Sell Off Royal Mail at Your Peril, Public Tell Government

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20th May 2009

Three quarters oppose mail sale, saying it breaks promises and would be bad for taxpayer.

In an ICM poll published today (Wednesday) 75% of people now oppose the part-privatisation of Royal Mail, with 60% of people saying it needs to be reformed but must remain in the public sector.

Last week the Royal Mail announced a £321 million profit, the first time all four arms of the business turned in a profit in twenty years. 78% say a sale would be a bad deal for the taxpayer and 82% think prices will go up, according to an ICM poll published on the day of the third reading of the Postal Services Bill in the Lords.

In the strongest condemnation of the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail to date, 80% of the public believes the proposed sale breaks a key election promise.
As the Bill moves to the House of Commons after the Whitsun recess, 27% - more than one in four - of those polled say they are less likely to vote for their current MP - from any Party - if she or he backs the proposal to sell a 30% stake in the business. This figure rises to 36% for those who identify most with the Labour Party.

Billy Hayes, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, which represents 180,000 postal workers, said today: "Royal Mail needs to be modernised not privatised.

"The public have got it right, the business needs to be reformed within the public sector giving it the freedom to invest but keeping it as a public service; it makes organisational, financial and now clearly political sense.

"The CWU will work with the Government, the management and the public to ensure that Royal Mail is modernised as a public organisation to serve the nation's interest."

Notes:
ICM Polled 1,011 people of voting age across England, Scotland and Wales.
180 MPs have signed Early Day Motion 428 opposing the privatisation of Royal Mail. Of these 148 are Labour MPs.