Royal Mail bosses hit out at Mandelson

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Royal Mail management has hit out at criticism from Lord Mandelson that the organisation has failed to modernise, arguing that the Business Secretary is simply trying to deflect criticism for postponing plans for a partial privatisation.
It believes his attack on Royal Mail's industrial relations record is outdated and an attempt to blame problems on management.

It says that over the past 24 months, about £800m of the £1.2bn it has borrowed from the Government has been spent on new sorting machines.

Though strikes are planned in London this week, Royal Mail says industrial relations nationwide have improved dramatically.

Mandelson's failure to go ahead with the part privatisation Bill has alarmed Royal Mail because it means that by next year it will have to pick up the burden of a pension fund with a near £10bn deficit.

Without Government help it could go bust if it has to increase substantially its pension payments, which run at £800m a year.

The company has also shrunk rapidly over the past eight years, losing 55,000 to leave a workforce of 175,000. Over the next few years there will be more job losses as new machines replace sorting staff.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: 'Royal Mail has strongly improved its performance in recent years, moving from a loss of £1m every day to doubling its profits in 2008-09 to £321m.

'Our priority is to continue the modernisation of Royal Mail to secure a future for the company and to protect the Universal Service. The company is on track to deliver this.'

[trythat]

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Though strikes are planned in London this week, Royal Mail says industrial relations nationwide have improved dramatically.

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What planet do these people live on, how can IR been improved, when you've got strike ballots left, right and centre. I suppose they mean from their point of view, they are better, because they don't talk to the CWU, so what can be worse than total denial.

[DGP1]

Royal Mail says industrial relations nationwide have improved dramatically.

They really don't have a clue, maybe if those from headquarters actually went out to visit those on the ground they would have a better understanding of what is actually going on

[norbert]

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/artic ... topstories

Though strikes are planned in London this week, Royal Mail says industrial relations nationwide have improved dramatically.

'

What planet do these people live on, how can IR been improved, when you've got strike ballots left, right and centre. I suppose they mean from their point of view, they are better, because they don't talk to the CWU, so what can be worse than total denial.

sour grapes full stop , they've had their arses smacked by Hooper & Mandy and been found out , many wanted privatization and many are looking for a good exit strategy .