About 400 postal workers are leaving Royal Mail every week following the introduction of a new delivery system, according to the Communication Workers Union, which has raised concerns over worsening working conditions and possible delays during the Christmas period.
The union said the number of departing workers had increased from about 330 weekly before the company introduced its Delivery Model 2026 (DM26) system earlier this year. Royal Mail has about 83,000 employees.
The new system was designed to improve delivery performance by reorganising postal routes and staff duties.
However, the union claims it has failed to work effectively in hundreds of delivery offices, with some workers reporting that letters are being left behind while parcels receive priority.
Royal Mail introduced changes that allow second-class letters to be delivered only every other weekday, while first-class mail and parcels are expected to be delivered daily.
The system also groups workers into teams of three and changes their walking routes.
Some postal workers, who spoke anonymously to the BBC, said the new arrangements had created additional challenges, including time wasted sorting mail into first and second-class categories.
“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,” a worker in the West Midlands told the BBC.
“But I’m sure a manager would have ticked a box to say all first class mail went out.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said the company remained committed to ensuring that all mail, including letters and parcels, was delivered on time.
The changes have also reportedly increased the physical demands on postal workers.
In an assessment involving eight workers from different locations, the BBC found that their average daily step counts had increased by between a quarter and a third since the new system was introduced, with some recording approximately 25,000 steps daily.
Several workers expressed fears that the additional workload could make the Christmas period particularly difficult for staff and customers.
“We all think this Christmas will be the worst ever, for us and our customers,” said one postman in the East Midlands.
Bryn Dymott, who delivered mail in the Bedfordshire village of Wootton for nine years, left Royal Mail in July. He said he decided to quit because he could not face another Christmas under the new arrangements.
“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.”
Dymott said he had decided to speak publicly after leaving the company because he was frustrated that postal workers could not freely explain the challenges they were experiencing.
He added, “proving it’s impossible to have four people’s work done by three people. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise.”
The DM26 system has been introduced in approximately 1,000 of Royal Mail’s 1,200 delivery offices.
However, the CWU has instructed its members to suspend further implementation until an agreement is reached with the company on how to address the problems.
The union said the system was working successfully in about 500 offices but had encountered significant difficulties in hundreds of others.
“Put simply, if a boat is already taking on water, adding more passengers is unlikely to solve the problem,” said Martin Walsh of the CWU.
According to the union, most workers leaving Royal Mail are new employees on part-time contracts, although departures among staff on older employment contracts have also increased.
Royal Mail, however, said the rollout remained on course for completion across all its offices by Christmas.
The company said the programme was 90 per cent complete and that it was now delivering to 95 per cent of addresses daily, compared with 88 per cent before the changes.
It added that service quality was expected to improve as implementation progressed and that it would recruit an additional 22,000 temporary workers for the Christmas period, as it normally does.
The company has faced mounting pressure in recent years because of declining demand for letter deliveries and increasing competition.
Last week, it announced plans to cut 2,500 head office and other support jobs by the end of 2027.
Royal Mail has also faced criticism over delays in letter deliveries, with the communications regulator Ofcom imposing fines totalling more than £37m over three years for failing to meet delivery targets.
A group of MPs is expected to meet the regulator on Wednesday to discuss the company’s performance and possible solutions to the ongoing challenges.
“We need to think outside the box,” said Dave Robertson, Labour MP for Lichfield, Burntwood and the Villages in Staffordshire.
“We need to bring as many people to the table on this to make sure we come up with a long-term solution because what’s been tried up to now clearly isn’t working.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said the regulator had imposed fines on Royal Mail, required an improvement plan and reformed the obligations placed on the company.
“We will 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.”
She added, “We will continue to hold them to account on their performance.”
