[Update] The Royal Mail strike thread

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Do you remember anyone asking you to vote on whether you minded going to war with Iraq?

No, they didn't. However I believe the reasoning behind that is that when the voters voted the Government in, they gave the Government some power to make decisions on their behalf..

I don't remember voting for any Union leadership, so why should they decide I cannot receive post?

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

I used to support many workers that striked but not anymore why simple because i would love a job any job and right now i cannot get one nor at the rate i am going downhill will be in a position to be attractive to any employer. So there are thousands of you with jobs and your not happy and your going to strike right at the time of year you know damn well it will hinder and hurt people most and you want my support dream on. I have already had one specialist appointment cancelled because RM lost my letter and have now binned postal appointments so i never have to miss one again.

Times move on technology is now playing a bigger part in many many jobs and people have lost jobs because of that but you can't stem the tide by spitting out your dummy and striking. As for service my postman on average puts 10-12 letters through my door that are wrong how is that RM's fault it is the individual postman at fault because he doesn't bother to read what he is putting through my door.

We have had parcels stolen and damaged because posite leaves them in plain sight outside no matter what the weather. So please don't tell me it is all nasty RM managements fault because it isn't certain postal workers thought they had a job for life always protected by their powerful union and wollah like many have had to face reality and are being asked to accept things ain't staying the same.

But simple logic (i like simple) says to me company is in trouble needs more money so it's workers go off on strike annoy a vast amount of people who then seek alternatives company loses contracts\trade and therefore has to make more cuts thus kicking off another merry go round of strikes.

I know RM workers don't like hearing it but you are lucky right now to have a job i know many damn good people who are struggling on benefit trying everything they can to get a job so if your really that unhappy and don't like it do yourself a favour do us the public a favour and leave the job. Let someone else take it (they will not have trouble replacing people) who won't moan year in year out about this and that and woe is me.

Because many like me don't support you anymore in fact we're getting sick and tired of hearing about workers striking as well as gaining the uncanny knack of predicting when you will strike because you've done it so many times before..

Originally Posted by papa smurf

you sound like a room full of opera singers warming up me me me me me me

Of course the strikers are so busy thinking of other people (like say, the customers) that they don't have time to think of themselves... Oh, wait...

these people don't want to strike and lose money its the last resort .

Then don't. Negotiate and compromise some things if necessary. Even the unions should realise that it's not actually in their members interest to force customers to other delivery services.

Oh, and those who say RM ends up doing deliveries for some of the competitors. It may do, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they don't pay RM as much as you or I would per item to get their stuff delivered, so that's still costing RM money.

[ginge51]

Originally Posted by Rob M

Shame that the postal workers are effectively screwing themselves by screwing us. If RM has fewer contracts maybe they now need fewer workers, wouldn't that be a thing.

Also a shame that HDN is cack.....but that's another story.....

One of my m8's is working for royal mail, hhas been since 18 years old.
The reason they are also going on strike is because, royal mail are trying to make some workers not work from say 4am till 12.
They want them to start working at start from the afternoon to late evening too.

[Jon T]

Originally Posted by ginge51

One of my m8's is working for royal mail, hhas been since 18 years old.
The reason they are also going on strike is because, royal mail are trying to make some workers not work from say 4am till 12.
They want them to start working at start from the afternoon to late evening too.

If I understand it right, that's a shift system. What a highly offensive and out of touch regime to try and impose.

I have a fealing that it's the fear of change that's driving this, not any sound practical objections, just that RM staff want to carry on doing what they do in the way they do it now.


......Oh, probably involvement by some self-righteout over militant union branch secretary(s) probably doesn't help......like i've said in another post, you really do have to thing of Carry on at your Convenience(shop steward looking for any reason he can to take the workers out on strike).

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by ginge51

One of my m8's is working for royal mail, hhas been since 18 years old.
The reason they are also going on strike is because, royal mail are trying to make some workers not work from say 4am till 12.
They want them to start working at start from the afternoon to late evening too.

Royal Mail have operated a twenty-four shift pattern for decades, so I think either you or your friend have something mixed up.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Jon T

If I understand it right, that's a shift system. What a highly offensive and out of touch regime to try and impose.

I have a fealing that it's the fear of change that's driving this, not any sound practical objections, just that RM staff want to carry on doing what they do in the way they do it now.


......Oh, probably involvement by some self-righteout over militant union branch secretary(s) probably doesn't help......like i've said in another post, you really do have to thing of Carry on at your Convenience(shop steward looking for any reason he can to take the workers out on strike).

If it was fear of change thats stopping this we wouldn't have switched to single deliveries 4 years ago
I think what Ginge may mean is that RM where talking of delivering later in the day. Basically there will be a sorting shift of 8am - 11am, though this shift wont be needed once the walksort machines come in. Then deliveries 12pm until Finishing time (Should be 4pm based on current delivery lengths but they are planning to extend some of those further).

Theres a lot of opposition to the above because that assumes no full time workforce (Something which RM have promised wont happen), it also means that during the summer we will be out in the hottest part of the day and during winter we will likely still be out when its going dark.

[Jon T]

Originally Posted by ZrByte

it also means that during the summer we will be out in the hottest part of the day and during winter we will likely still be out when its going dark.

So how does that differ from other areas of work that have to work in the same conditions, roadworkers, farm workers, beat police officers, etc. Your delevering a bag of mail(ok maybe a heavy bag) not doing hard manual labour. Also, conditions of extreme heat and cold are rare in this country.

Sorry but i'm really struggling to see any credible reasons given at the moment other than: a) We don't like bad weather or b) Somethings changing and we don't like it very much(even though it may be for the better).

If I could see something like a list of changes proposed by RM together with a credible objection from the union next to them then i'd be a lot happier, but such a list doesn't seem to exist.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Jon T

So how does that differ from other areas of work that have to work in the same conditions, roadworkers, farm workers, -beat police officers, etc. Your delevering a bag of mail(ok maybe a heavy bag). Also, conditions of extreme heat and cold are rare in this country.

Sorry but i'm really struggling to see any credible reasons given at the moment other than: a) We don't like bad weather or b) Somethings changing and we don't like it very much(even though it may be for the better).

If I could see something like a list of changes proposed by RM together with a credible objection from the union next to them then i'd be a lot happier, but such a list doesn't seem to exist.

Im pretty sure those jobs pay a damn sight better than the post. Added to the fact its completely unnecessary. And I think you will find that the list RM seem to be showing and what the current striking is over probably seems petty to you but what you dont know is that it is this coupled with the long list of changes and compromise we have already made that is causing problems. Its like every time we agree to proposed changes and RM implement them they move the goalposts and decide that's not enough any more. I think if they would at least wait a couple of months it could be better received but that doesn't seem to be RMs style.

And who said bad weather? I think I mentioned heat and daylight. And before anybody jumps on the daylight thing there is a big difference delivering in the evening darkness as opposed to the current early morning darkness

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

No, they didn't. However I believe the reasoning behind that is that when the voters voted the Government in, they gave the Government some power to make decisions on their behalf..

I don't remember voting for any Union leadership, so why should they decide I cannot receive post?

Likewise, when the union members voted their leadership in they gave them the power to make decisions on their behalf - based on a democratic voting system.

You didn't vote to go to war or take part in the "war on terror" so what gives the Government the right to monitor you 24hrs a day and dictate what you can and can't bring on a plane with you?

It defies belief that someones perspective could be so distorted that they would consider the loss of a few days worth of post more of an affront to them than a Governments decision to send a nation into a war that has cost lives and serious erosions of civil liberties.

With all due respect, had you had due cause to be in a position to vote for the Union leadership then your argument might be valid. However, to extol the virtues of representative democracy used to send people to war on the one hand but deride the very same representative democracy because you'll be moderately inconvenienced by a disruped postal delivery service is a bit rich to say the least.

[Jon T]

Was due to have something delevered on Wednesday, due to unforseen circumstances I couldn't arrange for anyone to be in till today, so the card came through the door Wednesday "we tried to delever and you were not in.....blah, blah", anyway arranged for it to be delevered today. Post came, no parcel, so my wife phoned the number on the card for the local sorting office, she recieves the answer "we aren't sure what happened, the driver must have forgot to put it on the van".

So let me get this straight, a parcel that is my property is now floating around a Royal Mail sorting office with no way to track it. Last time this happened I(or rather RM) lost the parcel, we'll see what happens tomorrow, but RM staff may have lost the last remaining small bit of sympathy I may have had for the strike action.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Jon T

Was due to have something delevered on Wednesday, due to unforseen circumstances I couldn't arrange for anyone to be in till today, so the card came through the door Wednesday "we tried to delever and you were not in.....blah, blah", anyway arranged for it to be delevered today. Post came, no parcel, so my wife phoned the number on the card for the local sorting office, she recieves the answer "we aren't sure what happened, the driver must have forgot to put it on the van".

So let me get this straight, a parcel that is my property is now floating around a Royal Mail sorting office with no way to track it, last time this happened I(or rather RM) lost the parcel, we'll see what happens tomorrow, but RM staff may have lost the last remaining small bit of sympathy I may have had for the strike action.

Its more than likely that the parcel had not arrived at customer services when you rang the first time. What time and day did you ring? If it was on the Wednesday or early on Thursday and if it had not arrived back at the office It will have been put on the job list for the following morning and it is possible that by the time the package had reached customer services the job on the list was missed or the driver had already left.
Ironically when this happens in our office and it does seem to be happening a lot lately it is due to the fact that our customer services is staffed by one man and it should be staffed with three (One customer facing, one for staff and one for in-between) Yet another modernisation/cost cutting effort from RM management .

[Jon T]

Not sure I understand, but i'm willing to listen: -

Attempted delevery on Wednesday, not possible as no one in, my wife rings up mid afternoon wednesday with the code on the card and arranged re-delevery today(Friday).

Today(Friday) post arrives, no parcel, wife rings up, get's told that not putting it the van is what "may have happened", "may" as they don't know.

What I can't make my mind up about is what was happening/where my parcel was on the day inbetween(Thursday)?

[papa smurf]

i must say that this last week the post has been brilliant ,ordered quite a lot of stuff for my boat from ebay and its been next day delivery every time

[SB_07]

10:30pm UK, Saturday October 17, 2009
Royal Mail will recruit 30,000 temporary staff to cope with strikes by postal workers and deal with the Christmas rush.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...315408179?f=vg

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by SB_07

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...315408179?f=vg

Good news

[papa smurf]

oh dear
this will end badly scab labor is not the answer .

all i see is the the post office are determined to turn this into something nasty.