§ Mr. N. Pannellasked the Postmaster-General what steps he proposes to take to revise the pay and conditions of post office manipulative staff in the light of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service.
§ Mr. Marples:Reports of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit show that changes must be made to bring the pay and conditions of service of the main manipulative rank-and-file staff of the Post Office more into line with those already ruling in broadly comparable employments outside the Civil Service. These changes, affecting wages, the arrangement and total 31W hours of work each week and other matters, have been discussed with the staff representatives and are subject to final ratification by the annual conferences of the unions. The alterations in hours of duty will involve some changes in the postal service. Only one postal delivery (the first) will be given on Saturdays (except that the London Postal Area will have 32W two deliveries); and Saturday collection services and postal services on Bank Holidays will be curtailed.
The gross cost will be about £11 million a year. We shall absorb what we can of this, but some increase in tariffs will be necessary if the Post Office is to balance its budget.