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(Alliance News) - International Distributions Services PLC's Royal Mail is to recruit 16,000 temporary workers to help with the busy festive season.
The temporary positions will be located in two parcel hubs, five seasonal parcel sort centres and 37 mail centres across the UK, with a variety of shifts available.
Delivery and collection jobs will also be available in local delivery offices across the country.
The company's two parcel hubs, based in Daventry and Warrington, will be hiring more than 2,000 additional staff as they expect 1.7 million parcels a day to be processed across both sites.
Extra temporary space equivalent to 20 football pitches has been created across the five seasonal parcel sort centres located in Atherstone, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Daventry and Greenford in London.
The temporary recruits will help sort the growing number of online shopping orders expected before they are taken to Royal Mail's 1,200 delivery offices.
Contracts will run from late October to early January 2025, covering big shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Parcelforce Worldwide is also recruiting additional drivers and indoor workers.
Almost 4,000 new vans, trucks and trailers are being added to Royal Mail's fleet in time for Christmas.
Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail's chief operating officer, said: "Every year we pull out all the stops to deliver Christmas for our customers.
"It's our busiest time of year and we plan all year round to help ensure we deliver the best possible service for UK consumers and businesses.
"We are continuing to make a substantial commitment in additional resources including the recruitment of thousands of temporary workers to handle the festive mailbag and the growing market of online Christmas shopping."
IDS shares were up 0.1% at 342.60 pence each on Friday morning in London.
By Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Press Association: Finance
source: PA
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