A POSTAL worker said he is struggling to cope in the stressful environment between managers and workers at St Helens' Royal Mail office.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a contract worker at St Helens Delivery Office after working as a postman for more than ten years.
Royal Mail workers called for strike action earlier this year, demanding that wage rises meet the inflation rate of 11%; rather than the current offer of a 7% increase over two years and a lump sum increase of 2% this year.
The contractor says he supports the striking workers, but the action has caused a crackdown from Royal Mail bosses who are "forcing workers to work longer hours and extra rounds" to make up for lost time.
As a result, many employees are going off sick with stress, he said, which has only added to the "huge backlog" of parcels to sort through at the delivery office.
He said: "The delivery office has been stressful for a while, but it has only been made worse by the strikes and the management's reaction to them.
"People are going off sick with stress and the people who are left are constantly being asked to work longer hours and more rounds, which is impossible to do.
"When you ask for support from management, you get the feeling that they just don't want to know and that's the way it is."
With strike action causing delays at the Royal Mail office, the contractor also alleges that equipment at the site is “not up to standard” as workers are often left with “vehicles that are not roadworthy” and “nothing to scan parcels”.
With an accumulation of problems at the Liverpool Road office, he suggested that people may be waiting months for their parcels as the backlog increases in the run up to Christmas.
The contractor added: “The stresses are getting that high at the moment, I’m anxious about going into work and what I’m going to be faced with.
“It’s not just me who is feeling this way and it’s not fair on the workers on the way they’re being treated.”
In response to the complaints, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Christmas is our busiest time of year and we recognise the additional lengths that our postmen and women, and the thousands of temporary workers who support us during the peak season, go to deliver the higher volumes of parcels and cards we deliver.
“Our managers are trained to support their teams to deliver a consistent and efficient service for their customers, and ensuring that workloads between colleagues are fair and manageable.”
