A LARGE quantity of letters and parcels have not been delivered to homes and businesses across Fermanagh in the past week, a postman has claimed. 
The Royal Mail employee has accused the organisation of refusing to pay him and others overtime, something it denies, and as a result he claims that many deliveries are not being made on time as postmen and women reach their contracted hours. 
The postman, who wished to remain anonymous, has claimed that he and his colleagues were instructed by management last week not to work outside their contracted hours. 
“We were told that if you feel you are not going to get your letters and parcels all delivered before your shift is up you are to leave mail behind,” the postman told The Impartial Reporter.
“They [the management] said if you know you are not going to get your full duty done leave a specific amount out so you are finished on time,” added our source.
The postman explained that the moment he and others reach their contacted eight hours of work each day it is considered overtime which is “entirely dictated by the volume of mail.”
“Initially at the beginning you had to give them your predicated overtime for the day. I could have said an hour, that didn’t mean you were going to be out for that amount of time. If I was 15 minutes over they would be on the phone querying why I was longer than I said I’d be.
“Sometimes management contact you during your shift to find out if you were going to meet your predicated overtime. There is added pressure to get all done within that time, you are constantly clock watching. It’s like pressure cooker boiling away until the whistle goes off,” he said. 
But last week the postman said he and his colleagues received new instructions. 
“Now for some strange reason overnight they say no overtime is allowed anymore. They don’t give this to you in writing, it’s all verbal. It makes you feel undervalued and degraded.
“I know of staff who are delivering everything and are not claiming overtime for fear of what might happen. Some staff work faster than others, some work through their breaks so they can finish up early,” he said. 
A number of locations have experienced delays in the delivery of mail in the past week, according to the postman, including: parts of Enniskillen, Derrylin, Belleek, Maguiresbridge, Lisnaskea, Irvinestown and Ballinamallard where there has also been an issue with staff sickness. 
“Customers have been receiving their mail late. There could be vital hospital appointments or documentation to do with businesses, homes, farms, bank statements or bills. I class this as very serious. Staff are very irate about this, they don’t know what to do,” claimed the postman.
Ulster Unionist Councillor Diana Armstrong issued a statement this week in which she described the situation as “disgraceful” and also claimed that some areas are “not having their post delivered”
“Royal Mail have always given a commitment that they will not reduce their everyday postal delivery service, but it appears they are now doing so by stealth.
“Many of us have been aware of the poor delivery service of many posted items in the past, however we are now being informed that Royal Mail are deliberately not delivering post in certain areas in order to save money,” she said. 
The Impartial Reporter asked Royal Mail to address the claim that staff are not being paid overtime, if letters and parcels have not been delivered as claimed, and to respond to the concerns expressed by the postman that staff feel under pressure as a result. 
Royal Mail spokesperson Morag Turnbull, said: “It is untrue to suggest that there is a ban on overtime at Royal Mail in Fermanagh. As we do all year round, overtime is offered and paid where we need it and is aligned to the volumes and workload we have to deal with.”
Specifically responding to Councillor Armstrong’s claims, Ms. Turnball said: “It is also untrue that we are deliberately not delivering post in certain areas in order to save money. Royal Mail is proud to provide the Universal Service Obligation in Northern Ireland and recognises its importance to individuals, small and medium sized businesses and the wider economy, especially in rural areas.”
Ms. Turnball added: “Unfortunately, we have been experiencing unusually high levels of sick absence locally in some areas of Fermanagh over the past couple of weeks. This has led to mail arriving late with customers on some occasions and we apologise for this. 
“We are committed to delivering high quality of service to our customer in Fermanagh and deliveries are being made today as normal,” she said.