Gerald Jones MP has paid tribute to all Postal Workers and backs Labour’s plans to renationalise the Royal Mail and end cuts to the Post Office network.

To mark National Postal Workers Day 2018, Gerald Jones MP praised the posties serving the Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney constituency but slammed the Tories for overseeing a strategy of managed decline of the Post Office network and their abysmal decision to privatize the Royal Mail, the effects of which are being felt harshly today.

Gerald Jones MP, the Member for Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney said,

‘’December is one of the busiest times of the year for our postal workers. I visited the Sorting Office at Merthyr Tydfil over the weekend with my colleague Dawn Bowden AM to thank them and all our posties across Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney for their hard work and determination as they collect, sort and deliver letters and parcels over the Christmas period.’’

Gill Furniss MP, Shadow Minister for Postal Services said,

‘’Our posties have been let down by the Tories whom since 2010 have pursued a strategy of managed decline of our Post Office Network and have overseen one of the biggest policy failures when it sold off the Royal Mail at below market price.

As a result, we have seen Crown Post Offices closures across the country – with a further 74 closures announced in October – meanwhile over £700m paid out in dividend to private shareholders by the Royal Mail over the past five years. This has led to worsening pay and conditions for the posties on the ground who work day in day out to serve their local communities.

The next Labour Government will halt any further Post Office closures and will renationalise the Royal Mail so that any profits are reinvested back into the company to the benefit of its workers and consumers, not private shareholders’’