Rochdale MP praises Royal Mail staff!

It was an early start this week for Rochdale MP - Paul Rowen as he took time out to visit the Rochdale Royal Mail Delivery Office at its busiest time of the year. Paul enjoyed a tour round the Sorting Office at 7am with Delivery Office Manager Tony Woods.

Paul said, "The staff in the delivery office on Ainsworth Street do a superb job - each and every member of staff are a credit to Rochdale. The size of the operation is immense, it was my first ever visit to a sorting office and it certainly opened my eyes. On one day alone the 230-strong staff sorted and delivered over 220,000 items - our Postmen and women deserve a lot of praise for the fantastic service they provide."

The average amount of mail that the office deliver is 150,000 per day to every residential and business address in Rochdale. Christmas is the busiest time of the year - with Christmas Cards and presents bumping up business.

Delivery Office Manager Tony Woods said, "On behalf of our busy team I would like to thank Paul for visiting us. Christmas is a busy period for us and the successful delivery of these items during the Christmas period is a direct result of the commitment and dedication of the 230 strong collection and delivery team here in Rochdale."

During Paul's visit he met a variety of Post Office Staff including popular Rochdale Postman Alan Calow - who showed Paul how to sort the mail and talked about the Christmas rush. Paul said, "Alan joined the Royal Mail in September 1974 - he has served for 31 years delivering mail in and around Rochdale. I asked him whether he was looking forward to a quiet January - he explained that January was busy as companies started sending out their holiday brochures!"

Paul was given a briefing by the Management at the Office and told of the new challenges facing the Royal Mail. Tony Woods said, "The Royal Mail has come a long way since we launched the renewal plan in 2002 and we have now witnessed a move from losing £1 million every working day to profitability. However, with the postal market facing full competition in just a couple of weeks, further challenges are ahead and Rochdale's operation will be no exception to this challenge."

Paul said finally, "I look forward to visiting again next Christmas and seeing how the service has changed to keep up with the expected competition. I can only see good times ahead for the Royal Mail staff here in Rochdale. I was hugely impressed with the positive relationship between Senior Staff and the workers, it is no wonder our service here in Rochdale has improved so dramatically!"