POST OFFICE REASSURES CUSTOMERS THAT 99 PERCENT OF 11,600 BRANCHES OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL TODAY

• FEWER THAN 40 BRANCHES CLOSED
• ALL BRANCHES WILL BE OPEN AS NORMAL ON 21, 22 AND 23 DECEMBER

The Post Office is reassuring customers that nearly all Post Office its branches are open today, despite the strike action called by the Communication Workers Union.

The Post Office has 11,600 branches around the country. The CWU’s call for strike action on 19 and 20 December involves fewer than 300 of these branches - 36 branches of which were closed yesterday, and 35 today.

All Post Office branches will be operating business as usual on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. Post Office also stressed that the strike action called by CWU does not involve Royal Mail employees and that there is no change to latest recommended posting dates.

Kevin Gilliland, Post Office, Group Network and Sales Director, said:

“We are pleased to say that over 99 per cent of our 11,600 branches are open and serving customers as they do throughout the year.

“On both days of strike action this week, the vast majority of our directly managed branches have opened for business – and all will be open as usual on 21, 22 and 23^rd December.”

“The Post Office plays a vital role in communities all over the UK and the changes we are making support our commitment to keeping these services widely available into the future.

“Our progress is clear - over the last four years, we’ve dramatically reduced our losses and need for government subsidy, at the same time as modernising nearly 7000 post offices, adding more than 200,000 extra opening hours each week, and becoming the largest UK retailer open on a Sunday.”

Post Office noted that further strike action Christmas Eve could close some branches again.

Kevin Gilliland: “Many of our around 300 Directly Managed branches will be open for business on Christmas Eve, but some will close at 12.30 or during the afternoon in line their normal Saturday opening hours. All of these branches will close by 4.00 p.m. We are reminding customers that all branches will be open as usual on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when they can take advantage of the full service for their final Christmas preparations.”

Advice to customers

Strike action has been called in Post Office branches for Monday 19th December, Tuesday 20th December and Saturday 24 December.

20th December is the latest recommended date for people sending cards and packages by Royal Mail 2nd Class Mail.

21st December is the latest recommended date for people sending cards and packages by Royal Mail 1st Class Mail.

Customers can visit www.postoffice.co.uk to find out if their usual branch may be affected by action, and for more information on nearest alternative nearby branches and their opening hours.

Directly Managed branches are based in towns and city centres and typically have several other branches nearby.

N.B. The strike action called by CWU does not involve Royal Mail employees. Royal Mail has informed Post Office that it has robust contingency plans in place and expects that there will be little effect on the services it provides.

Post Office Press Office

1st Floor, Finsbury Dials

20 Finsbury Street

LONDON

EC2Y 9AQ

Tel: 020 7012 3456 (24 hours),

Email: pressoffice@postoffice.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter @postofficenews

Notes to editors

With over 11,600 branches, the Post Office network is the biggest retail network in the UK, with more branches than all the banks and building societies combined.

97% of Post Office branches are run with retail partners on an agency or franchise basis.

The Post Office provides services central to peoples’ everyday lives; 99.7% of the population lives within 3 miles of a Post Office.

We offer the UK’s largest fee free cash withdrawal network through our 11,500 branches and an additional 2,500 cash machines and 99 per cent of UK bank customers can access their accounts at the Post Office.

We sell 170 different products and services spanning financial services including savings, insurance, loans, mortgages and credit cards; Government services; telephony; foreign currency; travel insurance and mail services.