Postman prat!?

The Sun today calls Dave Ward, the deputy leader of the Communication Workers Union, a "post ban prat" for having a 'No Junk Mail' sticker on his door. The paper claims that Royal Mail makes "billions" from delivering junk mail every year and that people who, like Mr Ward, refuse junk mail are putting 40,000 jobs on the line.

Ahum… Royal Mail would be losing "billions" if they would not be delivering unaddressed leaflets? Now, let's assume that Royal Mail makes £2bn a year from delivering leaflets. That would mean the company gets 47p from each leaflet they deliver.* Junk mailers would thus be paying 120% of the price of a first class stamp.**

Me thinks not.

And doesn't the Sun know that letterbox stickers will only stop leaflets from Royal Mail's competitors? Surely a respectable paper such as the Sun knows that Royal Mail's ignores 'no junk mail' signs and that to stop leaflets delivered by the postman householders should register with the company's Door-to-Door Opt-Out instead? By putting the sticker on his letterbox the 'post ban prat' is actually doing Royal Mail a favour - and has indeed set an example for the union's members.

Tory MP Brian Binley is quoted by the paper as saying: "This shows how inept some people can be." I wonder if he might be talking about the journalist…


^* Royal Mail is currently allowed to deliver up to three pieces of unaddressed mail per household a week. The maximum number of leaflets the company can deliver annually to the 27m households in the UK is therefore (3 x 52 x 27,000,000 =) 4,212,000,000. Royal Mail would thus be getting 47p per leaflet.

^** A first class stamps currently costs 39p. If junk mailers would be paying Royal Mail 47p to deliver a leaflet, they would be paying ((39 / 47) * 100 =) 120% of what people pay to post a first class letter.