Royal Mail to end Saturday second-class deliveries

Royal Mail has announced plans to end Saturday second-class letter deliveries across the UK by December 2025, according to multiple reports. Second-class letters will instead be delivered on alternate weekdays, with three days one week and two days the next. The reforms, which were piloted across 35 delivery offices but had not expanded nationwide due to union disagreement, will be rolled out to 240 delivery offices as part of a wider trial before completing across the full 1,200 UK network by December. Ofcom gave the green light to Royal Mail's plans to scale back second-class letter deliveries starting from July 28. The changes are part of a broader overhaul of the Universal Service Obligation, under which Royal Mail must keep Monday to Saturday deliveries for first-class post. Royal Mail argues the changes to second-class deliveries are crucial to maintaining the letter delivery service and ensuring sustainability.

The agreement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) ends a lengthy dispute over the second-class post overhaul, according to multiple reports. Intensive talks with the CWU began at the beginning of February to resolve the dispute. The agreement includes a 4.75% pay rise for some workers and a 3% salary hike for those on legacy contracts, major media reported. New starters will have contracts based on standard 37-hour working weeks. Around 6,000 part-time postal workers can increase their average weekly hours if needed. CWU members will be consulted on the agreement. Alistair Cochrane, Chief Executive of Royal Mail, said in a statement: "This agreement with the CWU paves the way for Universal Service reform rollout and represents a significant investment in our people."

As part of the reforms, Royal Mail will invest £500 million over the next five years to improve service, according to major media. The company vows to meet letter delivery targets by May next year. First-class next-day delivery target is 90% within a year of reforms, and second-class three-day delivery target is 95% by May next year. Royal Mail was fined a record £21 million by Ofcom in October for missing delivery targets. In 2024-25, Royal Mail delivered only 77% of first-class post and 92.5% of second-class post on time. From April 1, Ofcom lowered the first-class next-day delivery target from 93% to 90% and second-class three-day target from 98.5% to 95%. Ofcom also added a new enforceable backstop target: 99% of mail must be delivered no more than two days late. Alistair Cochrane said: "We recognise our service hasn’t always been the standard our customers rightly expect and we’re determined to do better."

The price of a first-class stamp rose by 10p to £1.80 on April 7, and the price of a second-class stamp will rise by 4p to 91p, major media reported. Under the Universal Service Obligation, Royal Mail must keep Monday to Saturday deliveries for first-class post. Royal Mail argues the changes to second-class deliveries are crucial to maintaining the letter delivery service and ensuring sustainability. Alistair Cochrane added: "Moving ahead with reform will make a real difference to Royal Mail’s quality of service, supporting the delivery of a reliable, efficient and financially sustainable postal service for our customers across the UK."

There is a fundamental disagreement between Royal Mail's owner and the union representing its workers about the severity of service problems. Royal Mail owner Daniel Kretinsky apologised for late deliveries but denied the service is getting worse. "Of course I am deeply sorry for any letters that arrive late," Kretinsky said in a public speech. "It is not perfect, but it is not catastrophic." He insisted there was no management decision to prioritise parcels over letters. In contrast, the CWU told MPs the postal service had become 'chaotic' with workers told to leave doctors' and hospital letters on racks to prioritise parcels. This contradiction could affect public trust and regulatory scrutiny. The exact timeline for the nationwide rollout of the second-class delivery changes remains unclear, as does how the £500 million investment will be specifically allocated. The outcome of the CWU member consultation on the agreement is also pending. It is not yet known whether the changes to second-class deliveries will affect first-class Saturday deliveries, or how Royal Mail will ensure compliance with the new Ofcom backstop target of 99% delivery within two days late.