ROYAL Mail must look at embedding itself into the NHS and pharmacies as part of plans to water down its legal obligation to deliver letters six days a week, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said yesterday.

Deputy general secretary Martin Walsh laid out its strategy for the changes to the firm’s universal service obligation (USO) in a motion backed by delegates at the union’s annual conference.

He said the firm’s “optimised delivery model” — which would see the end of second-class deliveries on Saturday and slow so-called DSA deliveries — will soon be trialled across the four nations of the UK.

Mr Walsh said Royal Mail has also warned that the Parcelforce section of the business is “doomed” unless it takes the fight to Amazon by introducing later shifts to process online orders, of which 80 per cent are made between 6pm and 10pm.

“We know that is not a popular period for our members to work,” said Mr Walsh.

“We’ve got to have that discussion with our members around innovative duty structures which move the future of work.”

Along with better conditions for new entrants, he said: “Those decent jobs must be looking at how to support communities, work with metropolitan mayors, deliver for pharmacies and help the NHS going forward — all of these things will be in that project.”

He added that the union must also consider reducing Royal Mail’s 93.5 per cent target for first-class next-day deliveries to the European average of around 85 per cent.

Mr Walsh said the target — currently at 82 per cent — hasn’t been met for years, but affects worker start times.