Royal Mail to End Saturday Second-Class Deliveries by 2026

Royal Mail, the United Kingdom's primary postal service, has agreed with the Communications Workers Union to eliminate Saturday deliveries for second-class letters nationwide by December 2026, shifting those services to alternate weekdays to address ongoing financial pressures.

The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, ends a dispute that delayed broader implementation of reforms under the Universal Service Obligation. Second-class letters, which include everyday correspondence and bulk business mail such as bills, will now be delivered every other weekday from Monday to Friday, maintaining a three-working-day target. For instance, a letter posted on a Monday could arrive by Thursday, while one posted midweek might not reach its destination until the following Monday. First-class letters, parcels, and tracked items will continue to be delivered six days a week, from Monday through Saturday.

The changes will roll out progressively, starting with an expansion to 240 additional delivery offices as part of an ongoing trial that began in 35 offices last July. The full network of 1,200 offices will adopt the new schedule by the end of this year, with complete integration by...