Postal jobs under threat as sorting office may close

PERTH: Fears also for future of staff at retail stores after blaze

Many Perth jobs were left hanging in the balance last night after Royal Mail bosses confirmed they were reviewing the future of the city’s sorting office.

The Feus Road walk-bundling service could be shut down and moved to Lanarkshire, it has emerged.

The plan, if approved, would affect around 20 staff.

Meanwhile, retail giants B&M and Pets At Home have been left weighing up their futures in the Fair City after last month’s tragic fire.

Neither company has been able to confirm when, or even if, they will re-open.

A source at B&M said talks were ongoing about possibly rebuilding the now demolished branch, while bosses consider other locations in the city.

Jobs could be at risk as Royal Mail considers centralising part of its Perth delivery operation to Lanarkshire.

The company has outlined plans to, potentially, move the Perth walkbundling operations to its national base in Wishaw.

The South Lanarkshire centre is one of Royal Mail’s nine major UK mail and distribution centres and is the only one in Scotland.

The cost-cutting proposals could affect nearly 20 staff in Perth, with their futures so far unresolved.

Staff at the walk-bundling centre, based on Feus Road prepare thousands of leaflets every week for delivery to homes across Tayside and Fife.

Negotiations with staff, trade unions and local politicians are under way to secure the futures of staff.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are reviewing the possibility of relocating the marketing mail sorting operation from the Feus Road Delivery Hub to the Scottish Distribution Centre in Wishaw.

“It would be premature to comment on these plans as we are in early stage conversations with around 17 impacted colleagues and our union about finding a suitable outcome.”

While Royal Mail stresses no decision has been made yet, the potential relocation is understood to have been under consideration since around 2016 and has come to boiling point this month, with staff contacting Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart, calling for political intervention.

The long-serving SNP parliamentarian has now called for an “urgent” meeting with Royal Mail bosses to discuss saving the future of the centre and its staff, having already met workers at the site more than once.

Mr Wishart said: “I am really concerned to hear that Royal Mail are consulting with staff over the potential closure of part of the Feus Road facility in Perth.

“I have been along to visit staff at Feus Road on a number of occasions and I know how hard they work.

“I will be contacting Royal Mail to arrange an urgent meeting with them to seek reassurances about the Perth site.

“With a number of large-scale housing developments on the go in Perthshire, it hardly seems the time to be scaling back on Royal Mail provision in the area.”

“I am really concerned to hear that Royal Mail are consulting with staff over the potential closure of part of the Feus Road facility in Perth. PETE WISHART

Picture: Kim Cessford. The cost-cutting proposals could affect nearly 20 staff in Perth.