Does Post Office Ltd listen to Subpostmasters? The NFSP Member survey seeks answers.

NFSP MEMBER SURVEY LAUNCHES 

Further to the information provided in the August edition of The SubPostmaster magazine, the NFSP member survey is scheduled to launch on Monday (23 August). 

The NFSP has commissioned DJS Research to carry out a telephone survey of 1,000 NFSP members. Specific targets will be set by region and post office model so that the results will be representative of the wider membership and extremely robust.  

THE 2019 SURVEY 

The NFSP carried out a similar survey in 2019 – some of the key findings were: 

• 61% of subpostmasters were taking home less than in the past 

• 76% earned less than the National Minimum Wage per hour for working in their post office 

• 19% of subpostmasters (or their spouse or partner) had taken on work elsewhere in the last year just to make ends meet 

• Many struggled to take time off (one third hadn’t taken a single day off in 2018) 

• The post office was commonly a smaller income generator than other elements of subpostmasters’ businesses (e.g. retail) 

• Because of all this, 22% were planning to close or downsize their post office in the coming year 

We used these results to raise public awareness of the challenges you face (see HERE, HERE and HERE), and, with further efforts behind the scenes, we induced the Postal Affairs Minister to call for a comprehensive review of subpostmaster remuneration – which led to £20m worth of remuneration rate increases. 

THE 2021 SURVEY 

In this survey, we will ask about remuneration again, and give you the opportunity to share your perspective on how well Post Office Ltd (PO) listens to you and how successful you feel PO has been in ‘resetting the relationship’ with subpostmasters.  

We’ll also be asking questions about how the NFSP can provide you with support in running your post office and retail. 

If you receive a call from DJS Research, please do take part and share your views. 

FAQs 

How long does the survey take? It takes around 15 minutes – it might be quicker or longer depending on the answers you give, but on average it will be 15 minutes. 

How do I sign up? There is no need to sign up or register your interest. DJS Research may call you in the coming weeks on behalf of the NFSP.  

What if it’s not a convenient time? If DJS Research call and you are busy, then you can arrange for a call back at a more convenient time. 

What will the NFSP do with the results? We will use the results to tailor the way we work so that we support NFSP members to full effect. We will also use the results as evidence in our dealings with PO, Government and other stakeholders – always with the objective of bringing about improvements for subpostmasters. 

Will my personal data be secure? Yes. DJS Research is a bona fide, accredited market research agency which upholds the highest standards of information security. All survey interviews will be conducted under the Market Research Society Rules guaranteeing anonymity and there would be strictly no sales or other comeback from the call. Click HERE for more information about DJS. 

If you have any further questions, please email communications@nfsp.org.uk