Bristol post workers 'told to bin leaflets' due to mail backlog

Paid-for marketing material is not being delivered due to Royal Mail's backlog, it is alleged

Postal workers have allegedly been told to bin large amounts of undelivered out-of-date paid-for leaflets while dealing with a backlog.

The Bristol Mail Centre often makes no attempt to deliver paid-for marketing campaigns, according to Ben Watts of the Communications Workers Union (CWU).

Mr Watts said staff had reported being uncomfortable with the situation.

Royal Mail said it took door-to-door mail seriously and often reminded staff all mail was of "equal importance".

Door-to-door mail is a service offered by Royal Mail to businesses, charities and other organisations hoping to reach new customers or donors.

They are charged a fee to have a leaflet or letter delivered to every home in a certain post code over a particular time frame.

In an open letter to the Bristol Mail Centre's management this week, Mr Watts said he had received "several complaints" from staff about the treatment of door-to-door mail at the facility.

Industrial action and a moratorium on overtime had contributed to the backlog, Communications Workers Union branch secretary Ben Watts said

Mr Watts, who is secretary of the Bristol branch of the CMU, alleged that parcels were being prioritised, and leaflets were deemed "out-of-date" if the delivery period the client had specified was missed, they were then thrown away.

"I am sure the customers who have paid for (door-to-door mail) will be disgusted," he said.

Mr Watts added: "This hit a real nerve when one of the door-to-door leaflets being binned was a charity asking for donations."

Speaking to BBC West, Mr Watts said: "Maybe the public don't like it, and the posties don't like delivering it, but door-to-door mail is a really important source of revenue for Royal Mail."

He added: "Are we letting the companies know we are not delivering the door-to-door mail they've paid a substantial amount of money for?"

Mail is being stored outside the Bristol Mail Centre

Mr Watts said the backlog was not only the result of recent industrial action, but was also down to a moratorium on overtime imposed since August and only partially lifted this week.

He said before Christmas, many postal workers would be doing between 10 and 20 hours of overtime per week.

Mr Watts said the moratorium had been a "strike breaking tactic" as workers would be less likely to strike if they were unable to make up lost wages through overtime.

It is understood Royal Mail does not have a policy of binning undelivered items of post.

A fox is spotted climbing on post at the Bristol Mail Centre

A spokesman said: "Royal Mail understands the value of Door-to-Door marketing to our customers. We take the delivery of this mail extremely seriously.

"We regularly remind our people that all items of mail are of equal importance.

"If there are examples where marketing mail has gone undelivered, we will investigate it.

"We are doing all we can to deliver Christmas for our customers and minimise the impact of damaging industrial action.

"The CWU is striking at our busiest time, holding Christmas to ransom for our customers, businesses and families across the country."

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