Royal Mail Strike Action

[Cuchulain]

So you think that the postman would chuck all his mail in the canal to get home early do you?

It's happened on numerous occasions here, on one of them police found something like 6 months worth of mail stashed in the posties loft. The only thing I believe posties are actually efficient at is opening suspected Christmas and Birthday cards to see if there's money inside, I've yet to receive one that hasn't been opened and sellotaped back down (luckily (or unluckily) nobody ever sends me money in cards )

 

[todd flanders]

Many postmen use their own vehicles to do their deliveries - something that lets them finish the shift early but costs them a significant amount* (and saves RM a fair bit in overtime and paying for official vehicles).
In a couple of areas where the postmen have been working to the wording of the contract (basically working as if the new contract was in place) the postal service has suffered massively and cost RM a huge amount to bring in additional personal.
Something to do with the fact that it might take a postie X hours to do his normal rounds in full using a car, but X+Y hours if he has to do it on foot/by bike and make multiple additional trips back to the sorting office.

It's surprising how badly RM needs the goodwill of it's workforce to get the shifts done on time, let alone early (as happens at the moment).




*IIRC it requires the postie to have full business use insurance (rather than domestic and commuting).

This post is bang on the money as to how it currently works.

Any time made on delivery is purely down to the individual postman on the delivery and now RM management are trying to capitalise on that time made while they have no right to. There is a rmchat forum that I read that is pushing memebers to "do the job properly" and if everyone did do the job by the book, i.e. taking breaks, weighing bags in accorance with the bag matrix (3rd, 4th, 5th bags and so on get lighter and lighter) and using the vans then delivery offices wouldn't be able to cope.

Thank You werewolf for a top post!

 

[todd flanders]

RM are trying to change, the union is blocking any changes :|

What changes are they blocking and why are they blocking them? Are they right to object? If not, why not?

 

[Ant C]

I have my own best interests at heart. Who's do you think I should have?

Ok, so the cwu and its members are only looking out for themselves, ignoring the fact that the Royal Mail must to change to survive. Do you not see a problem here? Even if all demands are met, will it make your job secure in the long term?

I had some sympathy, on some of the issues raised, but not any more. To threaten a week long strike over the issue of flexible working hours exposes the mentality of the cwu. Should its members blindly follow then they deserve everything they get.

 

[Fothsn]

Many postmen use their own vehicles to do their deliveries - something that lets them finish the shift early but costs them a significant amount* (and saves RM a fair bit in overtime and paying for official vehicles).
In a couple of areas where the postmen have been working to the wording of the contract (basically working as if the new contract was in place) the postal service has suffered massively and cost RM a huge amount to bring in additional personal.
Something to do with the fact that it might take a postie X hours to do his normal rounds in full using a car, but X+Y hours if he has to do it on foot/by bike and make multiple additional trips back to the sorting office.

It's surprising how badly RM needs the goodwill of it's workforce to get the shifts done on time, let alone early (as happens at the moment).




*IIRC it requires the postie to have full business use insurance (rather than domestic and commuting).

That is spot on there are 3 guys in my office that use their own vehicles it saves them a lot of effort but more importantly it saves RM much more! I finish about 1Hr before my official finish time sometimes quicker on a Saturday like Todd mentions if 'We' followed the book word by word (ie weighing bags etc) you would all get your mail very late in the day & the service would topple, what’s annoyed me more than anything is the later start times coming to affect this week and the D2D what a joke! Like we don’t have enough on our plates

 

[Raumarik]

Must be nice to have such a simple job that you can "rush" it and go home, unlike the rest of us who actually work the hours we're paid for. Perhaps the way they're paid is wrong, perhaps it should be done by weight, size and type of item they're delivering - just as we pay the RM.

They shouldn't have to use their cars, but at the same time it doesn't make it right to go home early from a shift. Just because you got the allocated work done quickly doesn't mean you're day is over, go get some more and make YOUR job more secure by doing so.

If employees can genuinely bring the RM down by refusing to use their own cars, then perhaps it's time to put a bullet into the back of the RM beast's head and let private firms pick off the best parts.

 

[scorza]

well a whole raft of proposals were made, most are bad for posties in one way or another. But you have to bear in mind that if RM don't change more and more of the machinable mail, the profitable stuff, will go to the competition and RM will die then no one will have a job.

It sucks, but it needs to be done. They are wrong to object because the whole business will collapse :|

Maybe Royal Mail management time would be better spent trying to level out the playing field with regards to the unfair competition they face, rather that trying to shaft their workers?

 

[scorza]

They shouldn't have to use their cars, but at the same time it doesn't make it right to go home early from a shift. Just because you got the allocated work done quickly doesn't mean you're day is over,...

Actually it does, since that's what they agreed with their management who are now trying to back out of that agreement.

Perhaps if you're unhappy with your job, having to work full shifts etc, you should quit and find yourself a new one instead of trying to drag everyone else's job conditions down to yours

 

[Raumarik]

What I really don't understand is if RM employees are so damn furious about this why don't they move job? Surely a private firm would employ them?

Oh no wait - perhaps they're onto a good thing at RM?

 

[Fothsn]

Must be nice to have such a simple job that you can "rush" it and go home, unlike the rest of us who actually work the hours we're paid for. Perhaps the way they're paid is wrong, perhaps it should be done by weight, size and type of item they're delivering - just as we pay the RM.

They shouldn't have to use their cars, but at the same time it doesn't make it right to go home early from a shift. Just because you got the allocated work done quickly doesn't mean you're day is over, go get some more and make YOUR job more secure by doing so.

If employees can genuinely bring the RM down by refusing to use their own cars, then perhaps it's time to put a bullet into the back of the RM beast's head and let private firms pick off the best parts.

I'm sorry you have to stay till 5.30, I don’t see the difference 'I' choose to work quicker so I get my duty’s done, doesn’t everybody in life If I worked slower took breakes all the time which would result in finishing on time would that make you happy?

 

[todd flanders]

I had some sympathy, on some of the issues raised, but not any more. To threaten a week long strike over the issue of flexible working hours exposes the mentality of the cwu. Should its members blindly follow then they deserve everything they get.

Flexible working hours? You know, people used to say that they could set their watch with the time that the postman came!

Why should we adjust to flexible working hours? We currently have a nationwide distribution network which criss crosses the country perfectly and works fine. Management have used the excuse of all vehicles being limited to 56mph (if thats the correct speed) to suggest that there will be a significant delay around the network and have altered everyones start times on this and this alone, yet the general feeling is that it will have little or no effect on the current system as it stands.

Theres no need for flexible working. All that really means is that it lets DOM's play God a little bit more, and they love that

 

[Fothsn]

What I really don't understand is if RM employees are so damn furious about this why don't they move job? Surely a private firm would employ them?

Oh no wait - perhaps they're onto a good thing at RM?

You seem a bit bitter there? Jealousy perhaps come and work for us?

 

[Cuchulain]

Sack every postie on strike and get the Polish in, problem solved.

 

[Fothsn]

Sack every postie on strike and get the Polish in, problem solved.

Yep not like its over run with polish workers..

 

[Cuchulain]

Yep not like its over run with polish workers..

How many of them are on strike?

 

[jamief]

I'm sorry you have to stay till 5.30, I don’t see the difference 'I' choose to work quicker so I get my duty’s done, doesn’t everybody in life If I worked slower took breakes all the time which would result in finishing on time would that make you happy?

Because if you are being paid for a XX hour week, you should be doing XX hours. If you choose to use your own vehicle to complete your round quicker, you shouldn't get to go home before your time is up. For someone in such a simple job, posties really do like moaning. Popping letters through a hole in a door; it's lucky they get paid more than minimum wage anyway.

 

[jamief]

You seem a bit bitter there? Jealousy perhaps come and work for us?

HAHAHAHAH great!!!

Seriously, someone in a proper job wanting to become a postie? Get a grip.

 

[todd flanders]

But you have to bear in mind that if RM don't change more and more of the machinable mail, the profitable stuff, will go to the competition and RM will die then no one will have a job.

You clearly don't understand do you?

Most of the more profitable stuff already has gone to the competition. In the past RM used to do it all and use the profit that they made on it to offset the loss mail delivering stamped mail.

However, since the monopoly was lifted the likes of DHL, TNT, UK Mail and others have been undercutting RM on price with these bulk items, using their established distribution networks to move the mail around the country then handing it to RM to process and deliver for something like 12p per item.

RM aren't allowed to set a price or refuse to handle it thanks to Postcomm.

Is this any clearer for you? Take my advice, stop posting, you don't know what you're on about

 

[Fothsn]

Because if you are being paid for a XX hour week, you should be doing XX hours. If you choose to use your own vehicle to complete your round quicker, you shouldn't get to go home before your time is up. For someone in such a simple job, posties really do like moaning. Popping letters through a hole in a door; it's lucky they get paid more than minimum wage anyway.

Post of the day, what a simple job I’ve got, just a case of walking and putting something through a hole.

What do you do answer/make telephones calls

 

[jamief]

Is this any clearer for you? Take my advice, stop posting, you don't know what you're on about

I'm sure I'm not the only one getting fed up with your attitude, please try and refrain from telling other people in this thread what to do or not to do (and yes, there is a hint of irony in my post).