Stories

Tue, 13 Oct 2026

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 Royal Mail losing 400 postal workers a week, says union

The CWU says more posties are leaving since a new delivery system was brought in, that it claims is not working in hundreds of offices.

* Royal Mail has lost around 400 postal staff per week since introducing a new delivery system called DM26.
* The Communication Workers Union (CWU) claims that this number is higher than before the introduction of DM26, which aims to improve delivery performance by reorganizing routes and prioritizing parcels.
* However, posties have reported issues with the new system, including: + Parcels being prioritized over letters + Letters being left behind or delayed + Increased workload due to longer walking distances and increased step counts + Managers manipulating delivery records to show that first-class mail was delivered on time when it wasn't.
* Some posties have spoken out about the problems they are facing, including Bryn Dymott who left Royal Mail in July citing a "shambolic" Christmas due to inadequate systems and staffing.
* The CWU has called for a pause in the rollout of DM26 until issues can be addressed, but Royal Mail says it is on track to complete the rollout by Christmas and that quality of service will improve as deployment progresses.
* Ofcom has fined Royal Mail over £37 million in the past three years for missing delivery targets and has demanded an improvement plan from the company.