First-class stamps will
increase from 46p to 60p while second-class ones will soar by more than a third
from 36p to 50p.
Royal Mail will be raising prices from April 30 in
order to return the universal service to sustainability.
The government-owned postal service in fact, is under threat from 25 per
cent drop in postal volumes and losses of about £1billion over the last four
years. Volumes are expected to continue to fall as electronic alternatives have
replaced letters both within companies and private households.
Despite the current economic climate, price increases are needed to
safeguard the UK’s
postal service.
Royal Mail (RM) chief executive Moya Greene said that the increase will
restore RM finances and maintain the universal, six-day-a week and high-quality
service.
Posting a large letter will cost 90p for first class and
will go up to 69p for second class. The overall rise is the biggest since the
mid-Seventies and customers are joining the queue at post offices and outlets
across the country to secure a reasonable allocation of stamps before the end
of the months.
However, according to the Communication Workers Union, the move comes directly
from the government and is the natural progression towards full competition and
privatisation.
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