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Postal workers have warned that Christmas cards and gifts may not arrive in time if they are not sent within the next three weeks.
The Communication Workers Union said its forecast would be realised unless Royal Mail reached an agreement to resolve industrial action that has crippled the network.
A backlog of tens of millions of letters and parcels has built up as a result of rolling strikes, and union leaders say a million may never be delivered.
Pictures of "mail mountains" at a distribution centre in Dartford have been accompanied by claims of letters posted a month ago lying untouched. Martin Walsh, the CWU's London representative, said: "Unless we get an agreement by the second or third week of October, the backlog is so big that it will impact upon Christmas.
"Royal Mail has drafted in managers, but all they're trying to do is to clear the mail that has been posted recently."
Postal workers have been staging regional strikes for months in a dispute over jobs, pay and services. London has been one of the worst affected areas, with 65 per cent of Britain's mail passing through the capital. The CWU is balloting 121,000 workers to hold a national strike in the run-up to Christmas.
Royal Mail said: "We are focused on delivering excellent customer service over the vital run-up to Christmas."
Reader views (11)
i must agree with the opinions of the people i ve read on emails. my mother is disabled, cannot use a computer, and relies on the mail to keep in touch with her friends. this is going to particularly hit her badly at christmas as she loves to get cards from friends she hasnt seen for years
- Les, waltham abbey, 22/10/2009 15:38
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What a disgrace! Sack them all and replace with all the others on the dole. Oh, and becausse they are responsible for their own demise, these posties should not be eligible for any benefits if they get sacked! The sooner they dump the unions, the better for all.
- Maya - London, London, 19/10/2009 14:43
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My Great-Grandfather used to post his christmas cards on the afternoon of Christmas eve so that they would get there on Christmas day and not before . . .
Send a funny clip from You Tube - it's free, it's funnier, it's better for the environment.
- Roz, France, 02/10/2009 09:48
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They deserve to be sacked. I'm sure there are plenty of people who've lost their jobs as a result of the recession who'd be more than happy to replace these striking postal workers.
And don't get me started on all the 'Spanish practices' that these postal workers enjoy...only in a public service. These workers wouldn't last 5 minutes in the private sector.
- Judith, KIng's Lynn, Norfolk, UK, 01/10/2009 23:36
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Absolutely disgusting! And what's this about a millon items will never be delivered? Surely this is illegal. A public service like this should be exempt from union strike action! I have NO sympathy anymore for Royal Mail workers and I'm sure many other do not either!
The Government needs to step in NOW and do something about this, it's destroying people's lives and businesses.
- Dave, Yeovil, 01/10/2009 14:54
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Many companies are using UPS etc and I shall give a gift to Oxfam this year. The militant Post "Workers" will do themselves out of a job and hurt London small businesses.
- Andrew, London, 01/10/2009 13:49
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I send e-cards.
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey, 01/10/2009 12:49
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Are we still allowed to celebrate Christmas then?I'd already written it off.
- Steve, London, 01/10/2009 12:06
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About time we had a government in with the bottle to knock a few unions heads together. I know people who have worked for the Royal Mail...the waste and inefficiency there is beyond shocking...
- John Entwistle, Hertford, England, 01/10/2009 11:56
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To be quite frank I am sick to death of these strikes by the Royal Mail. Do the postal workers honestly think we should have any sympathy for them when they disrupt a vital national service during such a difficult time for the country?
It should be made clear that this is a completely unacceptable way of protesting on how much you get paid. And as for the job security debate, the fact that the Royal Mail is modernising and downsizing due to less demand is absolutely necessary - they can't employ people purely out of kindness.
It's about time the government put its put down and brought an end to this mess.
- Matt, London, 01/10/2009 11:31
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Yet another public service in this country decide that change and an improved service means that they should strike. Only in the UK would we still be sorting letters by massively over-paid hand. The more the CWU strike the more they will get their desire - a totally private postal service thanks to their pig-ignorance.
Their demands are unwarranted and pointless. It just makes them hated, not the Royal Mail I'm afraid.
- Tristan Lane, London, UK, 01/10/2009 11:05
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