Royal Mail sell-off ‘may bring closure of 9,000 post offices’

Research among 800 sub-postmasters by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) found nine out of 10 said they could not survive without Royal Mail business, while a similar number believed they were unlikely to continue if the Government continued to press ahead with plans for a so-called “Locals” model of franchised post office services.

The union, which is campaigning against the privatisation, said that based on the study’s findings, more than 9,000 post offices would close. Most of those questioned had little or no confidence that the Government will return to lost post office services.

CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: “Through the privatisation of Royal Mail, refusal to guarantee business and the removal of government contracts, the Government is failing post offices.

“It must listen to the opinions of those who work in the Post Office and decide whether the threat of mass closures is something it wants on its hands.

“Sub-postmasters will vote with their feet if the erosion of services and support continues and that will have a devastating impact on communities across the country.”

Postal Affairs Minister Edward Davey said: “The Government is clear – the Post Office is not for sale and there will be no programme of closures.

“Instead we have announced £1.34bn of funding for the Post Office, to maintain and modernise the network. In return for the funding, Post Office Ltd must maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches. The organisation that represents sub-postmasters, the National Federation of SubPostmasters, supports the Postal Services Bill.

“They recognise the important steps we are taking to turn the post office network around and end the years of decline.”-