Postal Action

drewboy wrote:

However, the Union invovled here need to wake up. My work is currently looking at using TNT instead of RM because they can deliver the same mail for less money, and faster at the same time.

And who do you think puts the TNT letters through your letterbox? It's the good old postman. RM does the final mile or two for TNT so if the posties are striking, using TNT won't get you very far.

Oh I get that TNT will still be affected, but only at that point. They will still be sorting and running their internal network before it gets to RM.

My point is, companies such as TNT, UKMail etc have a far more modern and lean setup than RM and can delivery much more for less cost.

I fail to see why the union doesn't recognise that unless they let RM modernise, ALL jobs could go rather than some.

Thats all very well BUT I fully support Royal Mail's stand against the proposed changes, job cuts, pay and change in pensions. I think we should all recognise their right to do this.

Everyone's right to strike is a good thing. But, if it's at the risk of ALL jobs rather than some, is is questionable to say the least.

WormThatTurned wrote:

Thats all very well BUT I fully support Royal Mail's stand against the proposed changes, job cuts, pay and change in pensions. I think we should all recognise their right to do this.

It's not RM that's making the stand. It's the CWU (or whatever they are called).

Whilst I know a lot of posties and have complete sympathy for the crappy job they have to do and the lousy management they suffer, times change and business changes with it. I've never worked for a company that hasn't gone through job cuts, mergers, downsizing and major changes. That's just the way business is these days and sadly striking doesn't have the impact it used to.

I'm actually thinking that no post for a week might not be such a bad thing - certainly more effective than one day strikes. I think we get those most Saturdays when the postie can't be bothered to deliver.

drewboy wrote:

Everyone's right to strike is a good thing. But, if it's at the risk of ALL jobs rather than some, is is questionable to say the least.

That could well be the case but they obviously feel strongly enough about this to go ahead with this strike knowing the possible consequences.

I dont have much regard for Royal mails bosses Im afraid. Adam Crozier the man who nearly bankrupted the F.A and Alan Leighton the second in command at Leeds when that went tits up a few years ago. Im with the posties.

WormThatTurned wrote:

I dont have much regard for Royal mails bosses Im afraid. Adam Crozier the man who nearly bankrupted the F.A and Alan Leighton the second in command at Leeds when that went tits up a few years ago. Im with the posties.

Me too - they're making me loads of money. There's a sudden demand for business consultancy around migrating as much business out of the Royal Snail Mail path as possible. I can't think why?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7036585.stm

If it is true that this is about not working their whole shift, then I have lost any remote support I may have had.

There are plenty of instances when I have finished what I had to do for the day but I don't go home, I find something else to do.

Attitudes of the CWU and the Royal Mail seem to be in the stone ages.

drewboy wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7036585.stm

If it is true that this is about not working their whole shift, then I have lost any remote support I may have had.

There are plenty of instances when I have finished what I had to do for the day but I don't go home, I find something else to do.

In part that seems to be the view of the Royal Mail management however from the news this morning is seems to be about start times in East London and the difference between starting at 5.15 or moving to 6.00 in the morning.

drewboy wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7036585.stm

If it is true that this is about not working their whole shift, then I have lost any remote support I may have had.

No its not just about that !!

My postal friend has been updating me on some of the so called 'modernisation' involved. No wonder they are striking.

go on , spill it then....

The CWU are scum. They always have been. I may not be fully clued in on the ins and outs of this action, but given my personal experience of the CWU's actions and policies (and of those people who run the show), my first thought is always that they're doing no-one any favours.

Anyway, the CWU have to spin the action to make themselves look popular b ecause if it were ever found out that they were striking for something that the public would disagree with (which is entirely possible), there'd be hell to pay.

I'm interested in seeingf the CWU's stance.

Ciao's Favourite Member wrote:

The CWU are scum. They always have been. I may not be fully clued in on the ins and outs of this action, but given my personal experience of the CWU's actions and policies (and of those people who run the show), my first thought is always that they're doing no-one any favours.

I agree completely, my experience of them is from telecom days.

Seems they have may reached an agreement, not getting post has been quite nice, certainly the recycling bin and shredder are a lot less full.

atticusuk wrote:

Seems they have may reached an agreement, not getting post has been quite nice, certainly the recycling bin and shredder are a lot less full.

yep, I am not missing it at all..! In fact I must get remarkably little post these days as I am not waiting on anything..! Perhaps it will encourage more people and companies to move to paperless communication

atticusuk wrote:

Seems they have may reached an agreement, not getting post has been quite nice, certainly the recycling bin and shredder are a lot less full.

Yes hopefully both sides are happy with the concessions.

helencbradshaw wrote:

go on , spill it then....

For example...at present they get a £25 a week bonus for delivering junk mail which nets RM millions. This will change to a £250 one off payment a year. A net loss of £1050.

Turning up for a shift and being sent home if not needed - no set hours.

Plans to stop the saturday delivery, cutting the workforce by 15% in one foul swoop.


The posties terms and conditions are being torn up and rewritten before their very noses making them worse off with little job security. The unions negotiated for months without any concessions before they balloted their members for strike action.

Whilst I dont agree with wildcat strikes and whilst I think the posties should expect to adapt to a changing world I sympathise with their situation.

Too many people Ive spoken to are only moaning about this because it has affected them personally rather than trying to look at with a balanced view.

Hmm

I dont understand why they EVER got a "bonus" for delivering junk mail. They are paid to work a certain amount of hours as a postal worker and surely the royal mail can dictate what they do in that time.

Not sure about the no shift thing...thought the opposite was happening, they wanted to stick to this long held practice of knocking off early. However, I can see that the RM might want flexibility in its costs and use PT workers and no set hours workers - loads of industries do that, and I do wonder if anyone has actually been sent home without pay that was contracted and rostered...(and not people who refused to start at their new time of 6am..)

sat delivery - again if the workforce needs to be cut to remain economical, then so be it. They can probably achieve that with natural wastage just like any other industry that has cut costs. Letter delivery is down as we shift to e communication and will continue to fall no doubt.

I think they are another example of an industry that has been protected for years, with pretty much guaranteed pay rises and so on. I have had my terms and conditions re-written several times in my life - it's just change which they are unable to deal with as they have such a militant organisation supposedly representing them. Changing a start time from 5am to 6am is better than losing several day's pay, refusing to go with the changes required and ultimately the risk that more jobs will go in the future.

Royal Mail are currently loosing all direct mail contracts they have. The reason? It takes them 7-10 days to deliver them while rivals do it in 3. Why on earth would a bonus be applicable for a service that is non competative? Sorry, but they may have got it in the past but they should not be getting it in the future. A bonus in pretty much every other job is based on value added to the business. What added value do the posties offer for delivering something they have no control over getting?

I organise about 3 packs every month and they charge to much, and take too long. We are currently about to put it out to tender to get a better deal.

If the demand for Saturday delivery isn't there, then ithas to go. That one is a non brainer.

And lets be honest here, I don't think the posties are looking at it with a balanced and realistic view.

Yes they should be prepared to change. All im saying is this isnt one sided and this is a legitimate strike action which the posties are having and judging by what Ive heard first hand personally I would strike too.

Now I hear that concessions have been made by both sides. So maybe these strikes did achieve something ?

WormThatTurned wrote:

So maybe these strikes did achieve something ?

Doubt it.

RM were forced to compromise in certain areas otherwise the loss of business through outdated working practices would be nothing concerned to the loss of business because customers were taking their business elsewhere because of the strikes.

To quote my union member chum "...they had them over a barrell and there was nothing they could do. It was just a matter of when RM would cave, not if."

I personally feel it's too late and a HUGE chunk of business has already left.

To the best of my knowledge, other mail and courier companies don't have a huge union presence, if any. That alone could be the selling factor between using RM or someone else.

A strike at Christmas for instance would have crippled RM, so it was in everybodys interest to find common ground.

A strike at Christmas might have hurt a few posties too.......

Aye