The threat to the future of Perth’s Crown Post Office last night saw Scotland’s newest city host a heated public meeting.
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart chaired the gathering at the city’s AK Bell Library, with those attending including Communication Workers Union’s assistant secretary Andy Furey.
Earlier this year, Post Office unveiled proposals to franchise more than 70 Crown Post Offices five of them in Perth, including that on Perth’s South Street.
Under the plans, the site would be taken on by a retailer, who would provide the postal services from within the new shop.
The proposals, coupled with an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions counter staff have not had a pay rise since 2011 have already led two days of strike action.
Post Office has stressed that the Perth branch will not close and that no Post Office services would be lost under the franchising scheme.
However, opponents fear that the service to the public will be hit and the CWU has warned of situations where post offices that had been franchised soon closed after new operators found they could not sustain them.
Addressing the audience was a panel featuring Mr Furey, councillors Dave Doogan and Archie MacLellan and The Post Office’s Connie Hewit and Sally Buchanan. They took questions from members of the public, workers from Perth’s Crown Post Office and councillors.
Mr Wishart said the franchising announcement had created “great uncertainty” for Post Office staff and customers.
“What this meeting has demonstrated quite clearly to me is that, as I suspected, the people of Perth Post Office customers and staff, union spokespeople and elected representatives are speaking with one voice in saying that they want to see a dedicated, city centre post office, providing the full range of Post Office services, not one that is tucked in behind the bread and beans, operating as a sideline to another business,” he said.
“Perth’s Crown Post Office provides an excellent service to the people of Perth.”
For more on the future of Perth’s Crown Post Office read The Courier on Saturday.
Photo by Phil Hannah