The postal customers' body said Royal Mail's customers want the operator's pricing structure from April confirmed as soon as possible, and called on Royal Mail to accept the deal on offer in Postcomm's final proposed price control.
Royal Mail has published its future prices but indicated they are subject to it accepting the price control.
Postwatch accused Royal Mail of playing a regulatory game by delaying its submissions to Postcomm and threatening to reject the price control, which would mean the Competition Commission intervening.
The final price control proposals issued by Postcomm in December were more favourable to Royal Mail than its initial proposals. They would allow Royal Mail to add 2p to the price of the First Class service from April.
Millie Bannerjee, chairman of Postwatch, said: "Postcomm's proposed price control is generous and should be readily accepted by Royal Mail. But Royal Mail wants to have the last word and will threaten to reject the control beyond the 11th hour. Such gamesmanship is unfair to Royal Mail's customers who want definite prices confirmed as soon as possible."
Postwatch yesterday submitted its response to Postcomm's price control proposals, recommending that the regulator change the profile of the price control to smooth price increases, put Presstream 2 back into the price control, and scrap the pensions deficit mechanism, or at least make it symmetrical so prices can, when appropriate, decrease.
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