Royal Mail in crisis

THE Royal Mail was founded in 1516 under Henry VIII, and has for centuries been a vital cog in what was, pre-internet, the original information superhighway.

But today it faces an existential crisis. The group’s owner, International Distributions Services, revealed today that Royal Mail’s operating losses mounted to £295 million in the first nine months of its year so far. Royal Mail has long been hit by the decline in letters, and now in parcels too following the end of mass home Covid testing. But the company has also been hit by 18 days of strike action.

While some may think they have little need for paper, envelope and stamp, for many the Royal Mail provides a vital service, with the visit of the postie sometimes the main social interaction for older, vulnerable people.

The strike action has flown under the radar, amid high-profile walkouts in the NHS and on the trains. But a resolution must be found, or we will lose a service relied upon since the English Reformation.