Swindon's excellent postal service sparks backlash
9:25am Friday 8th December 2006 in News
Dorcan sorting office staff
FIRST class service at Swindon's sorting office has sparked a boycott by post workers in Reading.
The Dorcan sorting office was praised for being the best in the country by mail watchdog Postwatch last Friday.
Swindon Regional Mail Centre, which delivered 97 per cent of first-class letters within a day, is planning to double in size and take over offices in Reading and Gloucester.
Now put-out posties in Reading are calling for people to boycott Swindon on their Christmas cards.
Postal workers from Reading's Royal Mail Centre, has told customers to write "Not via Swindon" on their Christmas cards.
Protesters are complaining that the move would force post vehicles to drive thousands of extra miles.
They have printed out hundreds of stickers with slogans, including "Do not send my mail via Swindon mail centre", to be stuck to envelopes.
The Communication Workers Union has backed the Reading mail workers' protest.
Terry Jackson, from the union, said: "The quality of service will suffer, environmental costs will be horrendous and the move would cause misery to the workers."
