SIR – The news is dominated by discussion of future strikes at Royal Mail following the outcome of the Communication Workers Union’s national ballot in favour of industrial action.

As Royal Mail’s regional operations director responsible for your local services, I write to reassure readers that as a business we have been doing everything possible to avert such disruption.

We have held more than 70 meetings with the CWU over the last few months and we continue to call on them to stop strikes and get back round the table for talks.

Central to the current dispute is the need for modernisation in Royal Mail. Mail volumes are dropping by 10 per cent nationally, every one per cent represents £70 million lost revenue to us. In this region volumes have fallen by 13 per cent. That equates to £10.2 million for every 1 per cent fall locally.

At our sites across the Midlands we have already successfully introduced improvements in ways of working in accordance with the changing volumes of mail being handled. These improvements were planned and agreed under the 2007 pay and modernisation agreement. Union leaders signed up to the changes in this agreement in the presence of the TUC. There are no plans for further efficiency changes within the business this year.

It is for these reasons we believe it reprehensible of the union to continue to threaten strike action and disruption to customer service.

PAUL JOBLING,
Regional operations director
Royal Mail Midlands.