Royal Mail Staff Changes: What Customers Need to Know

A union-reported rise in staff departures and a pause to further DM26 rollout raise questions about delivery, but the sources do not show a nationwide service impact.

Home & LifeOctober 14, 20263 min readHow Sureno writes this

The short version

The CWU says about 400 Royal Mail postal workers are leaving each week, up from about 330 before DM26; these are union figures, not independently confirmed totals in the supplied sources. ¹
DM26 reorganises delivery rounds and allows second-class post to be delivered every other weekday, while aiming to deliver first-class mail and parcels daily. ¹
The CWU announced on 9 October that it would pause any further rollout until there is an agreed plan for offices where the system is not working as intended. ²
The sources describe staff concerns and union claims, but do not establish how often customers are experiencing delays or whether every delivery office is affected. ¹²

What is happening to Royal Mail staffing?

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) says about 400 postal workers are leaving Royal Mail each week. It says the weekly figure was about 330 before the company introduced its new delivery system, called Delivery Model 26, or DM26. The figures are attributed to the union; the supplied reporting does not provide an independent count confirming them. ¹

The BBC report says the CWU links the increase in departures to the new system. That is the union’s claim, not proof that DM26 alone caused workers to leave. Royal Mail describes its reforms as an effort to make the service more efficient and financially sustainable. ¹

What is DM26 and how does it change deliveries?

DM26 reorganises delivery routes and how postal workers share rounds. The plan is intended to improve delivery performance. Under the model described by the BBC, second-class post may be delivered every other weekday, while first-class mail and parcels are supposed to be delivered every day. ¹

That planned schedule does not tell customers whether a particular item is delayed. The supplied sources do not give local delivery data or explain how the service is performing in every area.

Why has the CWU paused the rollout?

On 9 October, the CWU said it would pause any further rollout of DM26 until there was a credible, agreed plan to address problems in delivery offices where the system is not working as intended. The union also said Royal Mail had requested immediate negotiations. ²

The pause concerns further rollout. The announcement does not say that DM26 has been withdrawn from offices already using it, or that all delivery changes have stopped. The CWU says DM26 was a negotiated option and that it was not the union’s preferred approach. ²

Could customers see slower or less reliable deliveries?

There are reports of staff concerns about letters being left behind while parcels are prioritised, and about time spent sorting first- and second-class mail. Some workers told the BBC they feared a difficult Christmas period as parcel volumes rose. These are staff accounts, not nationwide performance figures. ¹

The sources do not establish how many customers have been affected, how long any delays last, or whether problems are limited to particular offices. They also do not show that the reported staff departures have caused a specific level of missed or late deliveries.

What should customers take from this for now?

The clearest practical point is that the CWU’s pause applies to additional DM26 rollout, while the existing system may continue in offices that have already adopted it. The service plan described in the reporting treats second-class delivery differently from first-class mail and parcels. ¹²

For an update about a specific item or local service, customers can check Royal Mail’s official service information. The supplied sources do not include a Royal Mail tracking link or current local delivery status, so this article cannot confirm the progress of an individual delivery.

What we don't know yet

Whether Royal Mail independently confirms the CWU’s estimate of about 400 weekly departures.
How many delivery offices are experiencing problems with DM26 and what agreed remedy, if any, will follow negotiations.
How the reported staffing changes affect actual delivery performance by location and mail class.

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Questions people ask

How many Royal Mail workers are leaving each week?

The CWU says about 400 postal workers are leaving each week, compared with about 330 before DM26 was introduced. Those figures are attributed to the union; the supplied sources do not independently verify them. ¹

What does Royal Mail DM26 mean for second-class post?

The delivery model described in the BBC report allows second-class post to be delivered every other weekday. First-class mail and parcels are supposed to be delivered daily under the model. ¹

Has Royal Mail stopped rolling out its new delivery model?

The CWU announced a pause to any further DM26 rollout on 9 October, pending an agreed plan for offices where the system is not working as intended. The announcement does not say that DM26 has been removed from offices already using it. ²

Are Royal Mail deliveries being delayed because of staff departures?

The sources include staff concerns about letters being left behind and the CWU’s claim that departures have increased since DM26 began. They do not establish that staff departures caused delays across Royal Mail or quantify the effect on customers. ¹

Will first-class mail and parcels still be delivered every day?

DM26 is intended to provide daily delivery of first-class mail and parcels, according to the BBC report. That describes the plan, not proof of daily performance in every area. ¹

Sources

Royal Mail losing 400 postal workers a week, says union — BBC News
CWU announces pause to new delivery model rollout — CWU

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