Monday 23rd July 2007
Following the previous industrial action taken by Communication Workers Union (CWU) members within Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd it has been announced that rolling strike action will take place across Royal Mail sites from 25 July to 8 August and at all “Crown” Post Offices in the Post Office Network on 27 and 31 July, between 14:30 and 19:00. This action does not affect the 14,000 sub-post offices available nationwide.
Customers submitting their applications via Royal Mail 1st or 2nd Class may experience a delay in the delivery to IPS. They should therefore allow additional time for IPS to process the application and at least an additional week to receive their passport.
Customers may wish to submit their applications via the Check and Send, as these are delivered via Royal Mail Special Delivery. All attempts will be made by Royal Mail to maintain this service, however they may still experience a delay in the delivery to IPS and therefore must allow additional time for IPS to process the application.
All new passports are delivered to customers by SMS (Secure Mail Services). There will be no delay on this service, however customers are reminded not to book any travel arrangements until they receive their passports.
Customers have the option to pay for the return of their supporting documents by secure delivery via SMS and are encouraged to do so. There will be no delay on this service.
Customers who have not paid for the secure delivery of their supporting documents may experience a delay in receipt as these are delivered using the Royal Mail 2nd Class Service.
Customers who need to urgently reply to correspondence from IPS should be advised to use Royal Mail Special Delivery or they can bring the response in to their nearest regional passport office for attachment to their application.
The “Crown” offices account for about 450 Post Office branches or 20% of the network that provide the Check & Send service. All attempts will be made by Post Office Ltd to maintain this service, however they may still experience a delay in the delivery to IPS and therefore must allow additional time for IPS to process the application.
IPS has been monitoring the situation with regard to the services provided by Royal Mail Group and Post Office Ltd and we have updated our contingency plans in preparation for any action. We also have assurances of the service we will receive from Royal Mail and the minimal affect this will have on our customers or processes. IPS will continue to closely monitor the situation and keep customers aware of any developments.
