Sacked TikTok postie from Rhondda loses job appeal

Emily Price

The famous TikTok postie from Rhondda who was sacked by Royal Mail after struggling with her mental health has lost her appeal to get her job back.

Laura Orgill posted an emotional video in July saying she had been dismissed by the postal service after six years of delivering letters.

The 30-year-old went viral during the first lockdown gaining more than 860,000 followers for her hilarious videos documenting her postie round in the south Wales valleys.

Laura said time off work for a back operation, endometriosis and mental health struggles had triggered internal processes that eventually led to her dismissal.

In a social media video posted yesterday (September 12) she confirmed that her appeal to get her job back had been unsuccessful.

@lauraorgill The truth about TikTok Postie 📮 💔 #job #postie #mentalhealth #postive ♬ Ambient-style emotional piano – MoppySound

Support

She said: “Over the last few years I’ve kept a lot offline because I was worried I would lose my job if I spoke about it.

“But after a comedy sketch went viral I was told I wasn’t allowed to mention that I was a postie online anymore otherwise I would get sacked.

“I think it was about a year ago they were happy to bring back TikTok postie for one day only – for mental health month – well isn’t that ironic now?

“So they wanted to use my platform and get me to show everyone how much Royal Mail supports mental health month when in reality I was a postie, I was struggling with mental health, and I just needed that little bit of support.”

During the pandemic Laura’s online content led to her securing a number of TV presenting roles and Royal Mail even included her in a video for their official Facebook page.

But she hit the headlines in 2021 when she was banned from posting videos wearing the company uniform following an increasing number of complaints about her content.

It came to a head after she posted a video joking about not giving people enough time to collect their parcels.

In recent months Laura has been posting regular content about navigating her life after  the breakdown of her marriage which led to her losing her home and pet cat.

Her dismissal triggered an outpouring of support from the public who sent gifts, flowers, cards and even employment advice from online experts – as well as support from her local MP.

She said: “I do believe that they wanted me gone because of my social media, but do you know what, I’m really grateful for the job I had. I made some really good memories and had some good times with the customers.

“It’s a bitter sweet moment but it’s time to close that chapter now and put everything I have into my social media and enjoy Christmas – because I can’t remember a time I had a Christmas off.”

Volunteer

Laura has spent her first few weeks unemployed volunteering for various Treorchy charities.

Royal Mail said it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on the outcome of conduct matters.

A spokesperson said: “Employee dismissals are carefully considered and are taken in line with our own policies and the requirements set out in employment law. It would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases.

“We take the welfare of our colleagues very seriously and have extensive measures in place including unlimited mental health consultations, 24/7 GP appointments and our employee assistance programme, which is a free confidential helpline for support with emotional and practical issues as well as financial and legal guidance.”