Royal Mail workers warn of Christmas ‘nightmare’ as almost 400 staff quit each week

It says weekly departures have risen from 330 before the new delivery system was introduced earlier this year.

The system, known as DM26, groups postal workers into teams of three and changes their walking routes.

Second class letters are delivered on alternate weekdays. First class letters and parcels are supposed to be delivered daily. The changes are already operating in approximately 1,000 of Royal Mail’s 1,200 delivery offices.

Workers across the country say their workloads have become unmanageable. They fear this, alongside increasing parcel volumes, could cause serious problems for staff and customers over Christmas.

Royal Mail, which has a workforce of around 83,000, says the changes will make its service more “efficient and financially sustainable”.

However, the union wants further expansion of the system paused until its problems are resolved. A group of MPs is due to meet regulator Ofcom on Wednesday to discuss concerns about the service.

Staff say parcels are still being prioritised over letters, while separating first and second class mail takes up valuable time.

One worker in the West Midlands said: “I didn’t take any first class mail out on my last shift because I was on a road that’s been behind for weeks.

“But I’m sure a manager would have ticked a box to say all first class mail went out.”

Workers also report that the new system has made their rounds more physically demanding. Eight employees who monitored their steps after the change recorded increases of between 25 and 33 per cent, often walking around 25,000 steps a day.

Bryn Dymott delivered post in Wootton, Bedfordshire, for nine years and said he enjoyed most of his time in the job.

However, he resigned in July because he did not want to face what he expected would be another “shambolic” Christmas.

He said: “People put things in the post for them to be delivered, not for them to be delayed because Royal Mail hasn’t got the systems in place and enough people to get them delivered.”

Mr Dymott said he spoke publicly after leaving because serving postal workers could not explain what was happening.

He accused the company of “proving it’s impossible to have four people’s work done by three people. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise.”

An East Midlands postman shared his concerns, saying: “We all think this Christmas will be the worst ever, for us and our customers.”

The CWU has instructed its members to halt any further implementation of DM26 until the company agrees to a plan addressing the system’s failings.

While the union acknowledges the programme is functioning well in around 500 offices, it says hundreds of others are experiencing serious difficulties.

“Put simply, if a boat is already taking on water, adding more passengers is unlikely to solve the problem,” said the CWU’s Martin Walsh.

According to the union, the majority of those departing are recent recruits on part-time contracts, though growing numbers of longer-serving staff on legacy agreements are also walking away.

Royal Mail maintains the rollout remains on course for completion across all offices before Christmas.

The company says it now reaches 95 per cent of UK addresses daily, up from 88 per cent prior to DM26’s introduction. It has also confirmed plans to recruit 22,000 temporary staff for the festive rush, in line with previous years.

A spokesperson for the regulator said it had required an improvement plan and overhauled the obligations placed on the company, pledging to “continue to hold it to account using the full extent of the powers available to us.”

Postal Services Minister Kate Dearden described Royal Mail’s improvement plan as “a step in the right direction, but it must deliver tangible improvements for customers. We will continue to hold them to account on their performance.”