Royal Mail is losing around 400 postal workers every week, raising concerns about staffing shortages, delayed letters and mounting pressure on delivery teams ahead of the Christmas rush. The departures come as the company rolls out a sweeping overhaul of its postal operations.
A New Delivery System Faces Growing Resistance
According to the BBC, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) reports that weekly departures have climbed from approximately 330 to 400 since Royal Mail introduced its DM26 delivery system.
The restructuring changes postal routes, places workers in teams of three and allows second-class letters to be delivered every other weekday. First-class mail and parcels are supposed to reach customers daily.
Yet employees describe a different reality.
“I didn’t take any first class mail out on my last shift because I was on a road that’s been behind for weeks,” a worker in the West Midlands told the BBC. “But I’m sure a manager would have ticked a box to say all first class mail went out.”
Workers also report spending additional time separating mail while parcels continue to take priority.
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Christmas Deliveries Could Face Mounting Pressure
With seasonal parcel volumes expected to rise, employees fear the restructuring could intensify existing problems.
“We all think this Christmas will be the worst ever, for us and our customers,” said one postman in the East Midlands.
Former postal worker Bryn Dymott, who served Wootton in Bedfordshire for nine years before leaving in July, believes staffing levels have become unsustainable.
“People put things in the post for them to be delivered, not for them to be delayed because Royal Mail hasn’t got the systems in place and enough people to get them delivered.”
The CWU says DM26 operates successfully in approximately 500 delivery offices but has encountered significant difficulties in hundreds of others. The union has instructed members to pause further implementation pending an agreement with management.
“Put simply, if a boat is already taking on water, adding more passengers is unlikely to solve the problem,” says Martin Walsh of the CWU.
Royal Mail Defends Its Overhaul as Regulators Increase Scrutiny
Royal Mail maintains that its reforms will create a more efficient, financially sustainable service.
The company says the rollout is 90% complete, with daily deliveries now reaching 95% of UK addresses, compared with 88% previously. It also plans to recruit 22,000 temporary workers for Christmas.
Meanwhile, the company has announced plans to eliminate 2,500 administrative and support positions by the end of 2027.
Political pressure is mounting.
“We need to think outside the box,” says Dave Robertson, Labour MP for Lichfield, Burntwood and the Villages in Staffordshire.
“We need to bring as many people to the table on this to make sure we come up with a long-term solution because what’s been tried up to now clearly isn’t working.”
Regulator Ofcom, which has fined Royal Mail more than £37 million over three years for missed delivery targets, has demanded improvements.
“We will continue to hold it to account using the full extent of the powers available to us,” an Ofcom spokesperson said.
Postal Services Minister Kate Dearden described the company’s improvement plan as “a step in the right direction, but it must deliver tangible improvements for customers. We will continue to hold them to account on their performance.”
Royal Mail expects its new delivery system to be operating across all its delivery offices by Christmas.
