Royal Mail is planning to scrap Saturday letter deliveries and signed-for parcels under a major shake-up of services.
Any decision to scrap Saturday letter deliveries and signed-for parcels would need changes to the law.
Royal Mail is currently required to deliver letters for a fixed price, six days per week, under a universal service obligation (USO).
The review comes as it seeks to modernise and push through big cost savings by changing its ‘whole product offering’, reports Devon Live .
Simon Thompson, the postal service’s new UK boss, is looking at the changes as part of a six-month review to focus on parcels industry.
With letter volumes in decline, bosses argue this requirement is outdated and leaves Royal Mail at a disadvantage versus rivals such as DHL and Amazon.
Despite this, Royal Mail bosses are said to want to scrap tracked, signed-for parcels because they are expensive to deliver, with many customers happy for packages to be left in a safe place if they are not home.
Ofcom, the communications regulator, has already backed the proposal to scrap Saturday letter deliveries in principle.
The regulator said the decision on changing the USO was ultimately up to MPs.
But the Communication Workers Union, which fears job cuts if services are trimmed, has previously said reducing letter deliveries would be ‘unforgivable’.
Last week Royal Mail warned of disruption to deliveries in 12 postcodes across the UK after a wave of staff were forced to self-isolate .
Posties are the latest workers to be hit by the so-called “pingdemic” which has forced thousands of workers to stay home after being messaged by the NHS Test and Trace App.
Pub chain Greene King said it had to close 33 pubs last week due to staff being off, while Wetherspoon told Sky News it had "maybe a couple of hundred" employees that had to stay home.
Iceland and M&S bosses also warned of store closures and reduced hours after members of staff had to self-isolate.
Posties that are being hit by disruption due to the “pingdemic” include those who work in locations from Bath to Blackpool, according to the Royal Mail website.
A notice reads: "Due to resourcing issues, associated self-isolation and safety measures, deliveries in some areas may be disrupted this week."
