Royal Mail are now allowed to scrap Saturday deliveries for second class letters and there will also be wider targets cut to postal deliveries.
Ofcom said that following consultation they provisionally allowed for the second class service to operate on weekdays, first class postage will still operate six days a week.
Natalie Black, Ofcom’s group director for networks and communications, said, “The world has changed – we’re sending a third of the letters we were 20 years ago.
“We need to reform the postal service to protect its future and ensure it delivers for the whole of the UK.
“But we’re safeguarding what matters most to people – first class mail six days a week at the same price throughout the UK, and a price cap on second class stamps.”
Emma Gilthorpe, chief executive of Royal Mail, said, “As Ofcom’s analysis shows, it is no longer financially sustainable to maintain a network built for 20 billion letters when we are now only delivering 6.7 billion.
“Reform is crucial to support a modern, sustainable, and reliable postal service for our customers, our company and our people.”
Dave Ward, general secretary of the CWU, said, “The trials that we have agreed with Royal Mail are strictly conditional on the basis that we see a significant improvement in service reliability for customers, as well as terms and conditions for postal workers being improved – including improved attendance patterns, more Saturdays off, agreed long-term job security and the creation of a genuine platform for growing the company.
“Any failure to abide by these conditions will see our support withdrawn.”
“The prospective owners of Royal Mail, EP Group, have committed to restoring faith in the UK postal service – we will hold them to this,” he added.
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