A CLOSE relative of mine has worked at Prestwich Post Office for many years and, because of that, is unable to comment on suggestions in the Guide that the office be moved from its Kingswood Road location.

During the summer months, six local sub-post offices were closed, a member of staff at the Prestwich branch went on maternity leave and no further staff were recruited.

Part-time staff at the branch were therefore under pressure to work more hours than they wanted to. Management repeatedly said that staff would be recruited, but this was not the case until October, when a part-time person was recruited to replace the member on maternity leave.

The relentless pressure that the staff are under daily does not seem to be fully taken into consideration by management, the government representative, or members of the general public who still expect to be able to queue for a short time, despite the volume of people using the branch.

The public's main concerns seem to centre around the lack of parking outside the branch.

Yellow lines were introduced by the council some years ago, after pressure from the people living in Kingswood Road. This also means that staff also have to park elsewhere.

The management of the Post Office, in their total disregard for staff in general, decided that on Christmas Eve - for the first time - they would open branches until 4pm instead of closing at the usual time of 12.30pm. This half day is the only early closing day that these people have all year.

Not surprisingly, in view of management's ridiculous intransigence, most people voted to strike from 12.30pm on that day. Prestwich branch was unanimous in its vote!

The erosion of the Post Office in general is a well-conducted plan by the Government, and I know that staff were shocked to learn of a meeting between Ivan Lewis MP and their area manager. Post office staff were not informed of this meeting, which was apparently held in order to press for the re-siting of the office.

Have local people no concerns other than finding parking for their cars? Where do they propose to re-site the sorting office? Or is that of less concern than the parking issue?

The staff at the branch do an extremely difficult job which is becoming even more stressful and pressurised on a daily basis. Their jobs have changed greatly and much emphasis is placed on selling and achieving targets these days, as well as conducting financial transactions and banking.

They are also under the threat - however unlikely it may seem to the public - that their office may become one of the casualties of the targeted streamlining of the Post Office.

Perhaps the people whose primary concern is that they can not park their cars directly outside the branch may consider these issues, which face the staff every day of their working lives.

POST OFFICE USER