PO jobs advertised amid redundancies

MINIMUM wage jobs are being advertised at Crown Post Offices as postal workers are facing redundancy, ministers have been told.

Labour MP James Frith urged the Government to intervene after telling the Commons that WH Smith, who are set to take on 74 publicly owned offices as part of a franchising deal, had started advertising jobs before redundancy consultations had concluded.

The Bury North MP also criticised the franchising deal, which he said was an example of privatisation without permission.

He said: “Seventy four of the pub- lic’s Post Offices are being privatised without the permission of the public, WH Smith are already advertising minimum wage, parttime roles to take over Post Office counters whilst consultations for these jobs have yet to be completed.

He added: “Can the minister imagine what it must feel like to be under consultation for your job, facing possible redundancy, seeing it already advertised for someone else?

“Will you intervene, call this practice out as a matter of principle?”