A sub-postmaster has claimed the collapse of a Royal Mail bonus scheme could jeopardise the future of local post offices.
Rose Bowie, who runs Carleton Post Office in Glenrothes, has warned that keeping local branches open is becoming increasingly difficult amid, “Falling pay, rising operating costs and reducing customer numbers.”
She said the re-evaluation of shares given to Royal Mail employees in previous years as a reward for helping the company reach performance targets had put additional strain on sub-postmasters.
The shares allocated under the ColleagueShares scheme are now believed to be worthless.
Ms Bowie said, “It is inexplicable and unjustifiable that these shares have suddenly been recalculated as having no value at a time when the government is drawing up plans for the sale of Royal Mail next year at an estimated price of £3 billion to £4 billion.
“Royal Mail claims that one of the main reasons for the re-evaluation is due to its large pension deficit, yet the government has already committed to take on the deficit ahead of any sale, so this should have no bearing.
“It is becoming ever harder to maintain a Post Office service for the community and I and many of my colleagues were counting on the shares payment to help maintain that service.
“To have it taken away from us through financial sleight of hand is thoroughly unjust.”
Glenrothes and Central Fife MP Lindsay Roy described the situation as “scandalous” and has written to Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene.
He said that across the UK sub-postmasters would miss out on £12 million in cash windfalls as a result of the shares devaluing.’Third-class’ treatment”This is a third-class way to treat people who provide a first-class service and I agree with George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), that this scandalous decision is morally unjustifiable and intellectually incoherent,” Mr Roy said.
“To promise something and then effectively take it away is nothing less than a kick in the teeth for the loyal, hard-working men and women like Rose who provide such a valuable service.
“It’s clear many are depending on this money to help keep that service going and if they don’t get it we could be faced with the situation of some sub-post offices closing.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said that, despite the shares having dipped in price, sub-postmasters could still receive payments.
He said, “All full-time eligible subpostmasters have received £1600 since the ColleagueShares scheme started.
“There will be a further cash bonus payment of £600 if we achieve certain targets. We are currently in discussions with the NFSP to agree those targets.”