ROYAL MAIL has been urged to waive its postal redirection service fees to women’s refuges.

Communication Workers Union (CWU) delegates unanimously backed the move at the union’s conference in Bournemouth today.

South Yorkshire delegate Louise James told delegates the voluntary sector should not be relied on to cover the redirection fees for domestic abuse survivors.

“I know first hand how much of a financial burden it can be to leave a relationship with nothing and start over from scratch, it must be especially difficult during the cost-of-living-crisis,” she said.

Delegate Richard Isdell added the Royal Mail’s current redirection service runs for three months and is designed for people travelling abroad.

“It’s vital for women looking to leave abusive relationships can access specialist domestic support,” he said.

“Refuges run by women for women are often the safest place for women to be from abusive partners.”

Delegates heard that as even police forces may not be aware of the addresses of local women’s refuges, the redirection service could rely on PO box numbers for their security.

Dave Brownhill, of Greater Mersey branch, said it was staggering that one in five adults experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes, with reports of the crime being made to police every 30 seconds.

“Offering free redirection of mail may or may not make a difference in an individual’s choice to leave an unsafe environment but it’s a positive, no matter how small,” he said.

“When Royal Mail agrees to this – which they have to — they cannot hide it away like Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages or Rishi Sunak’s tax returns — it must be visible and it must be advertised so our vulnerable colleagues know of its existence.”