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Post office transfers to Smith's
CUSTOMERS at Winchester's
new post office at WH Smith will
be served by staff without specialist
skills, it has emerged.
None of the 10 union members
among the staff of 18 at the old
Middle Brook Street office have
made the switch to the new
venue, which opened for business
today (May 22).
The Communication Workers
Union said one member moved to
Andover, while the other nine
decided to quit.
The Post Office would not say
how many of the rest were relocating
to WH Smith.
CWU branch secretary for Wessex
South Central, Ray Pearce,
said: "All of our members in Winchester
have either taken voluntary
redundancy or moved.
"Many years ago, just to get on
the counter at a post office, you
had to sit a pretty stiff examination,
and do some pretty tough
training."
The union claimed the counter
staff were offered less pay to
transfer to the High Street.
Some employees who earned
more than £10 an hour were
offered £5.85, according to the
CWU.
Prospective Conservative parliamentary
candidate for Winchester,
Steve Brine, who
campaigned against the move,
has raised concerns about the situation.
He said: "It doesn't take a
genius to work out that if you
replace highly-skilled and
trained Post Office clerks with
regular WH Smith employees,
you will not have the kind of specialised
Post Office staff behind
the counter which customers
need from a central post office.
"This all goes to prove what I
have maintained all along, that
this move will work for WH
Smith and the Post Office, but it
will lead to a scaled down service
forWinchester customers."
His Lib Dem opposite number,
Martin Tod, has also campaigned
against the relocation.
He said: "We've had a lot of
promises from the Post Office
and WH Smith about staffing and
their ability to cut the queues.
"Today (Thursday) is our first
chance to find out if these promises
are going to be kept. In the
worst case, this could be Winchester's
own Terminal 5'
moment.
"The fear has always been that
WH Smith and the Post Office
were going to take the two
longest queues inWinchester and
put them in a single shop."
The Post Office has insisted
that its services will not be compromised
by the closure of its old
branch.
Its spokesman, Mike Dalton,
said: "Together with our partners,
WH Smith, we have spent a
lot of time and effort ensuring
that Post Office customers
receive excellent service in a
modern and more inviting environment.
"I am sure the people of Winchester
will be pleased with their
new Post Office branch, and I
would urge all customers - existing
and new alike - to try the
facility out for themselves."
WH Smith regional manager,
Ian Rowley, said: "It has been a
huge team effort to get everything
ready for the launch, and
we hope customers will be
pleased with the new and
improved environment in which
they can access the full range of
Post Office services.
"Our staff have gone through
extensive training to ensure we
give the best possible service."
The new branch will have a
team of 12 employees, of whom
at least four have previous Post
Office experience, said WH
Smith.
The change is part of a national
scheme to transfer 70 crown post
offices into WH Smith outlets to
stem annual losses of £70m.
*Have you been to the new site? What was your experience? Add your comments below.
10:40am Thursday 22nd May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Bazz, Bedford Place on 11:09am Thu 22 May 08
I have been to the Smiths on Southampton High Street and found I got served quicker than I would in the old Post Office, i just hope this speed of service continues.
I have been to the Smiths on Southampton High Street and found I got served quicker than I would in the old Post Office, i just hope this speed of service continues.
Posted by: Connie Adler, Winchester on 5:47pm Fri 23 May 08
Will there be a lift in the new location? How will older or disabled customers get to the top?
Will there be a lift in the new location? How will older or disabled customers get to the top?
Posted by: Brenda Couzens, Winchester on 6:22pm Sat 24 May 08
I was not impressed with the PO at WH Smiths, it was very confusing fighting my way through to the PO through hordes of celebration cards and other stock. Also it used to be a great help having the seats outside the old PO where people who are unsteady on their feet could wait and have a natter whilst their carers/daughters nipped in for their pensions.
I was not impressed with the PO at WH Smiths, it was very confusing fighting my way through to the PO through hordes of celebration cards and other stock. Also it used to be a great help having the seats outside the old PO where people who are unsteady on their feet could wait and have a natter whilst their carers/daughters nipped in for their pensions.
Posted by: Martin Tod, Winchester on 10:23pm Mon 26 May 08
Connie Adler - the post office is on the ground floor at the back of the Smiths where the CDs and DVDs used to be.
Connie Adler - the post office is on the ground floor at the back of the Smiths where the CDs and DVDs used to be.
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