Copperas Hill sorting office _320
A LIVERPOOL MP branded Royal Mail as "reprehensible" last night, after the company officially announced it wants to close the city’s Copperas Hill sorting office.
Employees and political leaders fear many of the 580 jobs at the sorting office will be axed after Royal Mail outlined plans to relocate to Warrington.
Another 200 separate delivery jobs are thought to be secure, but Liverpool City Council estimates a further 600 indirect jobs could be lost if the move goes ahead.
But Royal Mail last night insisted that just 200 jobs would need to go across the North-west in what amounts to a major re- organisation of its regional operation. The announcement came just 24 hours after the Daily Post revealed senior council figures were meeting with union leaders to thrash out details of a final bid to save Copperas Hill.
But, as that meeting ended, Royal Mail announced its six-month consultation had led to a proposal to close the Liverpool site and relocate to Cheshire.
The proposals include three new smaller delivery offices in the Liverpool area, and Royal Mail are investigating potential sites for these.
Now Riverside MP Louise Ellman is calling for the service to look again at figures drawn up by unions and the city council before reaching a final decision.
Mrs Ellman said: "Royal Mail is behaving in a reprehensible and unacceptable way. I took the trade unions to Liverpool Vision to identify alternative premises because it’s essential Liverpool retains its sorting office.
"If Royal Mail has made a dec-ision without taking this into account, it is in breach of its commitment to consult. The lat-est figures on the economic im-pact are essential to any decision.
"I have been in touch with the Minister, John Hutton, to meet with Liverpool Vision and discuss these alternatives."
Liverpool Vision, the Commun-ication Workers Union (CWU), Liverpool City Council and Liver-pool 20/20 have identified three sites that would keep the sorting office in the city.
The alliance is proposing a site on the A580 approach on East Lancs Road, another at Speke/ Halewood, and a third option at The Vault, in Speke.
The cost to Royal Mail of acquiring and making alterations range from £19m to £35m, but it is confident it will be able to draw together money to help part-finance this deal.
A campaign by the media, unions, councillors and MPs saved Copperas Hill 11 years ago, and Mrs Ellman is once again attempting to force an 11th-hour summit with mail management to save the sorting office.
Cllr Flo Clucas, deputy leader of the council, is incensed that Royal Mail made yesterday’s announcement without first talking to anyone in Liverpool.
She said: "We’ve been asking to speak to them for weeks and not had a response at all. Jim Gill, Liverpool Vision chief executive, has asked to meet them and has been put off until December.
“They can’t even be bothered to get up off their backside to talk to us."
She repeated her fears that hundreds of ancillary jobs in the city could be lost.
"There are 800 jobs directly related to Royal Mail and another 600 indirectly. The cost to the city will total £26m.
"What we’ve drawn up as a group is a viable option. We don’t think there is much to choose between the Royal Mail’s plans and our plans for them. But their preference will mean most of those people at the sorting office are going to lose their jobs."
The Royal Mail has hit back, suggesting there will only be 200 fewer employees in the north- west region, out of a total staff of 10,000, with workers offered redeployment to other sites, including Warrington.
Union representatives, though, claim there has been a complete communication breakdown.
CWU branch secretary Mark Walsh said: "Communication has been so bad that I only found out about this from media like the Daily Post. The consultation has been a sham.
"We’ve been keen to find the best location for our members and for the business to move forward, but have not been listened to.
"We are not ruling out industrial action over the next couple of weeks across the North West."
Managers of the postal service have refused to clarify to workers how soon they intend to make their final decision, but it is thought to be just a couple of weeks away.
If the sorting office is closed, it could end one of the oldest postal frank marks in the country, although fears postcodes in Liverpool will change have been dismissed.
Royal Mail are also considering disposing of the massive centre behind Lime Street Station on the open market.
Royal Mail boss says move to Warrington is the best option for the future >>>
