Royal Mail plans mean Milford Haven sorting office under threat

3:50pm Sunday 4th December 2011 in News
Just days after Fishguard’s Royal Mail delivery office won a reprieve from closure, the Milford Haven office is now under threat.
Royal Mail plans to move the services from Robert Street in Milford Haven to the company’s Merlins Bridge facility. The 28 staff were told of the plans at a meeting last week.
Royal Mail said there would be no compulsory redundancies and emphasised that alternative arrangements would be put in place for customers to receive undelivered mail.
But local politicians and unions have hit out at the move.
Communication Workers Union branch secretary Gary Williams said: “We will fight it the same way we fought Fishguard.”
Milford Haven county councillors Viv and Mike Stoddart said it smacked of “an inexorable drift to towards centralising every thing in Haverfordwest, at the expense of Milford Haven and other towns in the county”.
They added: “This can only result in reducing the vitality and viability of the town’s economy. We are concerned for the 28 staff, and the impact on the town.
“We will fight any moves to downgrade Milford Haven’s employment prospects, and reduce the town to a mere satellite of Haverfordwest.”
County MP Stephen Crabb said he would be urgently meeting senior Royal Mail management to discuss his concerns.
He added: “There is no question in my mind that the closure of the delivery office would hurt the town and further damage local business confidence.”
Labour mid and west Wales AM Joyce Watson attacked the decision as “pitting one Pembrokeshire community against another”.
Mrs Watson added: “After the good news about Fishguard, this comes as a real blow; but not a surprise.
It is the busiest time of year for mail carriers – the timing couldn’t be worse.”
Royal Mail spokesman Val Bodden told the Western Telegraph: “Whenever a delivery office move goes ahead, we would always offer our customers alternative means of receiving undelivered items of mail.
“Any modernisation or efficiency proposals being considered would always involve full discussions with all staff affected by any proposed change.”
Original Source: Western Telegraph