Stamps without a barcode won’t be accepted for postage after today.
A scannable barcode will now be present on every stamp as part of a new initiative to digitalize them.
In February of last year, barcoded stamps were introduced, enabling users to view additional content like movies and messages from senders.
The plan, according to Royal Mail, will increase productivity and incorporate more “security features.” In the future, the technology is anticipated to advance and find new applications.
In order to allow individuals more time to use them up, the expiration date for stamps without a barcode was extended by six months from the initial end-of-January date.
Old-style stamps, however, will be considered to have inadequate postage as of tomorrow, August 1, and will incur a £1.10 fee.
However, anyone who still has stamps without a barcode can still trade them in for fresh ones.
By printing and completing this Stamp Swap Out form, you can exchange up to £200 worth of non-barcoded stamps if you have a printer.
No other address information or postcode is required; simply write “Freepost SWAP OUT” on the envelope and include the form with your stamps to send it without paying postage.
Use the Bulk Stamp Swap Out form if you have a printer and more than £200 worth of stamps to exchange.
It needs to be delivered to the following address: Royal Mail, Swap Out, Tallents House, 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.
By filling out this form, you can ask for a Stamp Swap Out form to be mailed to you if you don’t have access to a printer.
Forms for stamp exchanges can also be obtained at the customer service desk at your neighbourhood delivery offices.
At a post office, you cannot directly exchange your stamps.
The Queen’s face-themed barcoded stamps are still in use. In April, the first stamps bearing the image of King Charles were made available.
Due to the inevitable discontinuation of the Queen’s stamps, we will likely see two monarchs on our post for a number of years, which is unusual given how long it has been.
As a manager declared a fictitious double-digit pay increase for staff, Royal Mail issued an apology for the “tone deaf” April Fools’ joke.
A banner that announced an 11% wage increase amid the cost-of-living issue seems to have been posted last Saturday at the Royal Mail Gloucester North distribution office.
Communication Workers Union (CWU)-affiliated posties have gone on a string of strikes in protest of their salary and working conditions.
But the poster got striking workers’ hopes up as it claimed Royal Mail and the union had reached a breakthrough.
‘We are pleased to announce that agreement has been reached,’ the poster read.
The joke sign said an 11% pay rise ‘backdated to April 2022’ would take into effect from Friday.
The manager of the regional delivery offices called on their staff to share the poster on social media (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
Some 10,000 ‘telegram boys’ would also be hired and a ‘brand new fleet of diesel vans and bicycles to replace electric vans’, the poster joked.
In reality, Royal Mail is set to axe more than 10,000 jobs by August while also not replacing staff who leave.
For months, the CWU has accused Royal Mail of plans which include cuts to workers’ terms and conditions, introducing compulsory Sunday shifts, cutting sick pay, three-hour delivery delays and inferior terms for new employees.
‘Please feel free to share on social media and tell all your CWU colleagues,’ the poster added.
The poster was pinned up only days after the CWU said it was preparing to announce even more industrial action as pay talks continue to stall.
Royal Mail postal carriers on social media tore into the poster, branding the manager a ‘horrible human being’ and ‘unprofessional’.
One said: ‘No managers should be making jokes at our expense with what they have been part of, April Fools’ Day or not.’
Another added: ‘Jesus Christ. I mean that’s mildly funny but read the room man.’
‘I ain’t laughing,’ a third postie said. ‘They should be conducted. Horrible human being.’
On Twitter, a user wrote: ‘Royal Mail pulling April fools prank on us postman, this is all a big joke to them isn’t it, we are just getting the piss taken out of us.’
CWU was also less than impressed by the poster. ‘For many Royal Mail employees, the workplace is now a completely toxic environment where nasty, tone-deaf “jokes” such as these are considered culturally acceptable,’ a spokesperson said.
Royal Mail and the manager behind the poster have both since apologised for the stunt.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: ‘We apologise for any upset caused by this misjudged April Fools’ joke at one of our delivery offices
‘The poster was removed and the local manager has apologised.’
Royal Mail has unveiled the final set of stamps honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth gave her blessing to the Flying Scotsman-themed Special Stamps collection before she passed away.
It will be the final set to feature Her Majesty’s silhouette before the new King Charles-themed stamps become available on April 4.
Stamps include London North Eastern Railway poster artwork from 1920s and 1930s
The Queen’s silhouette has been in constant use on Royal Mail’s Special Stamps since 1968 and for more than 50 years the programme has commemorated anniversaries and celebrated events related to UK heritage and life.
Stamps feature a close-up of the train at Shildon, Durham, as well as at London’s Victoria Station
The images feature the train in various locations across the country, such as in a blizzard at Heap Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway or steaming through the town of Blyth in Northumberland.
A further four stamps were released in a miniature sheet that show images of the Flying Scotsman and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s.
The train is pictured in a blizzard at Heap Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway
The stamps will be available to pre-order from Feb 28 on Royal Mail’s website, while the collection goes on general sale from March 9 priced at £17.70.
The other images on the stamps include the Flying Scotsman in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, crossing the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed and as a close-up at Shildon, Durham, as well as at London’s Victoria Station.
Four stamps show images from London North Eastern Railway poster artwork
David Gold, the director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel.
“This remarkable locomotive epitomisesthe romance of rail travel and is loved by people all over the world. We are honoured to mark this landmark milestone with a set of Special Stamps.”
Images of Flying Scotsman were chosen from amongst hundreds of period photographs
Royal Mail worked closely with Bob Gwynne, the associate curator at the National Railway Museum, to select the images featured on the stamps. They were chosen from among hundreds of period photographs.
A postal workerwho is taking part in the strike action today discusses the complaints that front-line Royal Mail employees have and asserts that the firm will comply with their demands after the main Christmas season.
He said that the 115,000 frontline employees were fighting for the company’s very survival.
Workers are on strike today, and more walkouts are expected on December 11, 14, 15, 23, and 24.
In exchange for a greater salary raise, the firm is pursuing a modernization program that includes voluntary Sunday work. According to their union, the CWU, this would transform Royal Mail into a “gig economy-style parcel courier, dependent on casual labor.”
Royal Mail has argued it is crucial to help it better compete as it places a greater focus on the lucrative parcel delivery sphere at a time when the company is losing £1m a day.
Derek, who is a union member but not a rep, explained that while part of the fight was for better pay, he and his colleagues were walking out to protect the company’s values from a future that would mean a worse deal for the public and staff alike.
He said Royal Mail was attempting to weaken its commitments to letter delivery and make its contracted workers go further, through increased flexibility, to line the pockets of shareholders.
Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, told Sky News that even if they were offered a 50% pay rise they would not accept it if the same terms and conditions were attached.
Image: The company has accused CWU leader Dave Ward of spreading unfounded claims about Royal Mail’s modernization plans
The main gripes, Derek said, covered Sunday working and later start times for deliveries.
“The pay deal is something we wanted but 2% (with more in return for accepting new working practices) was a joke,” he said.
“The vision is to start deliveries later and finish later but if you don’t complete by your time allocated, we don’t know where we stand as the goalposts keep changing. It becomes a conduct issue.
“They’ve got us by the b****.
“We are cutting off (finishing rounds before completion) on a regular basis because we’re not getting paid any extra to clear backlogs.”
CWU’s Dave Ward on what postal union will accept over pay deal
Derek blamed staff shortages, saying agency workers had been brought in to help.
“We’re on £12 an hour. Agency is getting £15-20,” he said.
“The night shifts for Christmas are another issue. The backlog is phenomenal. Packages are being prioritized when the company insists that is not the case.
Royal Mail boss: Union leaders are ‘trying to destroy Xmas’
“It’s the terms and conditions that are the paramount issue in this dispute. They’re trying to fix something that doesn’t need it.
“Once Christmas is over, they’ll do whatever they want and impose these changes.
“Compulsory working Sundays – I didn’t sign up for that. They say it’s voluntary but I’m having to do that now.
“Sickness is going through the roof.”
He added that Royal Mail was deducting wages by £117 per day for strike days.
“I only earn £75 per day but they’ve taken off allowances including for the loss of leaflet drops,” he claimed.
“Royal Mail said: “We are not docking extra days’ pay – if people work, are on annual leave, off sick or on a rest day, then they are paid as normal; if people take part in strike action, then they are not paid for the period that they are on strike.”
Royal Mail reacted to the growing cost of the strikes in October by launching a consultation on job cuts that could see around 10,000 roles cut by the end of August 2023. It later revealed half-year financial losses of £219m.
The company made, what it called, a “best and final” offer to end the dispute in late November.
However, its “extensive improvements” were rejected by the CWU.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said of Derek’s comments: “Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, has made several false statements about job losses designed to mislead and create fear and uncertainty amongst our employees.
“As recently 28 November, we wrote Mr Ward to correct his false allegations that Royal Mail is planning to ‘sack’ thousands of workers and wants to become ‘another courier company.
“This is simply not true. We have already announced that reductions in 10,000 full-time equivalent roles – which have become necessary as a result of industrial action, the need for better productivity, and lower parcel volumes following the pandemic – will be achieved through natural attrition, reducing temporary workers and a generous voluntary redundancy scheme which has been oversubscribed.
The company’s under-fire chief executive urges the CWU to accept its terms as retailers brace for disruption over the core Christmas shopping season.
Royal Mail says it has delivered a “best and final” offer to the union representing its frontline workers, in a bid to avert a 48-hour strike to begin on Thursday and covering the Black Friday shopping spree.
The company, which claimed earlier this month that a series of walkouts in a row over pay and modernisation had cost it £100m, said a number of “extensive improvements” were on the table to resolve the dispute with the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
The central offer was a pay deal of up to 9% over 18 months.
Royal Mail said its measures also included a new profit share scheme for employees and making voluntary redundancy terms more generous.
The CWU responded swiftly with a tweet.
“We have today met with Royal Mail Group. CEO Simon Thompson did not even attend the meeting. The strikes tomorrow and Friday go ahead.”
It later released a statement to say that the company’s terms would turn Royal Mail into a “gig economy-style parcel courier, reliant on casual labour.”
Loss-making Royal Mail has argued that it must move with the times to survive.
It has sought to be excused its requirement for letter deliveries on Saturdays and wants to be able to deliver more profitable parcels seven days a week – on Sundays, for the first time, under its plans.
Image: Royal Mail staff on a picket line in Southampton
Royal Mail said last month it was to consult on 6,000 redundancies but promised on Wednesday there would be no job losses before the end of March next year under its offer to the CWU.
Its parent firm IDS has threatened to carve Royal Mail from the wider group unless it can establish a path back to profitability which, Royal Mail has argued, is impossible with costly industrial action.
The union conducted a vote of no confidence in Mr Thompson among its 115,000 Royal Mail members earlier this week.
He said of the deal now on the table: “Talks have lasted for seven months and we have made numerous improvements and two pay offers, which would now see up to a 9% pay increase over 18 months alongside a host of other enhancements. This is our best and final offer.
“Negotiations involve give and take, but it appears that the CWU’s approach is to just take. We want to reach a deal, but time is running out for the CWU to change their position and avoid further damaging strike action tomorrow.
“The strikes have already added £100m to Royal Mail’s losses so far this year. In a materially loss-making company, with every additional day of strike action we are facing the difficult choice of about whether we spend our money on pay and protecting jobs, or on the cost of strikes.”
CWU general secretary Dave Ward responded: “We are disappointed that instead of reaching a compromise to avoid major disruption, Royal Mail have chosen to pursue such an aggressive strategy.
“We will not accept that 115,000 Royal Mail workers – the people who kept us connected during the pandemic, and made millions in profit for bosses and shareholders – take such a devastating blow to their livelihoods.
“These proposals spell the end of Royal Mail as we know it, and its degradation from a national institution into an unreliable, Uber-style gig economy company.
“Make no mistake about it: British postal workers are facing an Armageddon moment.
“We urge every member of the public to stand with their postie, and back them like never before.”
The Communication Workers Union is requesting an urgent meeting with the firm board to submit an alternative business plan, blaming losses on “gross mismanagement.”
Royal Mail has announced it will begin a process to make 5,000 to 6,000 roles redundant by August next year.
The announcement, made in a trading update by the postal service’s parent company, has been blamed on industrial action taken by Royal Mail workers, delays in improving productivity, and falling parcel volumes.
A process of “consulting on rightsizing” is to begin. Jobs are to be reduced by an estimated 5,000 full-time roles by March 2023 and 10,000 by end of August 2023 to achieve short-term cost efficiencies, International Distributions Services plc said.
Based on current estimates, around 5,000 to 6,000 redundancies may be required by end of August 2023, it added.
The parent company reported a loss of £219m for the first half of this financial year, compared to a profit of £235m during the last financial year.
Around £70mof that loss was attributed to “direct negative impacts” from three days of industrial action.
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail workers, had been engaged in strike action over pay and conditions.
Around 115,000 Royal Mail staff walked out over pay and conditions in what the CWU said is the biggest national strike of any sector this year.
Twenty-one days are to be affected by the strikes.
Commenting on the announcement CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “The announcement is the result of gross mismanagement and a failed business agenda of ending daily deliveries, a wholesale leveling-down of the terms, pay and conditions of postal workers, and turning Royal Mail into a gig economy style parcel courier.
“What the company should be doing is abandoning its asset-stripping strategy and building the future based on utilising the competitive edge it already has in its deliveries to 32 million addresses across the country.
“The CWU is calling for an urgent meeting with the board and will put forward an alternative business plan at that meeting.
“This announcement is holding postal workers to ransom for taking legal industrial action against a business approachthat is not in the interests of workers, customers, or the future of Royal Mail. This is no way to build a company.”
Three new Royal Mail stamp designs feature Wallace and Gromit, Morph, and Shaun the Sheep.
It is hoped the Aardman Animations characters will “bring a smile to everyone’s face”, the postal service company said.
Some of the most celebrated characters created by the Bristol-based firm feature on the set of eight stamps.
Other fan favourites include Feathers McGraw, Timmy, Robin, Frank The Tortoise, and Rocky and Ginger.
The stamps are available to pre-order and will be on general sale from 19 October.
Aardman Animationswas founded in 1972 and is best known for its films using stop-motion and clay modelling animation techniques.
Image caption, One of the key moments depicted is from the short film The Wrong Trousers
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Speaking about the collaboration, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policyDavid Gold said: “These instantly recognisable, iconic animated characters have found a place in our hearts.
“We are certain they will add a bit of joy to any envelope.”
In addition to the eight stamps, an exclusive miniature sheet, created specially for Royal Mail by Aardman, will also be available.
On the miniature sheet, Wallace and Gromit celebrate four of their favorite moments displayed on the wall in their home at 62 West Wallaby Street.
IMAGE SOURCE, ROYAL MAIL/AARDMAN Image caption,
Characters include Rocky and Ginger, Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit, Frank The Tortoise, Timmy, Morph and Chas, Robin and Shaun The Sheep
Key moments on the stamps include those from Wallace and Gromit animated short films A Matter Of Loaf And Death, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, and A Grand Day Out.
Aardman’s managing director Sean Clarke said: “We have had the pleasure of creating these films featuring these much-loved characters over the last 40 years, so it is a real honour for the studio to receive this royal stamp of approval.
“It’s a true testament to all the hard work that goes into making these productions and we are sure that our fans will enjoy them.”
![PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: THE POSTER ANNOUNCING THE PAY RISE - THAT TURNED OUT TO BE AN 'APRIL FOOLS' PRANK' ) Royal Mail bosses have been forced to apologise after a manager announced a huge pay rise for 'stressed-out' striking staff - only for them to realise it's a 'nasty APRIL FOOLS' PRANK'. The letter claims Royal Mail and the Communication Worker's Union (CWU) have 'reached an agreement' after months of strikes over pay. The letter details a breakthrough pay rise of 11 per cent, backdated to April 2022, to be paid on Tuesday [April 4] and boasts about staff being allowed to use their own cars for deliveries DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_150758633-bde5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C789)
