In response to reducing customer demand, Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) will change its standard letter mail service from six to five days a week, Monday to Friday, from Monday 21st October 2019.
While letters are in decline, parcel volumes continue to increase as a result of the sustained growth in e-commerce. To satisfy this demand, IOMPO will continue to deliver parcels and time-guaranteed services such as Special Delivery and tracked items six days a week, Monday to Saturday.
Julie Edge MHK, Chairman of IOMPO, said: "We are a supply and demand business that needs to modernise its operation to more accurately reflect the changing needs of customers in this digital era. IOMPO is currently loss making and in the last ten years, IOMPO's letter volumes have almost halved from 30 million to 16 million. Less letters means less income for the Post Office. The introduction of five-day letter deliveries will enable IOMPO to generate a saving of approximately £500k pa, which will help to offset the declining letter mail income, while supporting our strategic aim of returning the business back to profitability. All other services to customers will remain unchanged and post offices will continue to operate their normal opening hours on a Saturday."
She continued: "We have worked jointly with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to plan the implementation of this key project of our five-year business strategy. We are grateful for the CWU's ongoing cooperation and to all our employees involved in the project, which has required a great deal of time, effort and planning."
There are also environmental advantages to be gained from the project with a reduction in the Island's greenhouse gases due to the reduced mileage of not delivering letters on a Saturday so less emissions, a decrease on the wear and tear of postal vehicles resulting in not as many old tyres, metal and plastic replacement parts to dispose of. In addition, the automated letter sortation machine will not be operated on a Saturday, therefore saving energy and electricity.
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