MyRoyalMail News

Courier News Flash on pensions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:17:08 +0000

A Courier News Flash will be sent to you soon, explaining the measures we are taking to safeguard your pension. It sets out what happened last year, what is happening now and why we must act. We are writing to members of the plan, members of the Royal Mail Defined Contribution Plan, and colleagues who are not members of any Royal Mail pension plan soon. Safeguarding your pension We have to tackle the cost of the benefits being provided by the Royal Mail Pension Plan from 1 April 2012 onwards – the pension Plan members are building up this year and each year in the future. The cost of defined benefit schemes such as the Plan are increasing. As a result, the amount the Company has to pay to the Plan could increase by £300 million each year. We don’t want to close the Plan. We do not want to raise your contributions or increase your retirement age. We do not want to reduce your future benefits. We want to use some of the £2 billion of assets left in the Plan for the benefit of members and the Company. We will continue to pay our current, significant, rate of contributions (around £400 million) to the Plan each year. This action would be necessary regardless of who owns Royal Mail. We want to reach an agreement with the unions which would, subject to its conditions, be legally binding on the Company and give members comfort in the event that Royal Mail is sold.

Are you the face of Royal Mail?

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:48:51 +0000

Have you filled in and returned your invitation entry form for our new TV advert? If you’re considering entering the auditions ballot for our new TV advert, here are some frequently asked questions which could help make up your mind. Your entry must arrive by July 2, so fill it out soon! Don't forget, we need your application by Tuesday 2 July. Q What sort of people are you looking for? A We’re looking for a number of colleagues to represent the different stages of delivering parcels and letters. We need postmen and postwomen who work in delivery offices and mail centres. Q How are you going to choose people for the casting session in London? A An independent adjudicator will draw, at random, the names of the lucky 300 who will attend the casting session. This session will be held on 8 July. Q Do I need to keep any other dates free in my diary? A Yes, you have to commit to being available for filming, including staying away from home and travelling, between Monday 15 July until Tuesday 23 July. Q When will I know if I’ve been selected for an audition? A The lucky 300 colleagues chosen at random will be contacted by 3rd July. If you don’t hear from us by Thursday 4th July, then regrettably you weren’t one of the lucky ones, but thank you for taking the time to enter. You can follow your colleagues’ progress on RMTV and www.myroyalmail.com/tv-advert Q I can’t act, is that a problem? A There are no speaking parts and we won’t need you to be able to act. You will only be asked to do what you do every day. Q So what will happen at the casting session? A The audition itself will only take a few minutes. We will ask you to say hello to camera and tell us your name, take a short walk and then answer a simple question such as what is your favourite film? Or other day to day actions. This is so that the director can see how you will appear on film. Q What will I do about work commitments while all of this is going on? A We will arrange, via your local HR team and line manager, for you to be released from your day job for the casting session and film dates. Time off for casting and filming will not affect your holiday entitlement. Please let your line manager know that you would like to attend the casting session or the shoot itself if you are lucky enough to be picked. Q Will you also cover travel expenses? A For colleagues invited to come along to a casting session and then those selected for filming, we will pay all reasonable travelling expenses. If you have a question about the entry process that isn’t answered above, you can call 0800 032 4880. Lines will be open from 7am to 7pm from Monday 17 June to Wednesday 10th July, excluding weekends.

CitySprint profits up

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:34:21 +0000

Same day courier company CitySprint has revealed its 2012 revenues rose 36.1% to £101.1m as a result of three acquisitions and organic growth. The company’s profit after tax rose by 18.8%. CitySprint now has 37 service centres in the UK, 2,500 couriers operating in all major UK towns and cities providing same-day, overnight and international services. The company says it can now reach 81% of the UK in 60 minutes. Patrick Gallagher, CEO of CitySprint, said: ‘2012 was another strong year of growth for CitySprint fuelled by a number of factors including continued investment in new technology, a series of successful acquisitions and strong organic growth. ‘We will continue our investment programmes in the business as we focus primarily on organic growth during 2013 and look for further acquisitions which can complement the requirements of our growing customer base.’

Funds help paralysed postman

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:20:39 +0000

Tony Gibbs turned to the Rowland Hill Fund after a road accident left the postman, from Clacton-on-Sea, paralysed from the chest down. The Rowland Hill Fund, which was set up to ‘alleviate financial distress’ among employees of Royal Mail, Post Office, Parcelforce Worldwide and General Logistics, helped kit Tony out with a cutting-edge wheelchair. While recovering in hospital Tony was given a lightweight 6kg chair, but that was replaced with a 17kg model when he was discharged. The replacement chair was far too heavy for everyday use. Tony, who is a single parent living in rented accommodation, couldn’t afford the £4,250 for a new lightweight chair but the Rowland Hill Foundation was able to donate £2,126 towards the cost, with workmates at Clacton-on-Sea and donations from other sources helping to raise the rest. Do you need financial help or support? Then call the Rowland Hill Fund helpline on 0800 6 888 777 (option 1, then option 4). The service is confidential and available 24/7. You can also visit the Rowland Hill Fund’s website by clicking here.

Consultative ballot response

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Royal Mail notes the outcome of the CWU consultative ballot and is committed to seeking an agreement with the union on the way forward that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees. Since 2011, we have been in talks with the union about a new agreement to replace the existing business transformation agreement that ended in March 2013. Royal Mail and CWU have made good progress on a proposed new three-stage settlement. Phase one was agreed in February 2012 and phase two in the summer of 2012. These cover a number of issues: We will continue to have a predominantly full-time workforce There will be improved opportunities for part-time employees who wish to work full time The extension of enhanced voluntary redundancy terms during the current modernisation of Royal Mail The CWU’s consultative ballot is not a ballot for industrial action. It sought its members’ views on a number of issues: The CWU’s threatened refusal to handle Access/DSA letters and parcels The Government’s planned sale of Royal Mail Group A new agreement on pay and benefits CWU policy of non-cooperation with Royal Mail Royal Mail believes that any direction by the Communication Workers Union that members should refuse to handle Access/DSA letters and parcels would be unlawful. Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.

Safeguarding your pension

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:03:55 +0000

A new area has been launched on Myroyalmail.com, dedicated to outlining the efforts being made to safeguard your pension. It’s an invaluable one-stop pensions section, which includes a list of frequently asked questions, RMTV footage about pensions and important letters. There’s also a step-by-step outline of the pensions situation with sections entitled ‘What’s happening’, ‘Options explored’, ‘Seeking agreement’ and ‘Key points’. You can access the ‘Safeguarding you pension’ page by clicking here. Information on the dedicated pensions area of Myroyalmail.com explains how trustees of the Royal Mail Pension Plan and the company are reviewing the cost of the pension you earn each year. Conditions in financial markets would, if we do not take action, lead to a significant increase in the cost of members’ pension benefits. If the Company was required to meet this cost its contributions would increase from around £400 million currently, to closer to £700 million every year. We have shared the issue and some ideas with the unions about how that issue can be resolved and now want to enter formal discussions with the unions to reach agreement. One option to deal with this issue would be to use some of the £2 billion of assets left in the Plan following the pension transfer last year. This £2 billion, which comes in a large part from the Company’s contributions paid in previous years, is held in trust by the Plan’s trustees for the benefit of members and the Company. An agreement with the unions would, subject to its conditions, be legally binding on the Company and would give you comfort in the event that Royal Mail is sold, because it would bind the Company regardless of any change of ownership. This would be confirmed by Government at the time of any sale.

Thomas is crowned and #039;Change Champion and #039;

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:54:30 +0000

The winner of the 2013 Royal Mail Change Champion Award is Thomas Little, from Glasgow Mail Centre. Thomas is a workplace coach leading World Class Mail initiatives, such as the mail centre’s ‘Big Picture’ visual and the inaugural WCM academy in his city. ‘Change needs to be embraced not just by managers but everyone in Royal Mail,’ said the judges. ‘Thomas has shown that he embodies this and is committed to change and personal development.’ Embracing change This award is given to an individual or team that has embraced the change that is happening in the business and has achieved benefits for the business and their colleagues. This could be championing the modernisation programme in mail centres, delivery, logistics and operational support, or in customer services, commercial or any group function.

Glory days of steam revisited

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:46:42 +0000

All aboard as we pay tribute to the ‘workhorses’ of the railways with our latest Classic Locomotives stamp set, which are now on sale and on this occasion feature trains from Northern Ireland. It’s the third in a series of miniature sheets featuring steam locomotives, used not just on the public railway network but also in many industrial locations like factories, quarries and docks. Many such engines had working lives of several decades before diesel and electric technology completely took over in the 1960s. The special stamps series began with England in 2011 followed by Scotland in 2012 and concludes with the railway heritage of Wales in 2014. Experts Working with railway experts, our stamp design team reviewed thousands of photographs to find these period photos of steam locomotives in Northern Ireland. For almost 50 years, our special stamp programme has commemorated and celebrated events and anniversaries pertinent to UK heritage and life. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gifters in the UK and millions worldwide. Her Majesty the Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are printed. The stamps and stamp products are available at all Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/classiclocomotives and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

Fancy tackling The Tour?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:33:44 +0000

You can now take part in our Tour de France Challenge – without even leaving a Royal Mail gym! Our Tour de France Challenge, in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, is coming to all our gyms from 24 June to 28 July. It celebrates the 100th Tour de France, which starts on 29 June, and will raise money for our charity of the year at the same time – as well as offering great prizes. You’ll complete one stage a week. Our five stages total 705km. Each week, the leading male and female competitor in two age categories (under 35 and 35 and over), will win the famous yellow jersey. There will also be polka dot jerseys for the King and Queen of the Mountains on stage 4. To be eligible to win the yellow and polka dot jerseys, please speak to your local gym manager. You can still take part if you just want to cycle a shorter distance. The green jersey, which anyone can win, will be awarded to the person who raises the most sponsorship money. They will also win a top-of-the-range road bike (a limited edition Carrera TDF, a special model for the Tour de France), kindly donated by our Cycle 2 Work partner Halfords. So get cycling, get fit and raise loads of money for Prostate Cancer UK. All the money you raise will be matched by Royal Mail. To register for the challenge, please go to www.myroyalmail.com/tour-de-france You’ll then get a fundraising pack, along with Post Office paying in slips to bank the money you raise.

What and #039;s on RMTV this week

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:01:37 +0000

Don’t forget to tune in to RMTV this week, which features a pensions update, more details on our new TV advert, our Christmas stamp competition and our charity of the year Tour De France Challenge. We're planning Royal Mail's brand new television advert. And the good news is that you could play a starring role. There won't be any speaking parts, and nobody will be asked to act or ad lib. We simply want you to do what you do best - deliver the mail. In this week’s RMTV there are also more details about our Christmas Stamp Design Competition which is now open to children across the country aged four to 11. Children of Royal Mail staff are also allowed to enter. Two lucky winners will see their designs on one of the First or Second class Christmas stamps from this year’s range. The artwork will be approved by The Queen, and used on millions of Christmas cards during the festive season.

Lights, camera, action!

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:57:00 +0000

Would you like a starring role in Royal Mail’s new advert? If the answer is ‘yes’ you must fill in and return your entry form so it arrives by Tuesday 2 July! The forms have been sent to postmen and postwomen who work in delivery offices and mail centres and explain how you can volunteer and what the auditions will involve. An independent adjudicator will draw, at random, the names of the lucky 300 colleagues who will be invited to the casting session. If you’re successful you’ll be contacted by Wednesday 3 July. Your entry form includes a note from Mike Newnham, chief customer officer, who explains why we’re launching the advert. He says: ‘One of the most common questions that gets asked is: “Why doesn’t Royal Mail advertise the great work it does?” ‘You’ve been saying that you want to see us advertising Royal Mail and the role we play in the nation’s life. ‘Well, we’ve taken all those requests on board and we’re now planning a high-profile advertising campaign for later this year! ‘The TV advert is about celebrating the unique role that Royal Mail plays at the heart of the UK, delivering parcels and letters connecting families, friends and customers across the country. Which is where you come in…’ If you have any questions about the entry process call 0800 032 4880. Lines will be open from 7am to 7pm from Monday 17 June to Wednesday 10th July, excluding weekends.

Louise is named and #039;best colleague and #039;

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:49:34 +0000

The 2013 Chairman’s Award for Best Colleague has been won by Louise Sanderson from customer experience. This award is dedicated to the memory of Royal Mail colleague Shyanu Parathasangary, who tragically lost her life in the London bombings of July 2005. The Best Colleague category is awarded in recognition of a colleague or manager who does some or all of the following: consistently promotes a more inclusive way of working creates an inclusive workplace that respects the diversity of the people in it is a great role model in the workplace and motivates colleagues to go the extra mile encourages others to develop and make the best of their abilities is a listener; a workplace coach/buddy who supports colleagues when they need it successfully challenges unacceptable behaviour goes out of the way to help colleagues and their teams works hard to ensure a safe working environment does the right thing Louise, say her colleagues, is a real people person who has developed her management skills. She makes the business team a great place to work by being supportive, flexible, caring and resourceful. ‘Louise is committed to her team, she ticks every criteria for the award and has shown that she is a consistently high-performer,’ said the judges.’ Delivering greatness once is brilliant, but day-in-day-out is exceptional.’ The judges felt that with the standard of nominees so high, it was only right to award a highly commended citation to Andrew Fenton, who had demonstrated great caring in supporting his colleagues through a difficult period following the deaths of four of their co-workers.

Postcodes for growth

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:34:27 +0000

We’re giving micro businesses and small charities improved access to our postcode address file Since we introduced the postcode, almost 40 years ago, it has grown to become a vital tool in routing and delivering mail in the UK. We’re now improving access to the file containing the nation’s postcodes, known as the Postcode Address File (PAF), for micro businesses and small charities, in a bid to encourage innovation and growth. These steps include: Free access to PAF for independent small charities Free access for one year for independent micro businesses to help them develop PAF-based products An increase in free online address look-ups on Royal Mail’s website from 15 to 50 per day. We’re also consulting on a wide-ranging package of measures to simplify PAF licensing and ensure it meets the needs of users and innovators in today’s marketplace. Royal Mail introduced the postcode to every UK address almost 40 years ago to help route and deliver mail. The Postcode Address File is a vital part of Royal Mail and will continue to be so. Since its introduction, the way in which the postcode is used has diversified and grown. PAF is now at the core of a wide range of systems and solutions which support many businesses and industries. Postcode information is made available to members of the public free of charge through Royal Mail's Postcode Finder service. The Postcode Address File is also made available to all businesses and organisations through flexible licensing that helps to pay for the on-going investment in the maintenance and provision of postcode data.

Our proud heritage

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:15:08 +0000

We are proud of Royal Mail’s heritage. For example, we maintain 115,000 red postboxes across the UK and understand the importance of our strong heritage. We want to combine the best of the private and public sectors. Delivering a public service and making it profitable are not contradictory objectives. Our business strategy is to ensure a sound and sustainable Universal Service for the benefit of everyone in the UK. The Government has legislated to protect Royal Mail’s heritage. The Government included an additional safeguard in the Postal Services Act 2011 to enable it to ensure that the Queen's head remains on stamps regardless of who owns the company in the future. We are also required by legislation to report annually to Parliament on heritage activities. A number of commitments around post boxes were made in a joint policy statement between Royal Mail and English Heritage in 2002. This included repainting post boxes every three years or more often if required. The policy states: 'All Royal Mail letter boxes will be painted in standard red and black livery. No variation is allowed, except in very exceptional circumstances where there are genuine historical reasons, such as the use of green and black livery for some early boxes or Air Force blue for surviving George VI airmail boxes.'

Postcodes for growth

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:10:04 +0000

Since we introduced the postcode, almost 40 years ago, it has grown to become a vital tool in routing and delivering mail in the UK. We’re now improving access to the file containing the nation’s postcodes, known as the Postcode Address File (PAF), for micro businesses and small charities, in a bid to encourage innovation and growth. These steps include: Free access to PAF for independent small charities Free access for one year for independent micro businesses to help them develop PAF-based products An increase in free online address look-ups on Royal Mail’s website from 15 to 50 per day. We’re also consulting on a wide-ranging package of measures to simplify PAF licensing and ensure it meets the needs of users and innovators in today’s marketplace. Royal Mail introduced the postcode to every UK address almost 40 years ago to help route and deliver mail. The Postcode Address File is a vital part of Royal Mail and will continue to be so. Since its introduction, the way in which the postcode is used has diversified and grown. Core system PAF is now at the core of a wide range of systems and solutions which support many businesses and industries. Postcode information is made available to members of the public free of charge through Royal Mail's Postcode Finder service. The Postcode Address File is also made available to all businesses and organisations through flexible licensing that helps to pay for the on-going investment in the maintenance and provision of postcode data.

Your chance to star in our TV ad!

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:28 +0000

Lots of colleagues have asked why we don’t advertise the great work that Royal Mail does, connecting people by delivering parcels and letters.Well, the good news is that there are now plans for a television advertising campaign… and colleagues will get the chance to play a starring role!The TV commercial will celebrate the unique role that Royal Mail plays at the heart of the country – connecting communities, companies and people.We need postmen and postwomen to demonstrate the different stages of delivery. Nobody will be asked to act or ad lib.We just want you to show what we do best; delivering the mail. This could involve delivering to a customer’s front door, driving a vehicle or sorting parcels and letters.Your official invitation will give you more information on how to get involved, and will land on your doormat soon.

Rural services protected

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:33:50 +0000

Nine out of ten customers consider Royal Mail a core part of the community – particularly in rural communities, where we are part of the lifeblood of day to day communication. We have an extensive network of over 115,000 postboxes across the UK, the highest level of provision per square kilometre of Western European nations. We are honoured to deliver the UK’s six-day-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service and proud of the role we play in the economy. Legally obliged to deliver Daily deliveries to rural areas will not be reduced in the event of the sale of Royal Mail. We are legally obliged to deliver to every address, whether urban or rural, under the minimum requirements of the Universal Service. These are defined in law and the six-day-a-week collection and delivery service cannot be changed unless voted for by both Houses of Parliament. Ofcom made it clear in March 2013 that, following a review of the needs of consumers and businesses, it is ruling out any changes to the scope of the Universal Service. The Quality of Service standards that apply to Royal Mail, set by Ofcom in the Universal Service Obligation, would also continue to apply after any sale.

Driver awarded for bravery

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:31 +0000

The courage of one of our drivers whose selfless actions averted a potentially deadly incident on the M25 has been recognised by chief executive Moya Greene. Ken Boon, a driver at the Northern Home Counties distribution centre, has won the chief executive’s Award for Bravery 2013. While travelling east on the motorway Ken was overtaken by a car which started to veer into the central reservation and other vehicles. ‘I initially thought the driver might be drunk,’ Ken told Courier after the incident, ‘but when I pulled up next to the vehicle I could see that the man had collapsed at the wheel.’ Heroic manoeuvre Ken overtook the vehicle and gently applied his brakes, causing the car to collide with the back of his Royal Mail truck. He slowed down and was able to bring the car to a stop. Finding all doors were locked, Ken smashed a side window with his knee and administered first aid to the driver until the emergency services arrived. ‘The paramedics couldn’t thank me enough,’ Ken told Courier. ‘They said if I hadn’t managed to stop the driver, we could have been looking at a very serious incident.’ Announcing the award’s winner, Moya Greene said: ‘Ken has shown tremendous bravery, putting himself into harm’s way to save the life of a stranger. He had to think quickly and take spur of the moment actions to protect his fellow road users and save a life.’ The driver, believed to have had a fit at the wheel, was taken to hospital and released the next day.

Famously good food

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:00:30 +0000

To impress your afternoon tea guests, Prostate Cancer UK has put together some delicious recipes provided by top-class celebrity chefs. For instance TV chef Jo Pratt recommends Tarragon chicken, radish and poppy seed tea sandwiches, click here for her recipe. Jo says: "Having a Tea for Victory party is a great way to help Prostate Cancer UK provide vital support to all those dads, sons, and brothers through services such as the charity's helpline, which is staffed by specialist nurses. ‘I love the idea of "bake for victory" and of sharing your teatime favourites with family and friends on a summer day. Please join up and have a spiffing time!" All the money you raise will be doubled by Royal Mail making your Tea for Victory party even more triumphant. You can order a free 1940s style Tea for Victory merchandise pack by registering here. Select Tea for Victory in the ‘event type’ box and your pack will automatically be sent to your work address. Alternatively you can order your pack by emailing royalmail@prostatecanceruk.org or calling the Charity of the Year hotline 0208 222 7657.

Stamp competition gains great coverage

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:55:17 +0000

Our Christmas stamp design competition continues to generate great coverage in the media - in print, online and on the radio. The competition launched this week – and is open to entries from children of Royal Mail employees between the ages of four and 11. Two lucky winners will see their designs on one of the 1st or 2nd Class Christmas stamps from this year’s range and the winning artworks will be approved by the Queen. On air and online News about the competition’s launch could be heard over the airwaves this week on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show. Online, the competition features on the CBBC Newsround website, complete with a picture of two young entrants. Details about how to enter were published on parents’ magazine website angelsandurchins.co.uk in its Mumszone section, with images of the winning stamps from 1966. MKweb.co.uk, a news website for Milton Keynes published a story about MP for Milton Keynes South, Iain Stewart’s backing of the competition. He’s quoted as saying: ‘We have a variety of talent locally and what is often required is an opportunity for this to be demonstrated. I really am looking forward to hearing that one of our pupils has been successful in the competition.’ In print Photos of pupils from schools already signed up to the competition featured in a number of regional newspapers. Nine-year-old Mitchell Gray, from Nettlesworth Primary School, County Durham, was pictured in the Western Daily Press and pupils from Fountainhall Primary in the Borders, one of the smallest schools in Scotland, in the Edinburgh Evening News. The competition was featured in Scottish title The Courier and Advertiser, with a quote from Stephen Agar, managing director of consumer and network access. He said: ‘Previous designs have become iconic images and it will be a fantastic honour – and a prize that money cannot buy.’ For more information about how to enter visit: www.royalmail.com/designastamp

Seeking agreement on pensions

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:45:30 +0000

There is an issue about financing your benefits from 1st April 2012. The performance of certain financial markets (such as gilts) means our current contributions of around £400 million a year will not be enough to fund the Plan. We would need to increase our contributions to closer to £700 million every year. This extra cost of around £300 million every year would put considerable strain on our business and risk the viability of the company. It could put your future job security at risk. We have shared some ideas with the unions about how this issue can be resolved and now want to enter formal discussions to reach an agreement. An agreement with the unions of the type we are proposing would, subject to its terms, be legally binding on the company and would give you comfort in the event that Royal Mail is sold, because it would bind the company regardless of any change of ownership. This has been confirmed by Government and would be reconfirmed by Government at the time of any sale.

Olympic stamps win gold

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:30:43 +0000

Our gold medal stamp campaign for last summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games has scooped a prestigious prize at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Annual Awards. During the awards, Courier was also named the ‘Best Internal Publication’ in the UK and our Public Affairs team was shortlisted in the Best Public Affairs Campaign category. Royal Mail was the only organisation to win two awards at the event. The CIPR judging panel singled out Royal Mail’s gold medal consumer relations campaign, which saw winning British Olympians and Paralympians printed on stamps the day after they were presented with their gold medals. Judges' praise The award judges praised the campaign, saying: ‘This is an excellent example of a collaborative effort between all parties in this campaign. ‘This was undertaken with military-like precision, involving high risk and a number of logistical challenges following a simple, yet killer idea. ‘It was a great example of public relations that stamped its mark amongst a congested media landscape, engaged public opinion and captivated communities across the nation, spawning the next generation of stamp collectors.’ The campaign featured all of our teams within Group Communications including – Internal Communications, Media Relations, Public Affairs, Digital and CR – working together. However without the dedication and hard work of Romec (painting postboxes gold), Stamps and Collectibles (making stamps available at very short notice), other associated departments and our contractors, the campaign would not have won the award.

and #039;Incredible generosity and #039;

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:00:07 +0000

Help the Hospices has thanked employees for their continuing support and for raising more than £600,000 for the charity in the last three years. The charity, which supports hospice care in the UK, has awarded Royal Mail an outstanding achievement in payroll giving award. More than 3,600 employees are part of the payroll giving scheme – and have been thanked by the charity for their ‘incredible generosity’. Royal Mail was listed in the charity’s top 20 companies for payroll giving in 2012/13. Valuable contribution Maxine Trotter, director of fundraising for Help the Hospices, said: ‘We believe that everyone facing the end of their life deserves the best possible care and that no one should die in avoidable pain and suffering. ‘The money employees have raised makes a valuable contribution to our work, helping to support over 200 hospices across the UK that care for people with life-limiting and terminal illnesses. ‘Thank you once again for Royal Mail’s incredible support.’

Taking action

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:04:35 +0000

We need to take action on the Royal Mail Pension Plan (‘the Plan’). This is because conditions in certain financial markets (such as gilts) mean that the contributions we pay would move from around £400 million per year to closer to £700 million every year. We have had to consider closing the Plan. This would mean that you would no longer build up benefits in the same way. We know how much you value your pension benefits. So, we do not want to do this. We have also explored a number of other options to keep the Plan open to you, including: • asking you to contribute more • increasing your retirement age • reducing your future benefits We don’t believe that any of these options are attractive, either for you or the company. The option we want to talk to the unions about would mean from the point of implementation, your increases in basic pensionable pay would, for the purposes of your Plan benefits, match RPI inflation up to 5%, whether your actual pay goes up by more or less. This means that your pensionable pay would rise in line with inflation (with a cap at 5%), even if your actual pay rises were lower than this. So if you receive a pay rise of 1%, but inflation is 2%, your pension benefits would rise by 2%. This option would be paid for by using some of the assets left in the Plan (approximately £2 billion) after the transfer to Government last year. The Plan’s assets would help to fund the gap between the existing contribution rates and what would be required to keep the Plan open. These assets come, in a large part, from company contributions in previous years. They are held in trust by the trustees of the Plan for the benefit of members and the company. The company would continue to pay its current, significant, rate of contributions to the Plan. In this way, the Plan’s current assets would remain in the Plan for the benefit of members.

Morecambe postman crowned community champion

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:05:53 +0000

David Carr, a postman from Morecambe, has won the prestigious Chairman's Community Champion Award for 2013. The postman beat off stiff competion from other finalists because he takes part in a number of charity and community events, including running an allotment for local disabled people.David's entry also caught the eye of judges because he saved a man’s life after the passer-by collapsed outside the delivery office.The judges praised David saying: ‘He is a vital part of his community, personally giving up his time to get involved in hands-on projects at the same time as raising funds.’ The Community Champion award goes to someone who: works with people who need help, like disadvantaged groups or local charities volunteers in local schools and youth groups, helping young people achieve their full potential spearheads local fundraising activities for worthy causes or charities leads activities to support our Group charity, Prostate Cancer UK encourages or initiates environmental projects like recycling, fuel saving or carbon management.

From classroom to First Class

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:12:08 +0000

Our Christmas stamp design competition has received some great coverage in both the national and local media. The competition is now open – and we are also accepting entries from the children of all Royal Mail employees. The number of participants nationwide is rising fast with some 1,400 schools already signed up and more than 225,000 pupils taking part. Two lucky winners will see their designs on one of the 1st or one of the 2nd Class Christmas stamps from this year’s range and the winning artworks will be approved by Her Majesty the Queen. The Times, in an article headlined ‘Christmas comes early as pupils design festive stamps’ quoted Stephen Agar, Managing Director Consumer and Network Access, who said: ‘Previous designs have become iconic images and it will be a fantastic honour — and a prize that money cannot buy.’ Metro also covered the competition launch, as did the Press Association, the national news agency. Local coverage Newcastle’s The Journal carried coverage of the competition on its front page with a picture of local school pupil Ana Lee, eight, whose school Nettlesworth Primary School, Chester-le-Street, has already signed up for the competition. Inside it carried an article with details about the competition with the headline: ‘Pupils already dreaming of a White Christmas’. Other local and regional titles carrying news of the launch included The Scotsman, Press & Journal, Yorkshire Post and Western Morning News. The number of participating schools is rising fast with more than 1,400 already signed up. For more information about how to enter visit: www.royalmail.com/designastamp

UK Mail goes international

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:01:55 +0000

UK Mail's web-based ipostparcels brand has launched a new international parcel delivery service, delivering to more than 160 destinations worldwide. The company's international delivery partner has 40 years' experience in worldwide shipping. It has not revealed who it is. UK Mail's international business to business shipments are delivered in Europe through the Eurodis road network, and its air express service covers more than 200 countries through a number of delivery partners. Consumers and small businesses book the international shipments online with customs documentation generated automatically.

Safeguarding your pension

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:00:39 +0000

Last year, we transferred most of the assets and liabilities in the Royal Mail Pension Plan (the ‘Plan’) to the Government. This means your contributions and benefits up to 1st April 2012 are safe and protected by government. They will not change. However, there remains an issue about financing your benefits from 1st April 2012. The performance of certain financial markets (such as gilts) means our current contributions of around £400 million a year will not be enough to fund the Plan. We would need to increase our contributions to closer to £700 million every year. This extra cost of around £300 million every year would put considerable strain on our business and risk the viability of the company. It could put your future job security at risk. We would like to use some of the £2 billion of assets left in the Plan following the pension transfer to government last year. This money comes, in a large part, from the company’s contributions paid in previous years. This would help fund the gap between our current contribution rate and what would be required to keep the Plan open. If we can reach agreement with the unions, we would be able to commit to keep the Plan open to you, subject to any agreed conditions and periodic reviews. An agreement would be legally binding on the Company and would remain legally binding if the company was sold.

Employee survey

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:53:17 +0000

Now the results of the employee survey have been published, here’s what happens next. Your views are very important for the future of the company. As you know through your feedback, we put plans in place to improve your working lives and measure our progress. We have already outlined some of the actions we have taken since the 2012 survey. You will soon receive details of your local area’s survey results. You will have the opportunity to work with your colleagues and be guided by your manager to produce an action plan to address your local issues and concerns. In June, managers will finalise those action plans on the Archway systems. These will then be reviewed in September and October. We will share more details of what we are doing across the company in light of the results in the coming weeks and months. By working together to address the issues highlighted in the employee survey, we will be able to improve the working lives of everyone at Royal Mail Group.

bpost launches €1bn share sale

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:43:14 +0000

Belgian postal operator bpost has launched its share flotation by offering 23.5% of its shares for €12.50 - €15.00 each. The planned share price range would value bpost at about 14 to 17 times its 2012 net profit of €174.2m. The flotation could raise more than €1bn for shareholder CVC Capital Partners which owns 49.99% of bpost in total. The remainder of shares are held by the Belgian government, which will not sell any shares. If the share offering is more popular than expected, the number of shares sold could be increased from 47m to 56m. The offer period is expected to close on 19th June. Employees at bpost will have the option to purchase shares at a discount of 16.67% to the offer price. A total of 5.5 million shares will be offered to company staff.

Wimbledon grand slam for Prostate Cancer UK

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:37:06 +0000

Interested in joining the £100 Challenge but stuck for ideas? Why not hold a Wimbledon sweepstake? Sweepstakes are an easy and fun way of raising money, and with Wimbledon coming up there’s no better time to get involved. Here’s our ‘game, set and match’ guide to running your own sweepstake. 15-0 – The week before Wimbledon starts, write the players’ names onto a piece of paper, cut them out, fold each piece of paper and put all the players names into a hat. 30-0 – Ask your colleagues, friends and family to draw a ticket out of the hat. Tickets could cost £1 or £2. Write the person’s name and the name of the player they draw out of the hat onto a sweepstake form 40-0 – Run the sweepstake. You can either run a competition for the men’s tournament, women’s tournament or do one for each. There are about 260 players in total, 130 men and 130 women. Game, set and match – After the final, present the winner with a great prize. This could either be 25% of the money raised, with the rest going to Prostate Cancer UK, or you could decide on a tennis-themed prize. For other ways to get involved in the £100 Challenge have a look at our A to Z of fundraising ideas or call the Charity of the Year hotline on 020 8222 7657. Double your money To ensure that any money you raise is match funded please register your sweepstake in the £100 challenge by going to the following link: http://www.myroyalmail.com/£100-challenge Once registered, you will receive a pack containing paying-in slips to bank your money. You can use this form to capture the names of those taking part and the player they have drawn in the sweepstake.

Dedicated to customer excellence

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 05:05:35 +0000

The 2013 Chairman’s Customer Excellence Award has been won by Dilip Bhakta from Logistics. The judges singled out Dilip saying: ‘He has shown his dedication to excellent customer service and his ability to continually go beyond the call of duty to deliver for his customers.’ Dilip, say his colleagues, has ‘a proactive approach to customer service, making customers’ happiness his personal responsibility.’ He is ‘always looking out for his customers, who are full of praise for him’. The judges added that this was a particularly difficult category to pick a winner, as the level of nominees was so high. So they also awarded a highly commended award to James Head from Parcelforce Worldwide. The Customer Excellence award goes to the colleague who: always demonstrates a positive and professional attitude consistently spots opportunities for how we can improve our service to customers identifies chances to win new business works with customers to promote and sell our products and services across all business units is a great ambassador for Royal Mail Group.

Chairman’s Awards: Winners announced!

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:28:32 +0000

This year’s Chairman’s Awards have been handed out at a ceremony in London hosted by television presenter Gethin Jones and serenaded by pianist Danny Mills and the Royal Mail Choir. The nominees also heard from Kanya King, a leading entrepreneur and founder of the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards. The awards, which were handed out by Chairman Donald Brydon and Chief Executive Moya Greene, highlighted the outstanding achievements of colleagues up and down the country. There were five categories: the Customer Excellence award; the Community Champion award; the Best Colleague award; the Change Champion award; and the Chief Executive’s Bravery award. Colleagues from up and down the country were nominated by their co-workers, who wanted to highlight how they have gone above and beyond the call of duty both during and outside their working lives. These nominations then went to a judging panel comprising senior executives within the Company, who came up with a shortlist of nominees, and finally the winners. The winners are: The Customer Excellence Award: Dilip Bhakta, Logistics, National Distribution Centre. Highly commended: James Head, Parcelforce Worldwide The Community Champion Award: David Carr, Morecambe Delivery Office The Best Colleague Award: Louise Sanderson, Customer Experience, Sunderland. Highly commended: Andrew Fenton, Bath The Change Champion Award: Thomas Little, Glasgow Mail Centre The Chief Executive’s Award for Bravery: Ken Boon, Logistics, Northern Home Counties Distribution Centre Find out more about the winners on myroyalmail.com over the coming days and in the next issue of Courier.

What and #039;s on RMTV this week

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:31:33 +0000

Don’t forget to tune into RMTV this week, which features exciting news about our new Christmas 2013 stamp competition. For only the third time, we are offering primary school aged children across the country the chance to design two of our official stamps for Christmas 2013. There’s the latest fundraising update involving Prostate Cancer UK. And there’s a news item on manual handling. Manual handling accidents are one of the top four hazards at Royal Mail. To prevent the risk of manual handling accidents, everyone should be trained in correct lifting and handling techniques. Please watch the programme with your teams.

Employee survey

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:58:50 +0000

Update about the Royal Mail Pension Plan

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:47:00 +0000

Last year, we addressed the historic deficit of the Plan. Unfortunately, the pension transfer could not address the cost of members’ pension benefits from 1 April 2012 onwards. What we are doing and why Because of the financial markets, including historically very low gilt yields, defined benefit pensions are becoming increasingly costly for all the remaining employers who offer such a scheme. The trustees of the Plan and the Company are reviewing the cost of the pension you earn. This review could lead to the cost increasing by about £300 million each year from current levels. This is just not affordable, for you or us. We need to deal with this cost uncertainty. This would be necessary, irrespective of whether Royal Mail is sold or not. We have shared this issue and some ideas with the unions about how it can be resolved. What happens if Royal Mail is sold? We will continue to seek a possible agreement with the unions which would, subject to its conditions, be legally binding on the Company and would give members comfort in the event that Royal Mail is sold. The agreement would be binding on the Company regardless of any change of ownership. This would be confirmed by government at the time of any sale. Any such changes to the Plan would only happen following a consultation with members and the unions. Keeping the Plan open We do not want to close the Plan because we know how much you value your membership. We do not want to raise your contributions. Our proposal would be to use some of the £2 billion of assets left in the Plan following the pension transfer last year. This £2 billion, which comes in a large part from Company contributions paid in previous years, is held in trust by the Plan’s trustees for the benefit of members and the Company. If we can reach agreement, we would be able to commit to keep the Plan open, subject to any agreed conditions and periodic reviews. The Company would continue to pay its current, significant rate of contributions (around £400 million) to the Plan each year.

Rural services protected

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:53:43 +0000

Nine out of ten customers consider Royal Mail a core part of the community – particularly in rural communities, where we are part of the lifeblood of day to day communication. We have an extensive network of over 115,000 postboxes across the UK, the highest level of provision per square kilometre of Western European nations. We are honoured to deliver the UK’s six-day-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service and proud of the role we play in the economy. Daily deliveries to rural areas will not be reduced in the event of the sale of Royal Mail. We are legally obliged to deliver to every address, whether urban or rural, under the minimum requirements of the Universal Service. These are defined in law and the six-day-a-week collection and delivery service cannot be changed unless voted for by both Houses of Parliament. Ofcom made it clear in March 2013 that, following a review of the needs of consumers and businesses, it is ruling out any changes to the scope of the Universal Service. The quality of service standards that apply to Royal Mail, set by Ofcom in the Universal Service Obligation, would also continue to apply after any sale.

It and #039;s not too late

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 02:48:42 +0000

Due to the popularity and success of the £100 Challenge, we have decided to extend the challenge until the end of July. So, there is still time to get involved and have some fun! Throughout March and April, colleagues from across the UK were challenged to raise at least £100 for Prostate Cancer UK. The campaign was popular, with around 1,100 colleagues competing on the team and regional leaderboards raising around £40,000, including matched giving from Royal Mail. We recognise that many of you are planning events during the summer months so we’d like to give you the opportunity to either get involved or add to your totals and organise additional events. To register or find out more about the £100 Challenge, visit www.myroyalmail.com/£100-challenge. Take a look at some of the weird and wonderful activities your colleagues have got up to: Steve Hague and his colleagues from Carnforth Delivery Office organised a karaoke/charity evening which included, among many things, a ‘Right Said Fred’ tribute act by two postmen, Andy Dowling and Phile Sharpe, as well as shaving off Steve’s 48 year old moustache and beard. In total the team raised over £600. Tony Ross from Nottingham South delivery Office raised £500 by staying silent for a whole week at work! A team from Parcelforce Worldwide, the “four-ten walnuteers” , led by Doug Faulconbridge and Dean Quibell, ran a series of Walnut Bowls leagues over a week raising an impressive £373. Sara Dimmer, from South Midlands Mail Centre, completed her first half marathon at Silverstone in 2hrs 18 and raised a fantastic £890. The money raised will enable Prostate Cancer UK to recruit and train specialist nurses to care for men living with prostate cancer. Get involved now and join the £100 Challenge.

Staff survey: Where we need to improve

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:00:55 +0000

This year’s Employee Survey resulted in a number of positives. With a 75% completion rate – 6% higher than last year – our engagement score was up, as was the level of customer service. This is great news for helping to secure our future in letters and parcels. The survey also highlighted areas where we can do more to make this a great company, both for our colleagues and for our customers. You said we need to do more to help you feel valued and recognised. Company's future We need to ensure you are more involved in decisions that affect you and your work. And we need to do more to tell you about the future of the company and your role in it. Your views are very important for the future of the company. As you know through your feedback we put plans in place to improve your working lives and measure our progress. We have already outlined some of the actions we have taken since the 2012 survey. Later this year, we will announce our corporate action plan to address these results. We will do this with input from an employee panel.

Handling our parcels efficiently

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:45:49 +0000

The managing director of our parcels business has explained the recent changes to our parcel range and prices. In an interview with the Courier, Nick Landon said: 'Until April, our consumer and small business parcel prices were based solely on weight. ‘But the size of a parcel has a big impact on our costs for processing and delivery. ‘So we changed our prices to reflect the size of parcels to make sure they can be handled efficiently. Cost driver 'Size is the biggest cost driver in the parcels business. ‘So we brought in the new parcel formats – small and medium parcels for consumer and non-account customers – to reflect this. 'Rather than filling up our capacity with a relatively small number of very large parcels, we can now handle a greater volume of smaller parcels efficiently.' Parcels are a big part of our future and Nick explains that we are adding value to the products we offer. 'A big part of being a parcel carrier is knowing where each parcel is and being able to update customers with the tracking information we gather,' he said. 'We’ve seen a rapid increase in the number of parcels we track and our end goal is being able to track every item.'

Fancy taking Wiggo and #039;s place?

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:00:50 +0000

Our Tour de France Challenge, in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, is coming to all our gyms from 24 June to 28 July. It celebrates the 100th Tour de France, which starts on 29 June, and raises money for our charity of the year at the same time. Some great prizes are also on offer. You’ll complete one stage a week. Our five stages total 705km. Each week, the leading male and female competitor in two age categories (under 35 and 35 and over), will win the famous yellow jersey; there will also be polka dot jerseys for the King and Queen of the Mountains on stage 4. Yellow jersey To be eligible to win the yellow and polka dot jerseys, please speak to your local gym manager. You can still take part if you just want to cycle a shorter distance. The green jersey, which anyone can win, will be awarded to the person who raises the most sponsorship money. Having fun and raising funds They will also win a top-of-the-range road bike (a limited-edition Carrera TDF, which is a special model for the Tour de France), kindly donated by our Cycle 2 Work partner Halfords. So get cycling, get fit and raise loads of money for Prostate Cancer UK. All the money you raise will be matched by Royal Mail. To register for the challenge, please go to www.myroyalmail.com/tour-de-france You’ll then get a fundraising pack, along with Post Office paying-in slips to bank the money you raise. Vive le tour!

Christmas competition for budding Picassos

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:46:42 +0000

For only the third time in Royal Mail’s history, we are offering primary schoolchildren across the country the chance to design two of our official stamps for Christmas 2013. Two winners will be selected and their design will be used by hundreds of thousands of people sending festive greetings to friends and family. Children's designs have been used on UK Christmas stamps twice before, in 1966 and 1981. The theme of the competition is 'What does the Christmas season mean to you?' and the designs can be religious or secular. Royal approval As with all special stamps issued by Royal Mail, both winning designs will have to be approved by the Queen. The two winners, 22 finalists and 96 runners up will receive a share of more than £20,000 in vouchers, and there are cash prizes for their schools. The competition is open to all primary school pupils and home-schooled children aged from four to 11. Full details of the competition, including how to enter, can be found at www.royalmail.com/designastamp

Two-thirds of us don’t know the date of Father’s Day

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:03:55 +0000

Our survey reveals Dads across the UK could be disappointed this Father’s Day, after results show more than two-thirds of people do not know when the day falls. The nationwide online survey, commissioned by Royal Mail, found that 67% of people were unaware that Father’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, 16 June this year. Despite this, over half of fathers (52%) would like to receive a handwritten card on the day itself this year. The survey, carried out by YouGov, also found that most people think fathers should get the same recognition and thanks as mums. Seventy per cent of people said Father’s Day should be celebrated equally with Mother’s Day. Role model Father-of-four, David Beckham, has been chosen from a list as the best celebrity role model for fathers (24%). Jamie Oliver polled second (9%), followed by Will Smith (4%), Brad Pitt (3%) and Paul McCartney, Chris Evans, Chris Martin and Hugh Dennis all received 2%. Stephen Agar, our managing director, consumer and network access, said: ‘Our survey has revealed there could be lots of disappointed dads this Father’s Day, as many people across the UK have no idea about when the date falls. ‘We’re calling on sons and daughters to mark Sunday, 16 June in their diaries so they can remember to say thank you to their dad and keep a smile on his face. ‘Sending a card is a perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day and we would remind people to send them in good time so we can deliver them in advance for the day itself.’ Personalised poem from Purple Ronnie To celebrate Father’s Day, we have joined forces with world famous social expression brand, Purple Ronnie, to launch a special competition. The ‘Dear Dad’ competition is offering 50 people the chance to win a specially designed Purple Ronnie Father’s Day card for their dad with a unique poem. People can enter the competition by visiting www.poemfordad.co.uk and telling us why their dad is so special. Winners will receive a four-lined personalised poem written in a special card and posted to their father in time for Father’s Day. The competition is now open, with entries accepted until 9.30am on Monday, 10 June.

From Hello! to The Times: positive press coverage of our royal stamps

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:00:27 +0000

Our special stamps to mark the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty The Queen have received widespread media coverage. Chief Executive Moya Greene is quoted by itv.com saying how proud Royal Mail is to commission its first ever portrait of The Queen. Design Week notes how Nicky Philipps, the artist we commissioned to paint The Queen, had only finished the painting about a week before going to press. Ms Philipps had three especially convened sittings with The Queen at Buckingham Palace to complete the work. Wonderful opportunityHello! magazine prints an interview with the artist, who painted a full length portrait of The Queen dressed in the Order of the Garter robes. Ms PhiIipps is quoted saying: ‘I was terribly keen to paint her as the head of state, with the robes and everything, and it was the most wonderful opportunity to do that.’ Several newspapers feature details of the other five stamps in the collection, including The Times, Guardian and Evening Standard. Regional titles to cover the story include the Aberdeen Evening Express, Colchester Gazette and Coventry Telegraph. The stamps are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.royalmail.com/royalportraits and by phone on 08457 641 641.

Survey shows modernisation is working

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 04:12:49 +0000

This year’s Employee Survey shows that, in a period of change, we have still increased our employee engagement score. 62% of you feel proud to work for Royal Mail Group, up 1% from last year. This is down to everyone in the business seeking to make this Company a better place to work. Happy to recommend Customer focus has also increased. With 67% of you happy to recommend our services to friends or family members, we are above the average of other large organisations in this category. This is great news for helping to secure our future in the letters and parcels market. Unit results will soon be available. These will allow each unit to see their own scores and talk about them with colleagues.

Keeping customers happy

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:01:30 +0000

The managing director of our parcels business has said that recent changes to parcel formats are having a positive impact on the business. Speaking in the Courier, Nick Landon told colleagues: 'Our business customers are very happy. In fact, overall they’re the happiest of our customer groups. The changes we have made have had a positive impact, rather than a negative one, and are generating new business. 'Our competitors don’t have to report their quality of service like we do. But the recent survey of parcel delivery companies by Moneysavingexpert.com – where customers put us in first place – underlines how highly thought of and trusted we are.' Greater efficiency Up until April, consumer and small business parcel prices were based solely on weight. This has now changed to achieve greater efficiency. 'Size is the biggest cost driver in the parcels business,' said Nick. 'So we brought in the new parcel formats – small and medium parcels for consumer and non-account customers – to reflect this. The majority of our parcels still come into the small parcel format, where our costs are lowest. 'Rather than filling up our capacity with a relatively small number of very large parcels, we can now handle a greater volume of smaller parcels efficiently.'

Employee survey results

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:01:57 +0000

The first results have been announced for the Employee Survey 2013. 75% of all Royal Mail staff completed the annual survey, 6% more than last year. The survey was carried out by the independent research company Ipsos MORI in April. 62% of you feel proud to work for Royal Mail Group. This is 1% higher than 2012. 67% of you would recommend Royal Mail Group’s services to a friend or family member. And 58% of you – a 2% increase – say you work together to get the job done well. You also said we need to do more to help you feel valued and recognised. You will soon receive details of your local area’s survey results. You will have the opportunity to work with your colleagues and be guided by your manager to produce an action plan to address your local issues and concerns. More details of what the Company is doing following the results will be published soon. 'Thank you to all of you who took part,' said chief executive Moya Greene. 'I really value your feedback as it tells us where we are doing well and also where we need to improve.'

Packing a punch on parcels

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:53:09 +0000

We all know that parcels are a big part of our future. And the good news is that our parcels ranges continue to go from strength to strength In an interview in the May edition of Courier, Nick Landon, managing director of our parcels business, said: 'A big part of being a parcel carrier is knowing where each parcel is and being able to update customers with the tracking information we gather. We’ve seen a rapid increase in the number of parcels we track and our end goal is being able to track every item. 'We’re seeing a big uplift in the number of companies using our Tracked services. We’ve also had a fantastic response to our new Tracked Returns service. Since we launched it, the number of new businesses contacting us about Tracked Returns has increased significantly.' Nick talked about the importance of delivering a great service to keep our customers happy. 'We need to make sure we do everything possible to deliver a great service,' he said, 'such as Delivery to Neighbour, so that customers can get their items as quickly and as easily as possible. 'Our business customers are very happy. In fact, overall they’re the happiest of our customer groups. The changes we have made have had a positive impact, rather than a negative one, and are generating new business.'

Chief exec Moya Greene talks about our strategy

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 03:48:05 +0000

Chief executive Moya Greene spoke to managers across the country in a telephone conference call to discuss key events. This was the first in a series of such calls, which allow managers to learn more about the Company’s strategy and direction. Managers also had the opportunity to ask questions directly to Moya. Here is one of the questions: Q. How does direct marketing mail fit in with the Company’s strategy? A. Direct marketing mail is very important, it represented about £1.1 billion in revenue in the 2011/12 financial year. The content of the message is irrelevant, a marketing message is just as important as any other letter. We also need to improve our technology to help us to work better with our marketing mail customers.

Join the £100 challenge now

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:38:36 +0000

Due to the popularity and success of the £100 Challenge, we have decided to extend the challenge until the end of July. So, there is still time to get involved and have some fun! Throughout March and April, colleagues from across the UK were challenged to raise at least £100 for Prostate Cancer UK. The campaign was popular, with around 1,100 colleagues competing on the team and regional leaderboards raising around £40,000, including matched giving from Royal Mail. We recognise that many of you are planning events during the summer months so we’d like to give you the opportunity to either get involved or add to your totals and organise additional events. To register or find out more about the £100 Challenge, visit www.myroyalmail.com/£100-challenge. Take a look at some of the weird and wonderful activities your colleagues have got up to: Steve Hague and his colleagues from Carnforth Delivery Office organised a Karaoke/Charity evening which included, among many things, a ‘Right Said Fred’ tribute act by two postmen, Andy Dowling and Phile Sharpe, as well as shaving off Steve’s 48 year old moustache and beard. In total the team raised over £600. Tony Ross from Nottingham South delivery Office raised £500 by staying silent for a whole week at work! A team from Parcelforce Worldwide, the “four-ten walnuteers” , led by Doug Faulconbridge and Dean Quibell, ran a series of Walnut Bowls leagues over a week raising an impressive £373. Sara Dimmer, from South Midlands Mail Centre, completed her first half marathon at Silverstone in 2hrs 18 and raised a fantastic £890. The money raised will enable Prostate Cancer UK to recruit and train specialist nurses to care for men living with prostate cancer. Get involved now and join the £100 Challenge.

A competitive market

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 06:23:41 +0000

Writing in her latest My View, chief executive Moya Greene highlighted the importance of securing a sustainable future. 'We need ongoing access to external capital to keep making progress. Businesses like British Airways and BT have grown and prospered since getting ongoing access to external capital,' she writes. 'We operate in a competitive market. We’re recognised as being among the best, but others are constantly looking to be better than us. We can’t afford to stand still or go backwards.' She talked about the importance of working together to do what is right for the business. 'We can’t afford to do anything that could disrupt our progress, seriously damage our brand or disrespect our customers. 'We must treasure every customer. We need to invest so that we’re not left behind. 'Working together, we can deliver a better future.'

Keeping our customers

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:19:52 +0000

Our chief customer officer has said we need to deliver all our customers' mail well, including Access/DSA mail. Speaking in the May edition of Courier, Mike Newnham told staff: 'Access/DSA mail is important to our company for three reasons. It’s important for our customers; we have committed to provide a service to them. Second, it’s a profitable part of the business, which wasn’t the case a few years ago. Finally, we have an obligation to deliver all mail that comes into our pipeline. 'Our customers expect us to provide a quality of service, and this includes service levels that are set and reported through the regulation we operate under. 'There is a Quality of Service obligation on us, but we also have a commitment to deliver on our promises to our customers. That is of paramount importance to our business, regardless of whether or not the legislation existed.' Mike said that if there is disruption around Access mail, customers would look for alternatives. 'Customers today see that we are a reliable, trusted, high-quality business. Our customer satisfaction levels are improving. We cannot afford for this to change. That would be a threat to our business. 'It takes a long time to build a positive reputation, and we need to do everything possible to prevent it being damaged.'

Competitor watch

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:11:04 +0000

Belgian postal operator bpost is planning a flotation on the Brussels stock exchange this summer. The IPO will consist of a 25-30% of the company, owned by private equity firm CVC. CVC will retain shares of 20-25% of bpost for at least 6 months following the IPO. The Belgian state will not take part in the offering and will maintain a stake of 50.01%. The IPO could generate between EUR 550m and EUR 900m, depending on the valuation of bpost which is put at between EUR 2.2bn and EUR 3bn. Analysts expect demand for the stock to be considerable.

Celebrating Father and #039;s Day

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:01:29 +0000

We're joining forces with social expression brand, Purple Ronnie, to celebrate Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16. The ‘Dear Dad’ competition is offering 50 people the chance to have a personalised Purple Ronnie poem written about their father. People can enter the competition by visiting www.poemfordad.co.uk and telling us why their dad is so special. Winners will receive a four-lined personalised poem written in a special card and posted to their father in time for Father’s Day. The competition is now open, with entries accepted until 9.30am on Monday, June 10. Stephen Agar, managing director of consumer and network access at Royal Mail, said: 'We wanted to do something really special to celebrate Father’s Day and give people the chance to say thank you to their dad with the wonderful words and humour of Purple Ronnie. 'This is a great opportunity for doting sons and daughters to pay homage to their dad and get a unique personalised poem written and sent in a card, ready for Father’s Day.' Michael Dee, director of content on Purple Ronnie at owner, Coolabi, added: 'We are very excited to be working with the Royal Mail on this great competition and we know that there will be a lot of happy fathers out there on 16th June.'

Safeguarding your pension

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:39:59 +0000

A Courier News Flash has been sent to all offices outlining steps the company is taking to safeguard your pension. The one-page flyer explains that, last year, Royal Mail addressed the historic deficit of the Royal Mail Pension Plan (‘the Plan’). Unfortunately, the pension transfer could not address the cost of members’ pension benefits from 1 April 2012 onwards. The News Flash said Royal Mail is taking the following action: • The trustees of the Plan and the Company are reviewing the cost of the pension you earn. • This review could lead to the cost increasing by about £300 million each year from current levels. • This is just not affordable, for you or us. We need to deal with this cost uncertainty. • This would be necessary, irrespective of whether Royal Mail is sold or not. • We have shared this issue and some ideas with the unions about how it can be resolved and want to enter formal discussions with them to reach agreement. The News Flash goes on to say: ‘Our proposal would be to use some of the £2 billion of assets left in the Plan following the pension transfer last year. ‘This £2 billion, which comes in a large part from Company contributions paid in previous years, is held in trust by the Plan’s trustees for the benefit of members and the Company. The Company would continue to pay its current, significant contributions to the Plan each year. ‘If we can reach agreement, we would be able to commit to keep the Plan open, subject to any agreed conditions and periodic reviews. The option that we want to discuss with the unions would not involve any change to your contribution rate. ‘We have had to consider closing the Plan. This would mean that you would no longer build up benefits in the same way. ‘We know how much you value your pension benefits. So, we do not want to do this. ‘We want to seek agreement with our unions on this issue. We believe this is the best option to protect your future pension benefits and your job security. ‘We have written to members of the Plan with further information this week. We will also write to members of the Royal Mail Defined Contribution Plan and colleagues who are not members of any Royal Mail pension plan.’ For more information, watch RMTV and visit myroyalmail.com/pensions

Moya speaks with managers

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 03:15:33 +0000

Our chief executive Moya Greene has held a telephone conference with around 2,000 managers from across the business. The purpose of the call was to discuss key activity at Royal Mail and also to answer managers’ questions. Here are just a few of the questions that managers put to Moya: Q. There is an awful lot of speculation about outside investment. Is there anything you can tell us? A. I understand that any kind of change raises concerns and issues and it is our job to communicate the facts to you. We have had to fix a lot of things in this business to create a company that is worthy of outside capital. If the Government decides on a public offering – which is my preference – I would like to encourage high quality investors to invest in us. This would be the likes of pension funds, both in the UK and from overseas. I think if we keep our eye on the ball, we can get a really good group of investors with lots of UK citizens participating as well. Q. Will any sale affect the terms and conditions of my colleagues? A. Terms and conditions are negotiated by Royal Mail and the unions and these agreements are protected in law. They remain in place regardless of who owns the Company. No one can rule out changes in the future. If and when any changes are proposed, we will, as now and where appropriate, discuss them with the unions with a view to reaching an agreement. Q. Do you know if the regulator has any plans to require our competitors to publish their quality of service data to their customers? A. At the moment, the market is not a level playing field because every part of our business is subject to independent scrutiny and our competitors are not subject to the same rules. I know the regulator is considering making it fairer. Q. What is the latest on TNT and the direct delivery competition? A. The TNT/UPS deal didn’t go ahead and the company has said it needs a partner to roll out its direct delivery plan as quickly as it planned. Importantly, Ofcom is watching the direct delivery market carefully because its primary obligation is to protect the Universal Service. Ofcom said that if direct delivery was ever to become a threat to the Universal Service, it would intervene.

On RMTV this week…

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 02:51:04 +0000

Don’t miss this week’s RMTV, which will have more information about our recent Employee Survey. 75% of colleagues completed the annual questionnaire, which was carried out by independent research company Ipsos MORI. That’s an increase of 6% on last year. The overall engagement score rose by 1% to 50 and your feedback shows we have made some great strides over the past 12 months. Here are just a few highlights: 62% of you feel proud to work for Royal Mail Group, up 1% 67% of you would recommend Royal Mail Group’s services to a friend or family member, up 2% 58% of you – a 2% increase – say you work together to get the job done well Meanwhile, the latest Quality of Service results show that we delivered the majority of mail in line with our targets during the 2012/13 financial year. We met our Second Class quality target, with 98.5 per cent delivered within three working days. However, we narrowly missed the 93 per cent First Class mail target, with 92.4 per cent delivered the next working day, when taking into account disruption from external events. We delivered 96.3 per cent of standard parcels on time, which is significantly above the 90 per cent target. As you know, parcels are a key part of our business, so this is great news for the business.

Brew up to beat cancer!

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 02:23:55 +0000

Colleagues across Royal Mail are being invited to give prostate cancer its marching orders by holding a 1940s-themed ‘Tea for Victory’ party. Brew up, bake some cakes, buy some sandwiches and invite your colleagues, family and friends to help you raise vital funds. To get you started you can order a free ‘Tea for Victory’ merchandise pack by emailing royalmail@prostatecanceruk.org or calling the Charity of the Year hotline 0208 222 7657. The pack includes bunting, a tablecloth, themed posters and cake stand to help make your tea party a great success. The merchandise has been specially created by celebrity designer Wayne Hemingway for Prostate Cancer UK. Once you set the date for your party there are lots of useful tips to raise money and make organising your party as easy as possible. Some ideas to make your Tea for Victory party more triumphant: Wear full 1940s style outfits Make your cakes with a week's worth of rations Make cake and tea for your office Put up Tea for Victory posters to advertise your event to your colleagues Download celebrity recipes. Prostate Cancer UK has some delicious recipes provided by top-class celebrity chefs. Once you’ve had your party, send us your photos and stories to royalmail@prostatecanceruk.org. We'd love to see them!

London and #039;s Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:51:59 +0000

We have published our Quality of Service results for the financial year 2012/13. For First Class mail delivered the next working day, the London West Central postcode area achieved the target for the financial year 2012/13. Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service in Anglia

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:47:15 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in Anglia are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for thefinancial year 2012/13: Norwich Cambridge Ipswich Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

North West Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:44:48 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in the North West are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for thefinancial year 2012/13: Carlisle Stockport Preston Blackburn and Burnley Bolton Crewe Fylde Lancaster Manchester Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Our results are in...

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:41:14 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in the North East are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for thefinancial year 2012/13: Newcastle Hull York Durham Bradford Doncaster Leeds Sunderland Teeside Wakefield Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service in South West

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:29:39 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in the South West are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for the financial year 2012/13: Exeter Plymouth Southampton Bournemouth Bristol Dorchester Portsmouth Taunton Torquay Truro Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

South East Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:22:01 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in the South East are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for thefinancial year 2012/13: Darlington Maidstone Sutton Twickenham Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Midlands Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:18:28 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in the Midlands are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for thefinancial year 2012/13: Derby Leicester Birmingham Coventry & Warwickshire Peterborough Sheffield Walsall Wolverhampton Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service in Thames Valley

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:13:26 +0000

The results for First Class mail delivered the next working day for postcodes in Thames Valley are in. The following postcode areas achieved the target for the financial year 2012/13: Harrow St Albans Luton Reading Slough Swindon Uxbridge Watford Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:08:07 +0000

The result for First Class mail delivered the next working day for Northern Ireland is in. For the financial year 2012/13, Northern Ireland achieved its target – congratulations! Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets for the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service in Wales

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:04:34 +0000

Our Quality of Service results for the financial year 2012/13 show that several Welsh postcodes are doing well against our targets. The following postcode areas achieved the 93% target for First Class mail delivered the next working day: (%) Llandrindod Wells – 94.5 Swansea – 93 Telford – 93.7 Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Good results for Scotland

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:48:49 +0000

Our Quality of Service results for the financial year 2012/13 show that several Scottish postcodes are doing well against our targets. The following postcode areas achieved the 93% target for First Class mail delivered the next working day: (%) Edinburgh – 94.8 Dumfries -93.1 Falkirk – 93.4 Glasgow – 93.2 Nationally, the latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13.

Quality of Service

Fri, 31 May 2013 13:50:28 +0000

Our latest Quality of Service report reveals that the vast majority of mail was delivered in line with our targets in the financial year 2012/13. The business met its Second Class mail quality targets in the 2012/13 financial year with 98.5 per cent delivered within three working days, according to independent research. Standard retail parcels were ahead of the 90.0 per cent target of delivery within three working days, with a 96.3 per cent performance. However, we narrowly missed the 93.0 per cent First Class mail target. We delivered 92.4 per cent of this mail the next working day, when adjusted for significant disruption from two periods of prolonged severe weather and the effect of the London 2012 Games. Demanding standardsMark Higson, managing director of operations and modernisation, said: ‘Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver to some of the most demanding quality of service standards in Europe. Our modernisation involves substantial changes and we know there are areas where we need to improve our service and we are committed to doing this. ‘In a recent survey, eight out of ten Royal Mail customers were pleased with the helpfulness of our postmen and women and it is particularly pleasing to see how well we have performed against the standard retail parcels target. With the continued growth of e-retail we recognise the importance of parcel delivery performance.’

Clicking all the right boxes

Fri, 31 May 2013 04:00:29 +0000

News that online shoppers will soon be able to pick up purchases from their local post office has been welcomed by the national and regional newspapers. Earlier this week we announced that Royal Mail and the Post Office were launching the new service, which would be the biggest of its kind in the country. Post office branches will stay open longer to ensure it is as convenient as possible for customers. The Daily Express said Royal Mail was ‘trying for a bigger slice of the internet shopping market’. The newspaper welcomed the initiative adding: ‘Under the agreement, online shoppers who can’t arrange a convenient home delivery time can collect parcels from their local post office.’ Committed to development The Daily Telegraph also carried a detailed report on our new service, including quotes from Nick Landon, our managing director of parcels. He was quoted as saying: ‘We are committed to developing services to ensure we meet the changing demands of online retailers and their customers.’ Nick was also interviewed on Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 2, and Sky News. Online shopping grew nearly 15% last year, according to The Telegraph report, and now makes up more than a tenth of all retailing. The newspaper’s report added: ‘The “click and collect” service is designed to help Royal Mail compete in a parcel delivery market that already provides several major retailers with similar services. Amazon offers delivery to 5,000 convenience stores as part of Yodel’s Collect+ network, for instance. ‘Growing Royal Mail’s parcels business amid competition from the private sector is a key part of chief executive Moya Greene’s plan.’ The Telegraph pointed out that 10,500 post offices will take part in the initiative.

Collect+ delivers

Fri, 31 May 2013 03:30:23 +0000

Collect+, the service which allows online shoppers to pick up purchases at convenience stores, has doubled its volumes and halved its losses during the last financial year. The 50/50 joint venture between PayPoint and Yodel now handles 7.7m transactions a year through its network of 5,255 convenience stores, according to PayPoint’s annual results. Revenue for the year ending March 2013 was £17.8m, up from £8m a year earlier. Total losses halved to £1.9m.Collect+ now has 212 brands signed up to the service. These are mainly clothing, footwear and general merchandise companies. Customers include Wiggle, Schuh, John Lewis and Amazon. It is looking to grow in new sectors such as technology. The company reports that it is taking on an average of five new retailers per month. Returns now account for 48% of Collect+ revenues, deliveries 28% and consumer-to-consumer 24%.

Our proud heritage

Fri, 31 May 2013 03:00:37 +0000

We are proud of Royal Mail’s heritage, for example, we maintain 115,000 red postboxes across the UK and understand the importance of our strong heritage. We want to combine the best of the private and public sectors. Delivering a public service and making it profitable are not contradictory objectives. Our business strategy is to ensure a sound and sustainable Universal Service for the benefit of everyone in the UK. The Government has legislated to protect Royal Mail’s heritage. The Government included an additional safeguard in the Postal Services Act 2011 to enable it to ensure that the Queen's head remains on stamps regardless of who owns the company in the future. We are also required by legislation to report annually to Parliament on heritage activities. A number of commitments around post boxes were made in a joint policy statement between Royal Mail and English Heritage in 2002. This included repainting post boxes every three years or more often if required. The policy states: “All Royal Mail letter boxes will be painted in standard red and black livery. No variation is allowed, except in very exceptional circumstances where there are genuine historical reasons, such as the use of green and black livery for some early boxes or Air Force blue for surviving George VI airmail boxes.”

Royal stamp of approval

Fri, 31 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen, we launched a special stamp issue, featuring six of the monarch’s finest ever portraits. These included a brand new portrait by artist Nicky Philipps, which was commissioned by Royal Mail. A number of national newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Express and The Daily Mail, covered the launch, explaining to readers that Royal Mail commissioned its own portrait of The Queen, depicting the monarch wearing her Garter robes in the Chinese Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. Specially commissioned The BBC also included news of the launch on its website, telling its readers: ‘Royal Mail has released a set of stamps, featuring six portraits of the Queen, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her coronation. The set includes a painting specially commissioned by Royal Mail. Royal Mail is gifting the portrait to the Royal Collection. ‘Stamps depicting the Queen are not required to carry the small silhouette of her, which appears in the top corner of all other stamps. The six special issue stamps will be available from 30 May.’ Most recognisable image Our chief executive Moya Greene said: ‘Royal Mail is proud to mark the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation by commissioning a painted portrait. ‘This is the first time in our history we have done so. The Queen’s image is one of the most recognisable in the world and we are delighted to bring this portrait, along with five others, together in a special stamp set to mark the 60th anniversary of her Coronation.’ Other stamps in the collection feature: study for The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by Terence Cuneo, 1953; Portrait by Andrew Festing, 1999; Portrait by Pietro Annigoni, 1955; Portrait by Sergei Pavlenko, 2000 and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Richard Stone, 1992.

Your pension: Working with our trade unions

Thu, 30 May 2013 08:52:51 +0000

Legislation requires us to reach agreement with the trustees on the future cost of the Plan. The trustees of the Plan and the Company are currently reviewing the cost of the pension you earn. This review could lead to the cost increasing by about £300 million each year from current levels. This is just not affordable, for you or us. We need to deal with this cost uncertainty. This would be necessary, irrespective of whether Royal Mail is sold or not. We want to keep the Plan open for members to continue to build up benefits. We have shared the issue and some ideas with the unions about how that issue can be resolved and now want to enter formal discussions with the unions to reach agreement. We want to continue discussions with the unions. We will now make a formal proposal to them so that we can reach an agreement with them which includes the commitment to keep the Plan open, subject to any agreed conditions. An agreement with the unions of the type we are proposing would, subject to its terms, be legally binding on the Company and would give you comfort in the event that Royal Mail is sold, because it would bind the Company regardless of any change of ownership. This has been confirmed by Government and would be reconfirmed by Government at the time of any sale.

Your pension: why we need to act

Thu, 30 May 2013 04:00:14 +0000

You may be surprised to hear from the Company after we addressed the Plan’s historic deficit last year. As you know, this gave you security about the pension you earned up to 31 March 2012. Unfortunately, because of conditions in financial markets, the cost of financing your future benefits (from 1 April 2012 onwards) is significant and growing. We will very soon reach a point where we must take action. The trustees of the Plan and the Company are reviewing the cost of the pension you earn each year. Conditions in financial markets would, if we do not take action, lead to a significant increase in the cost of members’ pension benefits. If the Company was required to meet this cost its contributions would increase from around £400 million currently, to closer to £700 million every year. This extra cost - about £300 million every year – would: effectively reverse the cash benefits to Royal Mail of last year’s pension transfer put considerable strain on our business be a significant risk to the viability of our Company and your future job security. See the stories following this article on Myroyalmail.com for further details.

Your pension: Options we have explored

Thu, 30 May 2013 03:30:42 +0000

We have had to consider closing the Plan. This would mean that you would no longer build up benefits in the same way. We know how much you value your pension benefits. So, we do not want to do this. We have also explored a number of other options to keep the Plan open to you, including: • asking you to contribute more • increasing your retirement age • reducing your future benefits We don’t believe that any of these options are attractive, either for you or the Company. The option we want to talk to the unions about would mean from the point of implementation, your increases in basic pensionable pay would, for the purposes of your Plan benefits, match RPI inflation up to 5%, whether your actual pay goes up by more or less. This option would be paid for by using some of the assets left in the Plan (approximately £2 billion) after the transfer to Government last year. The Plan’s assets would help to fund the gap between the existing contribution rates and what would be required to fund our commitment to keep the Plan open. These assets come, in a large part, from Company contributions in previous years. They are held in trust by the trustees of the Plan for the benefit of members and the Company. The Company would continue to pay its current, significant, rate of contributions to the Plan. In this way, the Plan’s current assets would remain in the Plan for the benefit of members.

Coronation stamps launched

Thu, 30 May 2013 02:36:08 +0000

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen, we have unveiled a special stamp issue featuring a collection of some of her finest ever portraits. The issue includes a brand new painted portrait; the first Royal Mail has commissioned of the monarch. The painting is the result of three especially convened sittings with The Queen for the artist, Nicky Philipps, which took place in the Chinese Drawing Room at BuckinghamPalace in the late autumn of 2012. The Queen is dressed in the Order of the Garter robes. Nicky painted a double portrait of Princes William and Harry in 2009, which is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery. She was selected for the Royal Mail commission after research and consultation with the National Portrait Gallery, Royal Mail is gifting the portrait to the Royal Collection. Proud commission The Queen's Coronation took place on 2 June 1953 following her accession on 6 February 1952.Our chief executive Moya Greene said: ‘Royal Mail is proud to mark the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation by commissioning a painted portrait. ‘This is the first time in our history we have done so. The Queen’s image is one of the most recognisable in the world and we are delighted to bring this portrait, along with five others, together in a special stamp set to mark the 60th anniversary of her Coronation.’ The other five stamps feature; study for The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by Terence Cuneo, 1953; Portrait by Andrew Festing, 1999; Portrait by Pietro Annigoni, 1955; Portrait by Sergei Pavlenko, 2000 and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Richard Stone, 1992.

We are to launch UK’s largest ‘click and collect’ network

Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:12 +0000

We are working with the Post Office to launch the UK’s largest ‘click and collect’ network later this year. The network will provide a greater choice of convenient parcel delivery options for online retailers and their customers. While delivery to home, or to a neighbour for safekeeping, remains the preference for most customers, for others click and collect from a local Post Office branch will provide a convenient alternative. Nick Landon, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: “Royal Mail is a key partner for online retailers and we are well placed to benefit from the growth in e-retailing. Home shoppers already love our services. The click and collect initiative will help online retailers give shoppers even greater control over the delivery of their items. We are committed to developing services to ensure we meet the changing demands of online retailers and their customers.” Martin Moran, Commercial Director, Post Office Ltd, said: “With the largest retail network across the UK the Post Office offers the most convenient collection point, wherever people live or work. We are modernising our branches to make it as easy as possible for customers to access our services. With many of branches now open for longer the Post Office’s unrivalled network provides an ideal location for online shoppers to collect their purchases at a time and place which suits them best.” Convenience With around 10,500 Post Office branches taking part in the initiative, they are ideal locations to provide convenient, secure parcel collection facilities. Many Post Office branches will offer the service with extended hours of up to 7am to 11pm, seven days a week. Royal Mail is talking to a number of large online retailers about integrating this service into their websites later this year. Royal Mail plans to extend the service to smaller retailers in 2014. Expanding parcels market A recent Euromonitor survey found the percentage of online, non-food retail spend in the UK is higher than any other country surveyed. The rapidly expanding parcels market is at the centre of Royal Mail’s growth strategy. Parcels already account for nearly half of Group revenues and we are targeting growth across all four of our parcels networks. Online sales increased by 14.9 per cent to £31.1bn in 2012, making up 10.6 per cent of total retail sales. By 2017, online will account for 15 per cent (£50bn) of all retail expenditure.* Our position as the UK’s Universal Service Provider, alongside our strong brand, extensive networks and high quality of service, means we are uniquely positioned to benefit from the rapidly growing parcels market. *(Source: Verdict UK Retail Review and Sector Forecasts to 2017)

New attendance procedure

Wed, 29 May 2013 03:10:57 +0000

A new Royal Mail Group attendance agreement has been jointly developed and agreed between Royal Mail, CWU and Unite/CMA. It signals a new way of working between the business and the unions. The new agreement is about supporting employees to achieve and maintain consistently good levels of attendance by setting clear standards and encouraging informal discussions between managers and their employees. The agreement says to managers: 'treat everyone as an individual and listen to them before deciding what to do', and says to employees: ‘we need you to be at work if you possibly can. We’ll be fair to you when you can’t come in, but in return we need you to be fair with us. The approach has four key principles: Clear and transparent Fair to all Treating employees with dignity and respect when they are unable to attend for work and taking individual circumstances into account Focussed on getting employees back to work as soon as – but not sooner – as they are able. A letter has been sent to all employees. It contains a pop-out card with space for their office contact number to be added. For further information on the new attendance process refer to the PSP Policy and Information site, HR Policies on the intranet or contact HR Services Advice and Support. Alongside the new agreement PSP has also been updated to incorporate the changes and to improve the ease of use for managers. PSP training for managers is available as e-learning modules which can be accessed via PSP, Me at Work > Learning and Development> Learning Portal and search for TMA009 or TMA024. The new attendance process will support managers, employees and union reps to work together to achieve the needs of both employees and the business.

This week on RMTV

Wed, 29 May 2013 02:36:30 +0000

Tune in to this week’s RMTV to get more details about our financial results. You’ll hear that Royal Mail Group has put in a strong performance over the past 12 months with each main business making a profit. Our strategy remains the same: to be a successful parcels business, to manage the decline in letters and to be customer focused. We also need to be brilliant at the basics and build a commercial future and drive profitable growth. During the past 12 months: The money we’re paid for what we do has risen by 5% on a like-for-like basis Parcels have made up 48% of overall group revenues The money we’re paid for letters is up to £4.8 billion (on a reported basis) And group profits are up to £403m on an adjusted basis. In her interview, chief executive Moya Greene welcomed the strong performance saying: ‘We’re doing a lot better but we still have a long way to go.’

Royal Mail and Post Office launch UK’s largest click and collect network

Wed, 29 May 2013 02:35:29 +0000

The rapidly expanding parcels market is at the centre of Royal Mail’s growth strategy. Now is the time for us to become more of a parcels business and grasp the parcels opportunity. Parcels already account for nearly half of Group revenues and we are targeting growth across all four of our parcels networks. Our position as the UK’s Universal Service provider, alongside our strong brand, extensive networks and high quality of service, mean we are uniquely positioned to benefit from the rapidly growing parcels market. Click and Collect Network Working with the Post Office, we are launching the UK’s largest ‘click and collect’ network to support online shopping growth and provide greater choice and convenience for online retailers and their customers. While delivery to home, or to a neighbour for safekeeping, remains the preference for most customers, for others click and collect from a local Post Office branch will provide a convenient alternative. Post Office branches are ideal locations to provide convenient, secure parcel collection facilities with 97 per cent of the population living within three miles of a Post Office branch. Around 10,500 branches will be taking part in the initiative. A number of Post Offices will offer the service during extended opening hours of up to 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, rising to 4,500 branches later this year. Responding to online growth A recent Euromonitor survey found the percentage of online, non-food retail spend in the UK is higher than any other country surveyed. Online sales increased by 14.9 per cent to £31.1bn in 2012, making up 10.6 per cent of total retail sales. By 2017, online will account for 15 per cent (£50bn) of all retail expenditure.* Royal Mail is currently talking to a number of large online retailers about integrating this service into their websites later this year. Royal Mail plans to extend the service to smaller retailers in 2014. Click and collect enables shoppers to choose a location for an item to be delivered to, for collection at their convenience. It is the latest addition to our range of convenient delivery options that shoppers can choose from to receive items bought online. Nick Landon, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: ‘Royal Mail is a key partner for online retailers and we are well placed to benefit from the growth in e-retailing. ‘Home shoppers already love our services. The click and collect initiative will help online retailers give shoppers even greater control over the delivery of their items. We are committed to developing services to ensure we meet the changing demands of online retailers and their customers.' Martin Moran, Commercial Director, Post Office Ltd, said: 'With the largest retail network across the UK the Post Office offers the most convenient collection point, wherever people live or work. We are modernising our branches to make it as easy as possible for customers to access our services. With many of branches now open for longer the Post Office’s unrivalled network provides an ideal location for online shoppers to collect their purchases at a time and place which suits them best.' *(Source: Verdict UK Retail Review and Sector Forecasts to 2017)

Moya and #039;s My View

Tue, 28 May 2013 03:20:39 +0000

As we look forward to this new fiscal year, as in my past three years we have much to do. However, I know now we are well-positioned to make strong progress as long as we continue to work together. Working together As I said in last month’s column, when we work together with our unions, we achieve a lot. We have held detailed discussions with the CWU on a range of issues, including pay. I’m committed to these talks and am keen to progress the discussion on pay quickly. In a recent joint statement with the CWU, we announced our commitment to getting outstanding transformation changes and payments introduced. Doing what is right Doing what is right right for the business is the best way to make sure we can continue to offer good quality jobs at Royal Mail. We can’t afford to do anything that could disrupt our progress, seriously damage our brand or disrespect our customers. Our competitors would happily take the profitable parts of our business if they could. Industrial action at Royal Mail could give them that opportunity. As you know, Access/DSA mail used to be loss-making for us. Not any more. In 2011/12, we made £80 million profit from Access/DSA mail after modernisation and before exceptional costs. It accounts for almost one in two of all the addressed letters we handle. We achieved this positive change through working with the CWU. Let’s not take rash action that will pull the rug from under our feet. All of our customers’ mail is important to us. We must treat every single piece – whether it’s an envelope, direct marketing mail or a parcel – with the respect it deserves. If we don’t deliver Access/DSA mail, our customers may look for alternatives, including email. We are disappointed that the CWU is asking for support for their proposed boycott of Access/DSA mail. Any such boycott could have a major impact on our business, our relationships with customers, support from our regulator and security of employment at Royal Mail. Direct delivery It was good news for us when, in March, Ofcom said that its primary duty is to secure the universal postal service. Our regulator said that it has powers to intervene if it considers that direct delivery competition threatens the sustainability of the USO. We know that direct delivery competition, while not a problem at this moment, could become so. That is why we have been very active in asking Ofcom how it would intervene in the event that competition threatened the Universal Service. We will continue to be vigilant in this area. I will keep you updated. Securing a sustainable future We need ongoing access to external capital to keep making progress. Businesses like British Airways and BT have grown and prospered since getting ongoing access to external capital. We operate in a competitive market. We’re recognised as being among the best, but others are constantly looking to be better than us. We can’t afford to stand still or go backwards. We must treasure every customer. We need to invest so that we’re not left behind. Working together, we can deliver a better future.

The importance of Access/DSA mail

Tue, 28 May 2013 03:15:22 +0000

Mike, why is Access/DSA mail so important to Royal Mail? Access/DSA mail is important to our company for three reasons. It’s important for our customers; we have committed to provide a service to them. Second, it’s a profitable part of the business, which wasn’t the case a few years ago. Finally, we have an obligation to deliver all mail that comes into our pipeline. What has changed to make this part of the business profitable? The pricing regulation of this business has changed. This means we are able to act more commercially and price in a way that makes a commercial return. Historically we weren’t able to do that. Who are our customers for Access/DSA mail? Royal Mail’s wholesale customers are the likes of TNT, UK Mail and other Access providers. Their customers include the big banks, other financial institutions and charities. What do our customers expect of us? Our customers expect us to provide a quality of service. and this includes service levels that are set and reported through the regulation we operate under. We need to provide this service at a fair price and at a quality level under the USO. We are expected to deliver that service six days a week, 52 weeks a year. We have regulatory Quality of Service targets that we have to adhere to. We are monitored and assessed. So there is a Quality of Service obligation on us, but we also have a commitment to deliver on our promises to our customers. That is of paramount importance to our business, regardless of whether or not the legislation existed. If there was a boycott, what could be the impact? I think there could be impacts both in the short term and the long term. In the short term, although we would do everything possible to mitigate any disruption, there could be disruption to some of our customers in terms of their mailings not being delivered in accordance with the standards we’ve set. That would be disruptive for their business as they would not be able to communicate with their customers when they planned to. In the medium to long term, customers could decide to take a different approach to mail and maybe use different forms of communication, such as emails. Customers today see that we are a reliable, trusted, high-quality business. Our customer satisfaction levels are improving. We cannot afford for this to change. That would be a threat to our business. It is a threat to our ability to maintain good-quality jobs. How could it affect our reputation? We have established a strong reputation over the past few years, partly due to the very good industrial relations framework we have built up. We are now seen as a far more trusted business than may historically have been the case. And that reputation has allowed us to improve, both in terms of financial performance and customer service performance. The trust and reputation that this business is building up will be affected negatively if some of the mail is boycotted. It takes a long time to build a positive reputation, and we need to do everything possible to prevent it being damaged. How difficult is it to win back customers after they have switched to alternatives? It’s not straightforward, especially if you are talking about customers who have switched to communicating electronically. It’s up to us to make the case for mail. But, as in all business sectors, it’s easier to retain a customer than it is to win back a customer we have lost. The threat of the potential boycott makes it harder for us to retain business, let alone win it back. Have any of your customers been in touch about this potential boycott? Some customers have expressed concern about this potential boycott. We are reassuring them that we are doing everything possible to prevent this happening and we’ll carry on providing a high quality service.

Our parcels opportunity

Tue, 28 May 2013 03:00:02 +0000

Parcels represent a massive opportunity for us. We caught up with Nick Landon, MD of our parcels business, to discuss the recent changes we made to our Royal Mail parcel formats. Nick, why did we change our parcel ranges and prices? Until April, our consumer and small business parcel prices were based solely on weight. But the size of a parcel has a big impact on our costs for processing and delivery. So we changed our prices to reflect the size of parcels to make sure they can be handled efficiently. Like any business, we need to make a profit if we are to keep as many good-quality jobs as possible. Rather than filling up our capacity with a relatively small number of very large parcels, we can now handle a greater volume of smaller parcels efficiently. Aren’t we moving parcels into Parcelforce Worldwide? In the vast majority of cases, no, but where we can’t carry some items effectively in the core network we have made a change. We’ve reduced the maximum parcel size that consumers and small businesses can send through Royal Mail, but this affects less than 0.3% of our volume. This was already in place for our account customers. Parcelforce can handle these profitably, when it can be difficult for us to do so. In our core network, these items would fill almost a whole cage and a substantial portion of a delivery van, so the costs were very high. Customers at a Post Office can still send these items through Parcelforce Worldwide. It’s better for Royal Mail and better for Parcelforce to do it that way. For smaller parcels, we will continue to carry them in the core network but have made sure we can do this efficiently. Size is the biggest cost driver in the parcels business. So we brought in the new parcel formats – small and medium parcels for consumer and non-account customers – to reflect this. The majority of our parcels still come into the small parcel format, where our costs are lowest. I thought we weren’t going to handle anything above the size of a shoebox? No, not at all. Anything up to roughly the size of a shoebox goes out on foot. Anything above this, up to our new maximum of 46cm x 46cm x 61cm, will typically be delivered in a Royal Mail van. This costs more, which we have reflected in our prices, but we will continue to deliver them. It is worth putting this into context. Of the 1.1 billion items we deliver, about 2.7 million parcels, or less than 0.3% of the total we handle, were above our new maximum size. Haven’t the changes hit our volumes? The simple answer is no. The anticipated decline in larger parcels is being offset by the growth in smaller parcels. Are our parcel customers happy? Our business customers are very happy. In fact, overall they’re the happiest of our customer groups. The changes we have made have had a positive impact, rather than a negative one, and are generating new business. Our competitors don’t have to report their quality of service like we do. But the recent survey of parcel delivery companies by Moneysavingexpert.com – where customers put us in first place – underlines how highly thought of and trusted we are. For consumers and small businesses, our rate changes have impacted those who send larger light items. While some dissatisfaction here is inevitable, when we explain that we need to make a profit, as every company does, people understand. Would we turn down business if we didn’t think it was appropriate or the price wasn’t right? Yes, absolutely. Every account opportunity or tender is thoroughly reviewed. We look at every aspect and if it’s not right we turn it down. What else have we been doing? We’ve been looking at how we can add value to the products we offer. We’re seeing a big uplift in the number of companies using our Tracked services. We’ve also had a fantastic response to our new Tracked Returns service. Since we launched it, the number of new businesses contacting us about Tracked returns has increased significantly. Parcels are a big part of our future. What does being more of a parcels business actually mean for frontline staff? A big part of being a parcel carrier is knowing where each parcel is and being able to update customers with the tracking information we gather. We’ve seen a rapid increase in the number of parcels we track and our end goal is being able to track every item. We also need to make sure we do everything possible to deliver a great service, such as Delivery to Neighbour, so that customers can get their items as quickly and as easily as possible. Any final message to staff? I want to thank you for helping to deploy the changes we’ve made and explaining them to customers. It’s never easy making changes and having to increase some prices. The bottom line is that we need to make a profit while delivering a great service. We are able to win volumes from our competitors because of the fantastic service you deliver, day in, day out.

The only way is up for online-only e-retailing

Mon, 27 May 2013 03:44:26 +0000

The new research shows that entrepreneurs are choosing to invest in companies that sell goods online as they seek to create successful businesses. The 21.3% annual growth in companies who sell goods exclusively online compares with a 0.4% average fall each year in the total number of businesses contributing to the UK economy, the study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found. Over this period, the total number of businesses in the retail sector fell by 0.1% a year on average. Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels said: ‘Online-only e-retailing has become an increasingly strong area for business start-ups and is making a strong contribution to the overall UK economy. With continued growth in online shopping, we can expect more significant contributions to the UK economy in the coming years.’ Online retailing fuelling new jobs The CEBR study of ONS data revealed that sales in online-only e-retailing grew by almost 50% between 2008 and 2012. Over the same period, growth in the total retail sector was only 13.6%. The online-only e-retail sector also made a £2.2 billion gross value added contribution to the UK economy in 2012 – up 4.7% in nominal terms on the previous year. This compared to a 1.2% year on year increase for the retail sector as a whole and 1.6% increase for the UK economy in total. Around 15,000 new jobs have been created by online-only e-retailing start-ups in the past five years. Since 2008, employment in the sector has increased by 25% to 72,000 jobs in 2012. Royal Mail positioned to benefit Our position as the UK’s Universal Service provider, alongside our strong brand, extensive networks and high quality of service, means we are well placed to benefit from the rapidly growing parcels market. The expanding parcels market is at the centre of our growth strategy. Parcels already account for nearly half of Group revenues and we are targeting growth across all four of our parcels networks.

Playing our part with the armed forces

Sun, 26 May 2013 03:17:51 +0000

We are proud to deliver a free of charge service to our armed forces undertaking operations, and understand these letters and parcels from loved ones are vital for our armed forces. The free post service for British forces personnel does not depend on Royal Mail remaining in public ownership. The Ministry of Defence fully reimburses Royal Mail for the provision of these services. It is a Government decision, whether Royal Mail is under public or private ownership. To receive personal items including cherished family photographs provides a major boost for those in combat and we are honoured to provide this service.

Free services for the blind here to stay

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:07:46 +0000

Royal Mail is proud to provide the Articles for the Blind scheme. We are fully committed to delivering this scheme to the highest service specification of any major European country. The service provides free postage for blind or partially sighted people. We work closely with the RNIB, as the UK's leading charity supporting those with sight loss, to ensure that the Articles for the Blind scheme meets the needs of blind and partially sighted postal users. Items such as Braille products that have been specially produced or adapted for people registered blind or partially sighted may be sent using this service. Either the sender or receiver of such items must be a blind or partially sighted person. Organisations or people sending items to blind people can also use the free service. The service is protected by law. It is included as a minimum requirement of the Universal Service in Section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011. A change to the Articles for the Blind scheme could only happen if directed by the Secretary of State and voted for by both Houses of Parliament.

The year ahead

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:15:12 +0000

We must build on our strong performance in 2012-13 if we are to put our business on a sustainable footing. We have achieved a lot in modernising our business to reduce costs while building a commercial future to deliver profitable growth. Our core UK business was losing money three years ago with significant cash outflows. It is now the most profitable part of the Group. We have a clear strategy in place and this strategy is working. We must not be complacent. We continue to face stiff competition from other mail operators and digital communication channels. And we must continue to put customers at the heart of our business while becoming a successful parcels business and managing the impact of the decline in letters. As chief executive Moya Greene says: ‘With your continued support, we can deliver our strategy successfully. We need ongoing access to external capital, just like other companies. It is key to our transformation. ‘By working together, we have a bright future.’

Resilient GLS performance

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:07:26 +0000

Our European parcels business GLS has reported a revenue drop of 4% - due to the weakness of the Euro against the pound. But, on a like-for-like basis (eliminating exchange rates), revenue increased by 2% last year and volumes increased 1%. GLS carried 380 million parcels last year, despite difficult trading conditions in France and Germany.

Marketing mail on the up

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:00:42 +0000

Despite the volume decline in addressed letters, they remain a vital part of our business. Our letters strategy goes hand in hand with our plan to grasp the opportunity in parcels. Direct mail – both addressed and unaddressed (known to us as Door to Door) – is a valuable way for businesses and advertisers to target customers and sell their goods and services. If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t use it. Our MarketReach business is looking to increase our share of the direct mail market. We are a major player in this industry. But, we are targeting growth to help mitigate the impact of the decline in letters. Our financial figures for last year – out this week – show our revenue from marketing mail increased 2%. We need to be brilliant at the basics and deliver all customers’ mail really well.

Core UK business in profit

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:00:11 +0000

Figures out this week show that the transformation of our UK business continues. Three years ago it was losing money with significant cash outflows – but not now. Our core UK business now makes an operating profit of £294 million (on an adjusted basis). We also made 3.9p (on a like-for-like basis) in every pound, compared with just 0.5p in 2011/12. Both parcels and letters revenue has increased as a result of the changes we are making. Chief executive Moya Greene explains: ‘Just over three years ago, our core UK business was losing money with significant outflows. This same business now contributes to the majority of our Group profits. ‘Our results show that we are moving in the right direction. But, there is still much more to do.’

Modernising our business

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:23:02 +0000

Our modernisation programme is delivering results. Delivery and processing productivity increased by 1.7% across our core network – but there is still work to do. We have commenced modernisation in more than half our delivery offices. Better efficiency in units and new delivery methods using trolleys and shared vans means we are adapting to the changing mail mix of fewer letters and more parcels. Eight out of 10 letters are now automatically sequenced to walk order – saving time prepping the mail before delivery. Changes to our transport network are also ensuring we move mail around the UK more efficiently. Our World Class Mail programme is empowering employees to tackle inefficiency and implement improvements themselves.

Our strategy is delivering

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:02:03 +0000

This year’s performance figures show that our strategy is working. We are well positioned to deliver our strategic priorities: Being a successful parcels business Managing the decline in letters Being customer focused. By building a commercial future we are able to drive profitable growth. But, if we are to achieve our strategy, we need ongoing access to external capital. Chief exec Moya Greene says: ‘To achieve our strategy, we need ongoing access to external capital, just like other companies. This will allow us to invest in the business and secure as many high-quality jobs as possible. It is key to our transformation.’

Our economic contribution

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:02:02 +0000

We connect millions of customers, companies and communities, including those in the most remote rural areas. We make a significant contribution to life in the UK. London 2012 was a major highlight for us. We delivered 1.6 million envelopes containing approximately 7.5 million tickets to customers. Adding value Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research for the previous financial year (2011/12) estimated that as a business, we are number eight in the UK in terms of the value that we add. We contributed 0.4% to the UK’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), rising to 0.7 when our wider economic impacts were included. Of course, as well as a financial contribution, we have a proud heritage of supporting charities and good causes in our communities.

Financials warmly welcomed

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:07 +0000

Our full-year results have been warmly received by the national media, with wide coverage. Online shopping fuels growth A number of papers covered the fact that parcels – fuelled by the growth in online retailing – are increasingly important to the business. Our chief exec Moya Greene told The Daily Mail: ‘More remains to be done, but I think we have made a lot of progress… online shopping is fuelling our parcel business.’ The Daily Telegraph also highlighted that "Britain’s online shopping boom was credited for Royal Mail’s resurgent results." Moya added to a story in The Guardian: ‘Our strategy is delivering. The transformation of Royal Mail is well under way.’ Improved profits The Financial Times reported that Royal Mail "announced improved profits" and that the improvement "was achieved through cost control and higher revenues from packages and parcels ordered by internet shoppers." When discussing the numbers, The Times said we "reported a giant leap". The Daily Telegraph also highlights the 165% rise in underlying operating profits to £403 million. UK turnaround Moya, quoted in The Daily Telegraph, said: ‘Three years ago, this company was bleeding money, was not profitable and any profits came from the GLS parcels division in Europe. Today, fully three-quarters of our profits are coming from the UK.’ Ongoing access to external capital Discussing our potential to access external capital, The Daily Telegraph reported Moya saying: ‘We have had soundings with high-quality pension fund and mutual fund investors and the response has been positive.’

Customers are key

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:17:51 +0000

Our annual results show we are making good progress on redirection, redelivery and misdelivery complaints. However, we must continue to tackle key areas where we sometimes let customers down, if we are to achieve our strategy. First choice Today, customers have many options. To be their first choice, we must get the basics right and be easy to do business with. We have simplified our product range. And at the start of this financial year we reduced our consumer First Class parcels offering from 15 to seven weight bands. In a recent survey of adults in Great Britain, Royal Mail was the most favourably viewed company (of all participating organisations). But, there is plenty of competition out there. Customer satisfaction will ensure we compete effectively and continue to make a profit. Mike Newnham, our chief customer officer, says: ‘We have established a strong reputation over the past few years, partly due to the very good industrial relations framework we have built up. ‘Our reputation has allowed us to improve, both in terms of financial performance and customer service performance.’

Our greatest asset

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:12:32 +0000

Commenting on our annual results – out this week – chief executive Moya Greene said: ‘By working together at all levels and taking advantage of the opportunities available to us, we have a bright future. Thank you for all your efforts, and for being great ambassadors for Royal Mail.’ She added: ‘With your continued support, we can deliver our strategy successfully. Thank you for doing a great job.’ We have reached agreement on some key issues with our unions. Discussions will continue. Top priority Safety is our top priority. Our results for the financial year 2012-13 show we achieved a 20% reduction in accidents leading to absence from work (as a proportion of worked hours).

Letters vital

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:51:16 +0000

Our annual results for 2012-13, out today, show that the money we are paid for UK letters is up 3% (on a like-for-like basis). Marketing mail revenue also rose 2%. Access mail important As you know, Access mail used to be loss making. Since 2011/12, this is no longer the case. This is a significant step because Access mail now accounts for approximately one in two of all the addressed letters we handle. All of our customers’ mail is important to us. We must treat every single piece – whether it’s an envelope, direct marketing mail or a parcel – with the respect it deserves. Our improved performance is despite addressed letter volumes declining by 8% (on a like-for-like basis). In 2011/12, we handled 63 million addressed mail items every day. Today, this has fallen to 58 million.

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