Story perspectives

Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 support jobs

By Drooid · Oct 7, 2026, 2:11 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Royal Mail Cuts Jobs

Royal Mail announced plans to cut up to 2,500 support jobs by end-2027.
Reductions will rely on natural turnover and voluntary exits, avoiding compulsory redundancies.
CEO Alistair Cochrane says the cuts will cut costs, remove duplication and fund improvements.
Union leaders warn about roughly 200 CWU admin jobs and call on the government to act.
Formal consultation is under way with the Communication Workers Union, Unite and the CMA.

Summary

Royal Mail Fined £37m

Royal Mail has been fined £37 million since 2023 for missing Ofcom delivery targets.
Ofcom lowered first-class delivery targets to 90% and second-class to 95% in April 2024.
Royal Mail reported 85% first-class on-time delivery in Q1, below the 90% target.
The company will invest £500 million over five years to improve service and meet regulator standards.
Owner Daniel Kretínský’s EP Group paid almost £3.6 billion for International Distribution Services last year.

History

Historical Context

The Postal Services Act 2011 permitted up to 90% privatisation of Royal Mail and merged Postcomm into Ofcom. After Vince Cable floated the company in July 2013 and the government sold its remaining shares in 2015, the holding was renamed International Distributions Services in 2022. In December 2024 the UK approved EP Group’s £3.6 billion purchase, marking the first foreign ownership.

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Royal Mail Cuts Jobs

Royal Mail announced plans to cut up to 2,500 support jobs by end-2027.
Reductions will rely on natural turnover and voluntary exits, avoiding compulsory redundancies.
CEO Alistair Cochrane says the cuts will cut costs, remove duplication and fund improvements.
Union leaders warn about roughly 200 CWU admin jobs and call on the government to act.
Formal consultation is under way with the Communication Workers Union, Unite and the CMA.

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