Another ‘Bad-news Tuesday’ as management axe Great Portland St Crown Post Office

Postal, Post Office (PO) February 4 2020

‘Bad-news Tuesday’ struck again today, with staff at a central London Crown post office being told that their work and jobs are set to be handed over to a private retailer.

‘Bad-news Tuesday’ struck again today, with staff at a central London Crown post office being told that their work and jobs are set to be handed over to a private retailer.

Great Portland Street Crown Post Office workers were given the bad news at a staff meeting this morning, an announcement which brings to nine the number of Crowns being axed so far in 2020 – with the loss of 75 jobs.

And the CWU has, once again, called out for a “halt, a pause and a rethink” of this back-door privatisation of the UK Crown Network.

Responding to the development, assistant secretary Andy Furey, the national officer for Post Office workers, said: “Here we go again, another Tuesday and more bad news for hard-working Crown Office staff.

“Since the New Year opened, there has been an acceleration of the franchising programme by the Post Office – a programme which makes a total nonsense of government claims that the post office network is ‘safe’ in their hands.

“We urgently need Nick Read, the new chief executive, to recognise the excellent value that Crown offices contribute to the overall reputation and brand by ceasing franchising.  There needs to be a deep and profound strategic rethink by the Post Office in which the CWU’s voice can be heard” urged Andy.

“Government claims to want to ‘level-up’ the UK and also claims to follow the ‘one nation’ philosophy – so if they mean what they say, stop the Post Office Board from wrecking this Great British institution in this race to the bottom.”

Two other London Crowns – Old Street and Poplar – closed at the end of January, leaving Greater London with only 43 Crown offices (two of which have been announced for franchising this year)