Royal Mail's announcement that 1,600 jobs would be cut as part of a cost cutting drive shocked the unions, which branded the move "ruthless".
The news of job cuts comes after critics warned around the time of Royal Mail's flotation on the stock market last October that standards could slip as the owners focus on profits.
Martin Forsythe, from the Save Our Royal Mail campaign, said: "Today's announcement by Royal Mail is clear sign that profit is being put before services, this is an inevitable consequence of privatisation. As cost cutting continues it wont be long before the universal service is in the crosshairs."
Unfortunately the job cuts are only the latest in a series of shocking developments for the newly privatised Royal Mail.