A postman who signed for a parcel on behalf of a frail pensioner was sacked after Royal Mail bosses were alerted when the woman rang to offer her THANKS.

The thoughtful postie, familiar with the elderly lady, decided to put his signature to the recorded delivery so she would not have to journey to the Kew sorting office, which is not served by a bus route.

The mailman, a father-of-two with an unblemished record, was axed for the policy breach after the grateful woman rang management to pass on her sincerest thanks.

The astonishing dismissal was among a catalogue of disciplinary action at Royal Mail’s Southport depo, highlighted by Southport MP John Pugh in a speech at the House of Commons on Monday night.

The Lib Dem described how workers were going to work "to battle to stay at work" and that 46 postmen in the resort had been sacked, suspended or forced off work with stress since staff moved into the depot in 2003.

Two men were sacked for not wearing helmets, despite not being in a "hazardous environment", with another, Peter Baker, 44, dismissed despite a quarter century service for leaving his van unlocked as he delivered mail to a farmhouse on a single-lane track.

Other disciplinary actions listed by Dr Pugh in Parliament, include:

* The suspension of a postman who stayed TOO LONG answering customer queries inside a shop. He was subsequently reinstated.

* A warning given to an injured Southport postwoman, supposed to be on light duties, who was sent on a full delivery round during the Big Freeze. She was forced back into hospital after her stitches unpicked. After being reprimanded by mail bosses for her absence, she was diagnosed with stress and resigned.

* Loyal workers faced with suspension for mistakenly leaving a mailbag in a van or letters in a post box, with others disciplined for not finishing their rounds on time - despite extraordinary circumstances.

Dr Pugh also claimed how senior management occasionally breach the rules by failing to sign for registered mail “especially if it is a letter from an employee about their disciplinary hearing.  for complete article go to link below
http://www.clickliverpool.com/news/local-news/127794-southport-postman-sacked-for-signing-on-behalf-of-frail-elderly-lady.html