The privatisation of Royal Mail has been a failure - Yorkshire Post Letters

The Royal Mail, a public service since 1635, was privatised by Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable in the Cameron coalition government. He promised it would be a bold new future for the service, but actually privatisation has been a disaster, and 68 per cent of the UK public want it renationalised.

Last year its top three managers received £4m between them and its shareholders received £4m in dividends while postmen and postwomen are on £11.89 an hour.

These much criticised managers have introduced trackers, which monitor posties every second of the day, are trying to force posties to work on Sundays, and have offered them a derisory pay award which will mean another cut in their living standards.

They claim that with email there is no need for the six day a week universal service which delivers mail from London to Edinburgh for the same price as a letter next door.

But the security of the Royal Mail service, free from hacking, means that it is the only way of delivering important mail such as legal documents, bank cards, and passports. And in rural areas a postman is the eyes and ears of the community. The Royal Mail is a service not just a business.

No wonder the financial vultures are circling over this proud British institution. The Czech billionaire Kretinsky owns 25 per cent of the company. Does the Royal Seal mean nothing to His Majesty's Government?

Right wing ideologues who believe in the private ownership of everything should have a look at the United States Postal Service, which has been a part of the Federal Government since 1792. It receives no government subsidy on a turnover of $71bn, delivering 48 per cent of the world's mail and as part of its mission "will remain an integral part of the United States Government providing all Americans with universal and open access to our delivery network".