[Update] The Royal Mail strike thread

[webcrawler2050]

How I would love to have your take on life Webcrawler
Do you have kids?
If so I am sure you have no gripes about that " unskilled " lady/man seeing them safely across the road to school every day.
That attitude is very patronising.
I suggest you read through some job advertisements, there are jobs that involve a lot more responsiblity that are paid less than I am on at the moment, the fact that they are on less pay does not tell the full story.
How much are Nurses on? Domestic Workers in hospitals wiping people's backsides, emptying bedpans?
Enough said.

Maybe it is patronising but i'm looking at it from a business point of view.
Yes I have a child.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by foreverwar

But posties aren't on the minimum wage, so I don't understand your premise?

If you do a google on postmen's salaries, it tends to show that the average salary is approx £21700, which if you divide by 52*35 (weeks and hours in the week) gives £11.92 per hour, against the National Minimum Wage of £5.80 per hour.

And the dispute is also about modernisation of systems and processes.

Thats not even close, I believe that average may include management or network who are on higher pay grades. My hourly rate is £8.63 I think, All posties and delivery drivers are on the same hourly rate per region. Though I have never spoken to a london postie I have spoken to a few quite close and the highest I have ever heard of is £9.50. You are right though, that is still a sizable amount over min wage. Though I do have to say again that this strike was not about pay rates.

Originally Posted by ZrByte

Thats not even close, I believe that average may include management or network who are on higher pay grades. My hourly rate is £8.63 I think, All posties and delivery drivers are on the same hourly rate per region. Though I have never spoken to a london postie I have spoken to a few quite close and the highest I have ever heard of is £9.50. You are right though, that is still a sizable amount over min wage. Though I do have to say again that this strike was not about pay rates.

What can be forgotten too is the fact that some people on minimum wage will get additional money in the way of Rent/Council tax rebates etc.
How much does it cost the country to supplement the minimum wage?
I would suggest that £9.50 per hour is not being greedy.
Just to ask, the news says, or mentions, that it is about pay and other things.
So why are you saying it is not about pay rates?

[webcrawler2050]

To be fair.. and this is how I see it - so your not getting a "fantastic" wage - however especially in this country, there is "extra" help. For example

If you have children:- You will be getting - Child Benefit - around £70 - £80 a month. Aswell, I'll assum your getting Working Tax Credit credits. Which can be anything up to £120 a week. Aswell, with the tax credits you are entitled to a small amount of housing benefit. £30 / £40 a month towards rent - not much but every little helps. So in my eyes, you have nothing to whine about..................

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Well the good thing is, they are having another 'tea break' on Monday with more talks, probably deciding how the posties are going to get there Xmas cards and bonuses.

[webcrawler2050]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Well the good thing is, they are having another 'tea break' on Monday with more talks, probably deciding how the posties are going to get there Xmas cards and bonuses.

They best not get a bonus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[punky]

I wonder if the workers will have the gall to complain about their workload when they go back to work?

With all due respect to ZrByte, they probably will.

[webcrawler2050]

Originally Posted by punky

I wonder if the workers will have the gall to complain about their workload when they go back to work?

With all due respect to ZrByte, they probably will.

Probably why they "arranged" a second strike..

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by webcrawler2050

To be fair.. and this is how I see it - so your not getting a "fantastic" wage - however especially in this country, there is "extra" help. For example

If you have children:- You will be getting - Child Benefit - around £70 - £80 a month. Aswell, I'll assum your getting Working Tax Credit credits. Which can be anything up to £120 a week. Aswell, with the tax credits you are entitled to a small amount of housing benefit. £30 / £40 a month towards rent - not much but every little helps. So in my eyes, you have nothing to whine about..................

I currently don't claim any benefits, I don't have any children and last time I applied I didn't qualify as I could only prove my 27.5 hour working week as anything else I earn was through computer building etc and I couldn't prove it. That was a couple of years though so I suppose its worth looking into again.
I know it wasn't necessarily meant as a self-help post but you may have helped me out there, I didn't realise it could be even close to that much, thanks.

---------- Post added at 18:41 ---------- Previous post was at 18:38 ----------

Originally Posted by webcrawler2050

They best not get a bonus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did in 07, I suppose it all boils down to if we have hurt the company as much as people think. Yearly bonuses are paid in april (so plenty of time to recover) and are pro-rata based on how many hours we work and how well the business has done so if we have done damage we wont get a bonus.

---------- Post added at 18:42 ---------- Previous post was at 18:41 ----------

Originally Posted by punky

I wonder if the workers will have the gall to complain about their workload when they go back to work?

With all due respect to ZrByte, they probably will.

Like in any workplace I suppose, some will complain if the sun is too hot or the rain is too wet while others persevere under the most extreme conditions without making a whisper.
Today was an interesting day actually. Workers couldn't complain about workload if they wanted to as the managers enforced a work to rule policy on all of the delivery staff. I was actually forced to leave more than two thirds of today's mail for my round at the delivery office as there wasn't enough time to sort it. That's particularly interesting as the managers in my DO are normally the first to put a stop to working to rule when we try and enforce it ourselves.
Their reason for this when asked was to stop us booking overtime (quite rightly so) for mail weights etc as they know this couldn't be an issue if they regulated our delivery start times etc. Although of course there are the usual conspiracy theories that the managers are trying to increase the backlog so the government get involved and force the strikes to end etc.
The only real problem with this from the managers point of view is that if working to rule does increase the backlog it actually harms RMs position as it proves we are understaffed etc and this is the part where mechanisation can only do so much to help.

---------- Post added at 18:44 ---------- Previous post was at 18:42 ----------

Originally Posted by arcamalpha2004

What can be forgotten too is the fact that some people on minimum wage will get additional money in the way of Rent/Council tax rebates etc.
How much does it cost the country to supplement the minimum wage?
I would suggest that £9.50 per hour is not being greedy.
Just to ask, the news says, or mentions, that it is about pay and other things.
So why are you saying it is not about pay rates?

The only real issue about pay that I can think of is being forced to take on extra duties when we don't have time to do them and not being paid for the extra hours they will take. So basically the pay issue is about overtime.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

I spoke to our postman this morning, and he has told me, some of them don't want to strike, as there is plenty of work, but they are being forced to strike by the union.

[webcrawler2050]

If you have kids, you are entitled to Working tax credits. Which should "help" the situation a little.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

I spoke to our postman this morning, and he has told me, some of them don't want to strike, as there is plenty of work, but they are being forced to strike by the union.

Well I voted no As I don't think a strike is a good idea. But since the majority vote was yes to striking and not just by a small amount then that's what we do. United we stand, divided we fall etc. Though if he's not a member of the union there's plenty of opportunity to scab (I hate that word too). He wont be popular amongst his peers if they find out but that's the choice at the moment.

Originally Posted by ZrByte

Though if he's not a member of the union there's plenty of opportunity to scab (I hate that word too).

Then don't use it. It belongs in the playground and has no place in any adult discussion about labour disputes.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Chris

Then don't use it. It belongs in the playground and has no place in any adult discussion about labour disputes.

Im not the first person on here to use it and I didnt see you jump on them when they did.

I would have, had I spotted it, I promise you.