More than 1,800 sign petition in battle to save Royal Mail delivery office
A battle has been launched to try and save the Royal Mail's Bilston delivery office from closure.
More than 1,800 people have signed a petition started by disgruntled workers after it was revealed the office in Hall Street, along with another in Wombourne, had been earmarked for closure by the Royal Mail.
Around 75 workers would be moved from the two sites to the main offices in Sun Street, Wolverhampton, but no job losses are expected.
Staff are said to be "furious" about the changes, which could mean customers who live near the delivery offices having to travel to Sun Street to collect parcels.
An online petition calling for the proposals to be scrapped is already heading towards 2,000 signatures.
The petition started by Luke Taylor said: "This not only causes a problem for Royal Mail staff but also the general public that live within these areas. It will mean having to travel a lot further to collect parcels.
"As the quality of service will greatly suffer It could mean customers will receive their mail and parcels later."
Royal Mail has said the Bilston office is "no longer suitable" due to a fall in the number of letters and parcels being delivered.
Paul Hughes, who has worked at the Bilston delivery offices for around 10 years and is the Communication and Workers Union rep for the site, said discussions had begun with Royal Mail and he hoped bosses could be convinced to change their minds.
He said: "We have got the online petition going and are looking to start a paper petition in the next couple of weeks.
"We are totally against it but Royal Mail has said it is willing to listen to any objections as long as we can put a decent case forward. We have entered into a few months of talks to try and select a better proposals or an alternative premises.
"They are willing to talk. They understand we are totally against the idea but we have got to consider they are a business and they do rely on profits."
Royal Mail has said it will "undertake detailed planning before any operational move takes place ensure a smooth transition for our operations, our people and the service we provide to our customers".
