James Cunningham

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STAY IN COVENTRY, URGES CITY MP JIM CUNNINGHAM

JIM Cunningham today took the fight to save Coventry’s Royal Mail sorting office to Westminster.
The Coventry South MP has tabled an Early Day Motion calling on Royal Mail to think again about relocating from its Bishop Street base in the city to Northampton.
The company announced last September that its ‘preferred option’ is to shut the Coventry mail centre in 2009.
An estimated 550 jobs will be lost under the move, according to Communication Workers Union officials.
Already more than 30 MPs have signed Mr Cunningham’s motion, with more expected to pledge support.
“By tabling this motion, I’m looking to highlight three things - the need to protect jobs, protect the environment and protect the quality of Coventry’s postal service,” said Mr Cunningham.
Early Day Motions, also known as EDMs, are used by Members of Parliament to raise awareness in the House of Commons about constituency issues.
Mr Cunningham, who has worked with local trade union representatives since the announcement by Royal Mail, is calling on the company to:
• Reconsider the decision to relocate its sorting office from Coventry to Northampton
• Ease concern that the relocation will be detrimental to the postal service in Coventry and the Coventry area and also the environment
• Enter into meaningful negotiations with staff and trade unions and consult the general public on the issue
• Opens talks with parties including Coventry City Council on alternative options and sites in Coventry.
Mr Cunningham added: “If the move goes ahead, I am greatly concerned about the impact the decision will have on people’s jobs.
“The potential effect on the quality of postal service in Coventry and the wider area is also a worry, as is the impact the move will have on the environment.
“Postal vans would have to travel many more miles serving Coventry from Northampton than from Coventry itself, at a time when protecting the environment has become increasingly important.
“Royal Mail need to seriously look at the alternative options for staying in Coventry, and sit down and discuss the matter with the interested parties.
“If that happens, I’m hopeful common ground can be found along with a satisfactory solution for the Royal Mail, workers and the people who use the service.”