皇家邮政宣布，为应对日益激烈的竞争以及信件投递需求的持续下滑，计划到2027年底裁减2500个总部及其他支持部门的岗位。此次裁员涉及的员工人数约占其13.1万名员工总数的2%。
Royal Mail has announced plans to cut 2,500 head office and other supporting roles by the end of 2027 as it battles competition and falling demand for letter deliveries. The cuts at the postal service will represent about 2% of the 131,000-strong workforce.
不过，一线邮政工作人员——包括邮递员和司机——并不在此次重组计划范围内。
However, frontline postal workers - posties and drivers - are not part of the proposed restructuring.
皇家邮政表示，此次裁员旨在提升运营效率，将通过自愿离职及员工主动辞职的方式来实现。公司称，这些措施将有助于提升整体运营效率。
Royal Mail said the workforce reduction, designed to improve efficiency, would be achieved through voluntary redundancies and people choosing to leave the company. It said the cuts would make it more efficient.
首席执行官阿利斯泰尔·科克伦表示：“这些调整举措能消除冗余环节，让我们有更多资源投入到为客户提供的服务中。”
"These proposed changes remove duplication and allow us to invest further in the service we deliver for our customers," said chief executive Alistair Cochrane.
他还补充道，此次裁员“虽非易事，却是打造一个更强大、更精简且能适应未来发展的皇家邮政、从而更好地服务客户与员工的重要举措”。
He added that the job cuts "will not be easy, but they are an important part of building a stronger, simpler and future-ready Royal Mail for our customers and colleagues".
据悉，皇家邮政目前正就上述计划与通信工人工会（CWU）及Unite CMA工会展开正式磋商。
Royal Mail said it was in formal consultation with its unions, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite CMA, over the plans.
尽管皇家邮政保证不会实施强制裁员，但通信工人工会指出，这一公告“进一步反映出这家企业正在打击员工士气，且未能切实满足客户及整个社会的需求”。
The CWU said despite reassurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies, the announcement was "further evidence of a company that is demoralising staff and failing to deliver for customers and the wider community".
该工会副总书记马丁·沃尔什对BBC表示：“我们敦促政府正视皇家邮政正走向衰败的现实，及时介入以挽救这一国家级机构。”
"We urge the government to confront the reality of a collapsing Royal Mail and intervene to save this national institution," deputy general secretary Martin Walsh told the BBC.
Unite工会则指出，皇家邮政、监管机构Ofcom及政府均未能有效解决企业面临的诸多难题，尤其是来自零工经济模式下各类邮政服务商的激烈竞争。该工会认为，此次裁员根本无法提升皇家邮政的服务质量。
Unite said Royal Mail, regulator Ofcom, and the government had "failed to address the serious problems facing Royal Mail, especially high competition from gig economy postal services". The union said the cuts would not improve Royal Mail's quality of service.
近年来，皇家邮政一直难以达成一、二类邮件的投递指标，还因未能达标而遭到监管机构罚款。
Royal Mail has been struggling to meet its delivery targets for first and second class post, and has been fined by the regulator for missing targets in recent years.
截至今年3月底的财年中，仅有75%左右的一类邮件按时送达，远低于93%的既定目标。
Just over 75% of first class letters were delivered on time in the year to the end of March, far off its target of 93%.
如今寄信的人越来越少，而皇家邮政也多次表示，其承担的“普遍服务义务”——即每周六天向英国境内所有地址投递信件的法律责任——早已不合时宜，亟需改革。
Fewer people are sending letters, and the company has repeatedly said that its Universal Service Obligation (USO) – a legal requirement to deliver letters six days a week to every address in the UK – is outdated and needs reform.
皇家邮政与英国邮政局虽为两家独立机构，但多年来一直因信件投递迟缓而饱受政界人士与民众的诟病。
Royal Mail, which is a separate from the Post Office, has faced years of criticism from politicians and the public over slow letter deliveries.
今年3月，英国各地的邮政工作人员向BBC透露，他们被要求将邮件转移或藏匿起来，以营造出投递目标已达成的假象。今年，已有100多名议员致信英国通信管理局及商务大臣，呼吁采取措施改善民众反映不佳的邮政服务。
In March, postal workers across the UK told the BBC they were being asked to move or hide mail from senior bosses to make it look like delivery targets were being met This year, more than 100 MPs have written to regulator Ofcom and the business secretary asking for something to be done about the poor service their constituents say they are receiving.
作为改进计划的一部分，皇家邮政表示将在未来五年投入5亿英镑用于服务提升。
The firm has said it is investing £500m over the next five years as part of its improvement plan.
去年4月底，捷克亿万富翁丹尼尔·克雷廷斯基旗下的EP集团成功收购皇家邮政，该交易获得了股东们的批准。
Royal Mail is owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group, after his takeover was approved by shareholders at the end of April last year.
克雷廷斯基此前曾表态，只要他继续掌管这项业务，就绝不会放弃每周六天向全英各地投递信件的责任。
Kretinsky has previously said he will not walk away from the requirement to deliver letters throughout the UK six days a week, as long as he is running the service.