Post blast

Motherwell and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows claims the Post Office is failing to use profits to properly pay subpostmasters.

Post Office pro f i t s increased from £13 million to £35 million for 2017/18, while payment to postmasters and sub-postmasters was cut by £17 million this year and £27 million last year.

When Wishaw Post Office closed earlier this year, eight sub-postmasters rejected the chance to re-open the Main Street branch due to inadequate pay.

After a recent meeting with sub-postmasters from the area to discuss pay and closing branches, Mrs Fellows said: “Our hard- working postmasters are subsidising corporate profits and executive pay packets while hundreds of branches across the UK are closing because those running them are underpaid and undervalued.

“Communities are facing a crisis caused by the Post Office maximising profits at the expense of postmasters and the UK Government’s poor governance.”

Fi g u r e s f rom t he National Federation of SubPostmasters show that from March to August 2018, 66 per cent of the 425 temporary closures of Post Offices were due to postmasters resigning.

Mrs Fellows added: “Postmasters cannot continue to go on while rates are cuts and services removed.”