ROYAL Mail bosses “must answer for the chaos” in the postal service, the TUC demanded today, ahead of a business and trade select committee hearing.

Company executives were told to “get their house in order” as they were to appear in front of MPs today to explain failures to meet delivery targets and widespread service delays.

Key evidence was given by CWU union, which represents Royal Mail workers, regarding the extent of the crisis and testimony of front-line postal employees.

The committee published a report at the start of the month which found that “service failures” were to blame for 219 million letters arriving late.

It found that only 74.9 per cent of first class mail was delivered on time between April 2025 and January 2026, falling short of the Royal Mail’s own 93 per cent target.

This morning, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak demanded that company bosses must “answer for the chaos in the postal service at the select committee today.”

He said: “The Royal Mail is one of our most treasured national institutions. But with staff overworked and underpaid — is it any wonder the company is in crisis?

“They need to get their house in order. That starts with listening to the workers who know better than anyone how to get the service back on its feet.”

The CWU has blamed a “recruitment crisis” in the public service due to recent moves to impose “gig economy standards” on new employees from 2022.

Since then, the CWU said 27,000 new recruits have left Royal Mail, with 50 per cent leaving within their first year.

They are also in negotiations over the company’s decision to introduce the Optimised Delivery Model (ODM), which moves second-class mail to alternate-weekday delivery while keeping first-class deliveries six days a week and reducing delivery route numbers.

CWU claimed this “car-crash” strategy means workers cannot finish their tasks in time.

General secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail and EP Group have made excuse after excuse over why Royal Mail’s service has been consistently poor over the past few years. 
 
“Now it is time for the truth. The job of a postal worker has been devalued and shareholder profit has been prioritised over service to the public.

“Parliament must take real action to prevent this great institution from sliding even further into managed decline.”