Royal Mail has today announced plans to reduce its overall headcount of workers by a total of 10,000 by next August.
The nation’s postal service currently employs 140,000 people right across the UK.
It’s believed that up to 6,000 people in full-time roles will be made redundant by August 2023.
Royal Mail says it plans to cut back on the 10,000 roles through redundancy, for the most part, while the rest will be achieved through natural attrition.
“This is a very sad day,” said Simon Thompson – Chief Executive at Royal Mail.
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“I regret that we are announcing these job losses, [but] we will do all we can to avoid compulsory redundancies and support everyone affected.”
The redundancy announcements this morning come as parent company International Distributions Services said it had a loss of £219 million for the first half of this financial year, with around £70 million of that loss attributed to “direct negative impacts” from three days of industrial action.
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Royal Mail plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs by next August / Credit: Royal Mail
The announcement also comes after Royal Mail workers who are members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) yesterday began a fresh round of strikes over pay, job cuts, and working conditions – with a further 19 days of industrial action yet to come.
Around 115,000 Royal Mail staff notably walked out in what the CWU said was “the biggest national strike of any sector” back in August.
The CWU’s general secretary, Dave Ward, has said previously that workers are facing the “biggest ever assault” on jobs, terms and conditions “in the history of Royal Mail” – but Royal Mail chief Mr Thompson argued in his statement today that “each strike day weakens our financial situation.”
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“The CWU’s decision to choose damaging strike action over resolution regrettably increases the risk of further headcount reductions,” he added.
Featured Image – Royal Mail
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Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
14th October 2022 
