Royal Mail 349823 225878703 2008-07-15T20:47:06Z Mayalld 4481023 Reverted [[WP:AGF|good faith]] edits by [[Special:Contributions/TechnoBuddhist|TechnoBuddhist]]; Rv per [[WP:EL]] the same information is available from the Royal Mail site, WITHOUT the adverts. ([[WP:TW|TW]]) {{Infobox Company | company_name = Royal Mail Group Ltd | company_logo = [[Image:Royal Mail logo.PNG|250px|center]] | | company_type = [[Limited]] | genre = | foundation = 1660| founder = | location_city = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[London]] | location_country = [[United Kingdom]] | location = <!-- this parameter modifies "Headquarters" --> | origins = | key_people = [[Allan Leighton]], Chairman</br>[[Adam Crozier]], CEO | area_served = | industry = [[mail|postal service]] | products = | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = [[Post Office Limited]] | owner = [[HM Government]] | company_slogan = "With us it's personal" "Best and most trusted" | homepage = [http://www.royalmailgroup.com/ royalmailgroup.com]<br>[http://www.royalmail.com/ royalmail.com] | dissolved = | footnotes = }} '''Royal Mail''' is the national [[mail|postal service]] of the [[United Kingdom]]. Historically, the '''General Post Office''' was a [[government department]], which included — and still does — the Royal Mail delivery business; but it became The Post Office, a state-owned corporation, in 1969 and then a [[Public Limited Company]] wholly owned by [[HM Government]] in 2000. The name initially registered with [[Companies House]] was Trushelfco (No 2758) and this was changed to '''Consignia plc''' on 26th January 2001. This new name was aimed at ending the confusion that had existed between the terms '''The Post Office''' (the whole organisation) and ''Post Offices'' (the customer accessible counters). Another reason was to have a unique name for the international market. This new name was unpopular with employees, the unions and the general public; and Consignia plc became '''Royal Mail Group''' plc in 2002, and then '''Royal Mail Group Limited''' in 2007. Unlike other former [[state monopolies]] such as [[The Stationery Office]], [[British Gas plc|British Gas]] and [[British Telecom]], Royal Mail was not [[privatisation|privatised]] in the 1980s and 1990s, but remains a [[limited company]] wholly owned by the [[Politics of the United Kingdom|UK government]]. A wholly owned [[subsidiary]] of Royal Mail is [[Post Office Limited]], which operates the national network of post offices. As the activities of Royal Mail have been reduced, so the network of post offices has contracted. Royal Mail remains responsible for the universal mail collection and delivery service in the UK. Letters are deposited in a [[pillar box|pillar]] or [[wall box]], taken to a [[post office]], or (by arrangement) collected in bulk from businesses. Deliveries are made at least once every day (except Sundays and [[Bank Holiday]]s) at uniform charges for all destinations within the UK. According to its annual report for the year ended [[26 March]] [[2006]], Royal Mail delivers 84 million items every working day and has a network of 14,376 post offices. Revenue for the year was £9.056 billion, and profits before tax were £312 million. Since this time, profits have dropped year on year – £233 million in 2006/7 falling to a £10 million/annum trading deficit in 2007. In 2008, the BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7417634.stm reported] that Royal Mail's trading position had worsened dramatically to an annual loss of £279 million/yr in financial 2007. As this met government targets, the [[Adam_Crozier | CEO's]] remuneration increased to a [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7417634.stm record high]. ==History== {{seealso|General Post Office (United Kingdom)}} [[Image:PostOffice20040124CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|right|The main post office in [[Oxford, England]], in [[St Aldate's]].]] [[Image:UK_post_office_box.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Victorian era|Victorian]] hexagonal red post box outside [[King's College, Cambridge]].]] The Royal Mail traces its history back to 1516, when [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] established a "Master of the Posts", a post which eventually evolved into the office of the [[Postmaster General of the United Kingdom|Postmaster General]]. The Royal Mail service was first made available to the public by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] on [[July 31]] [[1635]], with postage being paid by the recipient, and the [[General Post Office (United Kingdom)|General Post Office]] (GPO) was officially established by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] in 1660. Between 1719 and 1763, [[Ralph Allen]], Postmaster at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], signed a series of contracts with the post office to develop and expand Britain's postal network. He organised mail coaches which were provided by both Wilson & Company of London and Williams & Company of Bath. The early [[Mail coach|Royal Mail Coaches]] were similar to ordinary family coaches but with Post Office [[livery]].<ref> http://www.bathpostalmuseum.org/hop5.html</ref> ===Uniform penny postage=== {{main|Uniform Penny Post}} [[Image:RoyalMailPostBoxMansfieldCollegeHiraV.jpg|thumb|left|A post box in front of [[Mansfield College, Oxford]]. It is marked ''ER VII'' for ''Edvardvs Rex'', the seventh ([[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|King Edward VII]])]] The mail underwent substantial reforms when the [[Uniform Penny Post]] was introduced on [[January 10]], [[1840]] whereby a single rate for delivery anywhere in the UK was pre-paid by the sender. A few months later, to certify that postage had been paid on a letter, the sender could affix the first adhesive [[postage stamp]], the [[Penny Black]] that was available for use from May 6 of the same year. Other innovations were the introduction of pre-paid [[Mulready stationery|William Mulready designed]] [[postal stationery]] [[letter sheet]]s and envelopes. As the first country to issue stamps, British stamps are the only stamps that [[Postage stamp design|do not bear the name of the country of issue on them]]. It has been asserted that it is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2251280.ece| title=The World's Strangest Laws| author=The Times| accessdate=2007-08-25}}</ref> However, the newspaper that made this claim provides no source for this assertion, and none of the various [[Treason]] Acts make any mention of postage stamps. ===Pillar boxes=== {{main|pillar box}} Traditionally UK post boxes carry the Latin initials of the reigning [[monarch]] at the time of their installation: in this case ''VR'' for [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|''Victoria Regina'']]. Pillar boxes and other RMG Street Furniture are maintained by Romec Ltd. ===1960 to present=== In 1969 the GPO was changed from a government department to a state-owned company, and the position of [[United Kingdom Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] was abolished. In 2000, The Post Office renamed itself ‘Consignia’. However, the change proved to be highly unpopular with both the public and even the organisation's own employees, with the [[Communication Workers Union (UK)|Communication Workers' Union]] boycotting the name. In 2002, the organisation adopted the name "Royal Mail Group plc" with the following operating divisions: *Royal Mail, delivering letters *[[Parcelforce]], delivering parcels *[[Post Office Limited]], managing the nationwide network of post office branches as [[retail]] outlets. Contrary to urban myth, Royal Mail does not own the trademark on the colour red, but a specific shade of the colour red: "Royal Mail, the Royal Mail Cruciform, the colour red (as part of the Royal Mail logotype) and SmartStamp are all registered trademarks of Royal Mail Group plc.".<ref>http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2?catId=400138&mediaId=600023</ref> In 2001 the government set up a postal regulator, [[Postcomm]], and offered licences to private companies to deliver mail. In 2001, the Consumer Council for Postal Services, more commonly known as [[Postwatch]], was created for consumers to express any concerns they may have with the postal service in the UK. From [[January 1]], [[2006]], the Royal Mail lost its 350-year monopoly and the UK postal market became fully open to competition. ===Timeline=== [[Image:Mount Pleasant postal sorting office 2.jpg|thumb|London's largest sorting office, Mount Pleasant]] *1516: Royal Mail established by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] under Master of the Posts. *1635: Royal Mail service first made available to the public by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. *1654: [[Oliver Cromwell]] grants monopoly over service in England to "Office of Postage". *1657: Fixed postal rates introduced. *1660: [[General Post Office (United Kingdom)|General Post Office]] (GPO) officially established by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. *1661: First use of [[franking|date stamp]]. First Postmaster General appointed. *1784: First [[Mail coach]] (between [[Bristol]] and [[London]]). *1793: First uniformed delivery staff. Post Office Investigation Branch formed, the oldest recognised criminal investigations authority in the world. *1830: First [[mail train]] (on [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]]). *1840: First adhesive [[postage stamp|stamp]] (the [[Penny Black]]). *1852: First Post Office [[pillar box]] erected in [[Jersey]]. *1853: First post boxes erected in mainland Britain. *1857: First [[wall boxes]] installed [[Shrewsbury]] and [[Market Drayton]] *1870: Post Office begins [[telegraph]] service. *1870: Post Office Act banned sending of `indecent or obscene` literature *1880: First use of [[bicycle]]s to deliver mail. *1881: [[Postal order]] introduced. *1883: [[Parcel post]] begins. *1894: First [[Postcard|picture postcards]]. *1912: Post Office opens national [[telephone]] service. *1919: First international [[airmail]] service. *1968: Two-class postal system introduced. National Giro bank opens. *1969: [[Post Office (United Kingdom)|General Post Office]] changes from government department to nationalised industry. *1974: [[UK postcodes|Postcodes]] extended over all UK. *1981: Telecommunications services split out as [[British Telecom]]. Remainder renamed as "Post Office". *1986: Separated businesses of delivering letters, delivering parcels and operating post offices. *1989: Royal Mail establishes RoMec (Royal Mail Engineering & Construction) to deliver Facilities Maintenance services to its business. RoMec becomes owned 51% Royal Mail and 49% Haden BML in a joint venture. *1990: [[Girobank]] sold to the [[Alliance & Leicester]] Building Society. *1990: Royal Mail Parcels re-branded as [[Parcelforce]]. *1999: A new business: Royal Mail ViaCode - or ViaCode Limited - was launched. This wholly-owned subsidiary of the Post Office offered online encryption services to businesses, using 'digital certificate' technology. The short-lived venture was wound up in 2002<ref>http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/03/17/royal_email_backs_security_service/</ref>. *2004: Reduction of deliveries to once daily. [[Travelling post office]] ("Mail Trains") end. [[SmartStamp]] is introduced. *2005: Mail Trains re-introduced on some lines. *2006: Royal Mail loses its monopoly when the regulator, [[PostComm]], opens up the Postal Market 3 years ahead of the rest of Europe.<ref>http://www.postalconsumers.org/content/IPU/060701.pdf#search=%22royal%20mail%20competition%20europe%22</ref> Competitors can carry mail, and pass it to Royal Mail for delivery, a service known as [[Downstream access]] Also introduces [[Pricing in Proportion]] (PiP) for first and second class inland mail. *2006: [[Royal Mail Online Postage|Online postage]] allows Royal Mail customers to pay for postage on the web, without the need to buy traditional stamps. *2007: Royal Mail Group PLC becomes Royal Mail Group Ltd in a slight change of legal status. *2007: Official Industrial Action takes place for the first time in 11 years over pay, conditions and pensions. *2008: Sunday collections from pillar boxes end. ==Non-postal services== Royal Mail introduced telegraph services in 1870 and [[telephone]] services in 1912. It took over nearly all of the UK's municipal telephone companies (the sole exception being [[Kingston Communications]] in Hull) and was responsible for the resultant telephone network until [[British Telecommunications]] was demerged by the [[British Telecommunications Act 1981]]. BT was later privatised. The [[National Giro Bank]] was introduced in 1968, and sold to [[Alliance & Leicester]] in 1990.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Historically, many government benefits and [[state retirement pension]]s were paid in cash through the post office network. However, in recent years, an increasing proportion of benefit and pension payments have been made directly by [[bank transfer]], leading to a loss of revenue for Post Office branches and many closures. == Public interest == The Royal Mail is regulated by Postcomm, while consumer interests are represented by Postwatch. The relationship between the two has not always been good and in 2005 Postwatch took Postcomm to [[Judicial Review]] over its decision regarding rebates to late-paying customers. The Government department responsible for the Royal Mail is the [[Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform]], however the public financial interest is managed by the [[Shareholder executive]] Although now a private company, the Royal Mail enjoys special protection under Government legislation which severely limits consumer rights. Under the Postal Services Act 2000, the Royal Mail is under no contractual obligation to deliver most mail, including [[Royal Mail Special Delivery|special delivery]] items. In addition, no court action can be taken against the Royal Mail more than 12 months after an item is posted. Royal Mail has, in some quarters, a poor reputation for losing mail despite more than 99.6% of mail arriving safely. According to Home Office figures from 2002 up to a million letters a week were lost or delivered to the wrong address <ref>Postwatch, "Royal Mail's Lost Mail", press release, 12 August 2002[http://www.postwatch.co.uk/pdf/pressnews/12.8.02lostmail.pdf (PDF)]</ref> and one in five {{Fact|date=April 2007}} of these have been stolen, even letters or parcels sent via Recorded Delivery. However, most of these thefts are due to external crime rather than theft by staff{{Fact|date=April 2007}}. The Chief Executive of Royal Mail, [[Adam Crozier]] has been quoted on various occasions as saying that "every single letter is important." ==Industrial relations== {{see also|2007 Royal Mail industrial disputes}} {{see also|Communication Workers Union (UK)}} Royal Mail has been at the centre of a number of industrial disputes during its history - notably the national [[wildcat strikes]] in 2003<ref>[http://libcom.org/library/wildcats-return-with-a-roar-postal-wildcat-strike-2003 "Wildcats return with a roar - postal wildcat strike, 2003" (libcom.org)]</ref> and a seven-week strike in 1971.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/8/newsid_2516000/2516343.stm 1971: "Post strike ends with pay deal" (bbc.co.uk)]</ref> More recently, workers at Royal Mail set up the discussion forum [http://royalmailchat.co.uk royalmailchat] "for all employees and customers of Royal Mail"<ref>[http://royalmailchat.co.uk Royal Mail Chat]</ref> which has been central to the summer 2007 dispute over pay and conditions. By Autumn 2007, these disputes began to escalate into industrial action.<ref> {{cite news | author = Mark Tran and agencies | title = Crozier hits out at striking postal workers | publisher = [[The Guardian]] | date = 2007-10-09 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/post/story/0,,2186926,00.html | accessdate = 2007-11-11 }} </ref> In mid October unions and management agreed a resolution to the dispute. ==Fleet== [[Image:RoyalMailVan.jpg|thumb|right|Royal Mail [[Ford Transit]] van]] In addition to running a large number of road vehicles, Royal Mail uses trains, a ship and an aircraft, with an air hub at [[East Midlands Airport]]. The following aircraft are included in the dedicated fleet: * 1x [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-3Y0]] G-ZAPV operated by [[Titan Airways]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0896455/L/| title=G-ZAPV| author=Airliners.net| accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref> The [[RMS St. Helena]] is a cargo and passenger ship that serves the [[British overseas territory]] of Saint Helena. It sails between [[Cape Town]] and [[Saint Helena]], occasionally visiting the dependencies of [[Ascension Island]] and [[Tristan da Cunha]]. It also visits the [[Isle of Portland]], [[England]] twice per year. It is one of the last remaining ocean-going ships to carry the designation [[Royal Mail Ship]]. The [[London Post Office Railway]] is no longer in use.<ref>[http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.301893.0.final_delivery_for_mail_rail.php "Final delivery for Mail"], ''This is Local London'', [[2003]]-[[05-30]].</ref> ==Business services== The Royal Mail runs, alongside its stamped mail services, another sector of post called business mail. The large majority of Royal Mail's business mail service is for PPI or franked mail, where the sender prints their own 'stamp'. For PPI mail this involves either a simple rubber stamp and an ink pad, or a printed label. For franked mail, a dedicated [[franking machine]] [http://fpsouthwest.co.uk/images/Ultimail.jpg] is used. ==See also== * [[Guernsey Post]] * [[Isle of Man Post]] * [[Jersey Post]] * [[General Post Office (United Kingdom)]] * [[Post Office Ltd|Post Office]] - UK * [[Royal Mail Ship]] * [[London Post Office Railway]] * [[United States Postal Service]] - U.S. equivalent (in structure and operations) to the Royal Mail * http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3681547.stm ==References== <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> {{reflist}} *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4274335.stm BBC report on loss of monopoly] *Getting the Message - The Story of the British Post Office - Christopher Browne 1993 [[ISBN]] 0750903511 *A brief history of the POST OFFICE - A GPO public relations publication 1965 ==External links== {{Commons|Category:Royal Mail|Royal Mail}} *[http://www.royalmail.com/ Royal Mail site] *[http://www.royalmailgroup.com Royal Mail Group plc] *[http://www.royalmailgroup.com/aboutus/aboutus8.asp Royal Mail Group - About us: Facts] *[http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/ The British Postal Museum &amp; Archive - Our history through the post] *[http://www.postwatch.co.uk/ Postwatch - The Consumer Council for Postal Services] *[http://www.postcomm.gov.uk/ Postcomm - regulator for postal services in the UK] * [[Monopolies and Mergers Commission]] – [http://www.mmc.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1984/180post_off_let_post_service.htm The organisation of the Post Office and its letter post operations] (September 1984) *[http://www.hellmail.co.uk/ Hellmail - Covers news stories about Royal Mail and other European postal operators] *[http://www.bathpostalmuseum.org/ Bath Postal Museum] *[http://www.mailroomnews.com/ Mailroom News] {{UK postal system}} [[Category:Government-owned companies]] [[Category:Organisations based in England with royal patronage]] [[Category:Postal organisations]] [[Category:Postal system of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Royal Mail]] [[Category:Service companies of the United Kingdom]] [[cy:Post Brenhinol]] [[de:Royal Mail]] [[et:Royal Mail]] [[fr:Royal Mail]] [[nl:Royal Mail]] [[no:Royal Mail]] [[pt:Royal Mail]] [[simple:Royal Mail]] [[fi:Royal Mail]] [[sv:Royal Mail]]