Shrewsbury mail centre braced for job cuts

Some of the 440 jobs at Shropshire's only mail centre are to be cut as part of a review of services by Royal Mail.

The six-month review is taking place at Shrewsbury Mail Centre, in Castle Foregate.

Royal Mail bosses have admitted that changes to be made following the review and subsequent consultation will impact on jobs.

They say changes are necessary due to a decline in mail volume and challenges from digital communications.

Nationally the Royal Mail delivers 59 million items a day compared to 84 million items a day six years ago.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite Communication and Managers' Association are involved in the review and a decision on how many jobs could go is expected by August.

Alex Warner, operations director at Royal Mail, said: "Any change to our operations in Shrewsbury will, unfortunately, impact on some colleagues.

"Our agreements with the CWU set out an agreed approach to managing these changes and we will be working very closely with CWU and Unite CMA to support our people."

The centre has been processing mail since 1880 and passes items to the 24 delivery and sorting offices that serve the Shrewsbury area.

Bosses said it was too early to say what the impact on staff would be but added that Royal Mail's aim was to minimise any job reductions and make changes without the need for compulsory redundancies.

The news comes as part of a wider review of mail centres across the UK. There are currently 58 mail centres and Royal Mail has already announced that 16 are to close, including Worcester.

The review is being conducted on the basis of the Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond agreement, the national agreement between Royal Mail and the CWU for modernising the business.

By David Seadon