Undeliverable mail 'jobs cut'

The office handles undeliverable mail

Jobs are to be cut at an undeliverable post handling office in Belfast, the Royal Mail has confirmed.

Communication Workers' Union representatives met with Royal Mail management on Thursday to discuss possible cuts at the National Return Letter Centre.

The company aims to cut annual costs of more than £10m for handling non-deliverable mail by changing working methods at the office in Tomb Street.

It said in a statement that fewer staff would be required because a lower volume of post would be passing through the centre.

However, the head of the centre, Ray Kennedy, said it was too early to put any figure on the losses.

The firm said it aimed to achieve as much staff reduction through retirement and other voluntary means, and it was working to minimise the impact on its employees.

Union spokesman Colin Toal said they have been told the exercise could take until October.

"They haven't actually said if that is when the jobs will go or whether they will go gradually as they introduce new changes," he said.

"At the minute, one of the problems we are having is that we were brought in at this late stage and we haven't really got enough information from them yet."

The Belfast-based operation employs more than 300 people, sifting through letters with incomplete addresses, or where the addressee has moved, and trying to return them to the senders.

About 322 million items each year are classed as undeliverable.

Although 250 million of these have a return address, the rest are sent to the return letter centre.