COMMUNICATION Workers Union (CWU) deputy general postal secretary, Terry Pullinger, has reminded the communications industry regulator that its primary statutory duty is ‘to protect the UK’s universal postal service, not to damage Royal Mail’.
Pullinger was responding to the enormous £50m fine the company has been hit with. Pullinger described the £50m penalty imposed by Ofcom as ‘totally wrong and a stunning example of how this regulator panders to unregulated, profit cherry-picking disruptors’.
The fine – the largest ever imposed by Ofcom – was a response to a complaint by the ‘Whistl’ sub-division of Dutch postal company TNT, which briefly tried to undermine Royal Mail’s letter delivery service back in 2013/14. ‘It beggars belief that the regulator should dismiss this Great British Institution which is one of the biggest contributors to the public purse, the provider of an excellent public service delivered by a loyal dedicated workforce on decent terms and conditions, in favour of an organisation which cares for nothing but profit,’ said Pullinger.
‘TNT’s “Whistl” initiative failed because they employed people on the cheap and delivered a service which was far inferior to that provided by Royal Mail. ‘They chose to deliver in chosen inner-city areas and only promising to deliver three days per week to minimise their operational cost, and still they could not deliver.
‘Royal Mail delivers to every single address in this country six days per week,’ the CWU leader continued. ‘People think it’s easy, but actually it’s a hugely sophisticated logistics operation which provides a public postal service which is the envy of the world. ‘But the Regulator would seemingly prefer to keep putting at risk the one provider which totally connects the social, industrial and commercial life of this country, without discrimination or favour.’
Pullinger asked: ‘When will they recognise that no company that puts profit before service could ever provide the connectivity, service and reach of Royal Mail Group? ‘Their actions, if not challenged, will eventually destroy full and equal social connectivity regardless of location across the whole UK.
‘Shame on them for this grossly unfair disloyal act, they should start recognising all that is excellent about the USO provider and stop siding with uncaring profiteers.’