_Alumni

I personally think we should have Royal Mail (along with some other services) back in public hands. I feel the problem lies with this business model of "progress for the sake of progress" when I feel we should live by "if it's not broke, don't fix it".

rebel11

The Government should have a company in each sector, that would keep big companies in check.
 

Martin1957

Private or public it would not make any difference like all massive companies to many middle management likevthe nhs also who would had ever thought  the nurse's would strike and ambulance crews to 

woodbine

Strikes in the public sector (NHS etc) have been on the horizon for some time as their pay has been frozen or kept below inflation, we therefore have the perfect storm now years of low pay rises meeting a 40 year high, rate of inflation, and a government who couldn't care less now, they know they won't win the next election so they have given up.