Next-day deliveries fall victim to walkouts
NEXT-DAY delivery services by private parcel companies have become the latest casualty of the Royal Mail strike.
DPD has temporarily suspended its next day services in some areas of the UK as it struggles to cope with soaring demand as customers lose faith in the Royal Mail because of strike disruption.
The firm has stopped offering nextday deliveries in about 5 per cent of postcodes, with staff saying they are struggling with a backlog. Parcels are now expected to take up to three days to arrive.
DPD said Royal Mail’s industrial action has had “a huge knock-on effect across the entire industry” as customers flocked to other courier services ahead of Christmas.
A customer service agent said: “We can’t accept parcels that need to be delivered the next day… [first we need to deliver] the parcels already at the depot.” The firm’s website lists counties across the UK including Cheshire, Lancashire and Somerset, which are currently experiencing delays.
There were also delivery delays in Gloucestershire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire because of “severe weather”.
Jade Powell, 26, said her DPD delivery is almost two weeks late. She ordered an expensive item from a tech website which was meant to be delivered on Dec 1 but has received a daily notification that her delivery has been delayed because of an “unexpected issue”. The public transport worker said: “My package is at their depot and supposedly hasn’t moved for over a week. I understand it’s a busy time of year and the Royal Mail strikes are obviously putting strain on the system, but it’s the complete and utter lack of transparency that’s frustrating.”
Millions of letters and packages have reportedly piled up since members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents 115,000 postal workers, staged walkouts last week, with further dates planned for tomorrow, as well as Dec 15, 23 and 24.
Yesterday was the recommended
firm manager used by the East of England Ambulance Service told the BBC it was “very unfair” on drivers who have “no first aid training or emergency medical treatment training”.
The plans to use taxis is part of a package of government measures aimed at mitigating the impact of strikes.
Hundreds of military personnel have also been brought in to cover for ambulance workers. However, as they have not received the same training, they will not be permitted to exceed the speed limit or go through red lights, although they will be allowed to sound their siren and flash their blue lights.
Government sources said that while it is expected the military will focus on lower-priority calls, they could be sent to higher-priority cases too. Talks are continuing with the unions over whether they will attend all category 2 cases, which includes “serious” conditions such as strokes and chest pains.
Richard Webber, of the College of Paramedics, said using the military to drive ambulances was a “sticking plaster” as they cannot drive under “blue light” conditions. The Prime Minister’s spokesman acknowledged the coming days would be “challenging” because the country faces “serious disruption”.
It comes as the Royal College of Midwives and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists are expected to announce the results of strike ballots today.
The ambulance walkouts, due on Dec 21 and 28, are organised by Unison, Unite and the GMB. They voted for strike action over a 4 per cent pay award amid soaring inflation, which is at 11 per cent.