The chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce says it is “really disappointing” that the area’s postal staff recorded the worst performance in mainland Scotland.
Alan Mitchell hoped the workforce and management of Royal Mail would sort out their difficulties to make the organisation as efficient and effective as possible because that was the only way it would survive in the face of forthcoming competition.
He was responding to the news that Royal Mail in the DD postcode area covering Dundee, Angus and north Fife achieved a first class next working day delivery score of 78.5% in the last quarter far below the UK target of 93%.
Only the Hebrides and Shetland had poorer figures in Scotland, but they are excluded from the target policy because of their geographical remoteness.
Royal Mail blamed the severe winter weather for affecting deliveries across the UK from September 6 to December 5.
Closer analysis of the figures showed the slump in service pre-dated the snowstorms, and the rest of the Scotland recorded a much better performance than Dundee.
Attention turned on the introduction of a new delivery system called the Way Forward at the Dundee East depot in November as a reason for the DD debacle.
Staff struggled to complete their rounds on time under the new arrangement of sending out teams of postal staff to deliver letters and parcels from vans, and massive backlogs of undelivered mail built up.
Mr Mitchell said, “It is really disappointing to see these figures.
“Bottom of the table is not where we want to see anything from Dundee and Angus.
“We want the service in this area to be the best and it is disappointing when it isn’t. It is very frustrating for the chamber’s business customers.”