RM FIRST REVIEW TOMORROW

[krussel]

Also peejay as others have said its not your dom but the instructions that he is receiving. We like our dom as he is quite old school and on the day he read out that statement you could see it was something he really did not want to do.
We were also told that absorbing would be starting the following monday with 6 rounds to cover. When asked which ones he told us the six nearest the office and read them out. Five out of the six were held by senior men two with 30+ and one with 40 years service. They were told they would come in on the monday and prep their walks and then await instructions. He went on to say that from the tue's they may be sent to other offices.

Some guys just walked off and the rest (me included) just sat there shocked at the threatening way we were being addressed. In the short term our rep managed to change the walks to holiday and long term sickness cover. When partimers contracts ran out they were not renewed and we lost 3 which makes up half the walks we cover now.

Thing was we knew under the 2007 agreement that absorbtion was coming but no on thought it would be forced upon us in such a heavy handed way. It made you feel quite worthless going to work knowing you faced a warning if you could not complete the extra work. No one should be made to feel that way.

[peejay14]

I hate that letter too. It should never have seen the light of day. It looks like a 1st or 2nd draft, where the author means to be firm and make sure as best he can that he gives clear instruction that the work has to be done, by providing all the reasons that he can muster, yet the letter should have been re-drafted a good few times until it came across in a less domineering manner. Personally I would have put my trust in the abilities of the country's DOMs to prepare the way for absorption, and win over posties across the land, building it in gradually, because (I'm sure I speak for the vast, vast majority of posties, when I say that) we are ready and willing to meet the challenges facing the business, we will find the extra gears required to do the extra work, but we do not need to be co-erced into doing it by such an embarrassing letter.

It screams of insecurity and fear on the part of the management, panicking in case the work force do not do as they ask. The approach is so wrong. The management really needed to take two steps backwards and then bring this change forward. The two steps back are necessary, in my eyes, to first come down from their shaky pedestal to the level of every-day posties, to learn firstly to talk our language so to manage us properly and effectively, and secondly to better plan the implementation of this new initiative; any such letter should have appeared way down the line, and should have been a contingency plan if the worst came to the worst. Have a little faith (in us), please.

The management is being very canny though, as the letter seems to foresee the very kind of industrial action that I have latterly suggested as an alternative to the strike action (if I can say so, myself).

Another reason that this letter need never have seen the light of day, however, even after it had been vomited by the office printer, is that as Royal Mail posties we pride ourselves on our superior ability to deliver mail, and we should be prepared to do whatever it takes, until we fail in the attempt, to deliver whatever our customers put in our hands. If it is possible, then it will be done, and we should wear down the pavement under our feet in order to serve our country. There should be no hint of refusal, in the first instance. The proof should come-out-in-the-wash, we should pick up the pace and greet that extra customer, however we can only deliver what is humanly possible and the management should understand that, especially if they were ever posties themselves, as all the managers in our office were. I have said already on this board that if a new management initiative designed to improve delivery office efficiency fails, and the failure is down (not to refusal, but) to the honest inability of the eager but over-stretched work force, then the management have no-one to blame but themselves, and their short-sightedness is a failure on their part, not the honest and hard-working posties always willing to achieve.

For the 'management - work force' relationship to work, and for it to be rescued at present, the management need to have faith in the ability of their workers, and we need to work to the best of our abilities. It is clear for all to see that at the moment this relationship is broken.

C'mon ACAS !

[norbert]

Some of the points are really good re badly drafted letters & " motivation " - RM has been in crisis management / siege mentality mode or permanent panic mode for a long time . RM have never done responsibility .... ever and it's all negative blame the staff .

I do think you should write for The Courier though - they'd love it

[BELIAL]

Narcolepsy strikes zzzzzzzzz

[norbert]

Narcolepsy strikes zzzzzzzzz

[stupidboy]

with regards to absorbing we were instructed by our area rep that it is only meant to be done during the summer. since then several of us have stopped doing it outside of the summer and have had no comebacks at all, possibly because most of us go over our time on our own deliveries anyway.

[krussel]

Some very good points raised peejay

I understand your desire for a more positive approach and i think a lot of managers knew that they would achieve this by means of motivation rather than threats.
However there was also another kind of management that saw the letter as the BIG STICK they had been waiting for and proceeded to whack already hard working posties over the head with it.

The most worrying thing about the letter was the fact that it was raw un-filtered instruction issued from the very top and does give you insight to this new line of management training, threaten first then give instruction later.

Personally i do not like being treated in this manner and find it offensive and so i supported the union in trying to change things.Yes it resulted in strike action which some people see as too extreme but when faced with such a threatening attitude can you really blame anyone for wishing to use their right to withdraw their labours.

[krussel]

with regards to absorbing we were instructed by our area rep that it is only meant to be done during the summer. since then several of us have stopped doing it outside of the summer and have had no comebacks at all, possibly because most of us go over our time on our own deliveries anyway.

Under the 2007 agreement it was supposed to be only during the summer. Since the strikes our management have eased in the approach and now accept that on certain days it is not possible.

[Ernie Shoe]

(I'm sure I speak for the vast, vast majority of posties, when I say that) we are ready and willing to meet the challenges facing the business, we will find the extra gears required to do the extra work, but we do not need to be co-erced into doing it by such an embarrassing letter.

I don't think you do.
Extra gears - WTF


If it is possible, then it will be done, and we should wear down the pavement under our feet in order to serve our country.
HA HA

Very Churchillian.

The Courier will just love you!

[peejay14]

If the RM management have handled things badly leading to the strike, then is the CWU blameless for the mess we found ourselves in?

I am coming at this from a completely different angle than most on this board who want to see heads roll, I want to be sure that my job is respected by all powers that be. Before I go on strike I need time and information to decide, I won't be used as a pawn.

To be confident that both sides have my interests at heart I await their help and advice, and reports into the work being done on my behalf. The battle between company and union is effectively a power struggle for our support.

I need the union to put considered options before me, not just the option to strike (even I, with limited background knowledge, have thought of something else that might be tried) but a range of options with associated risks and benefits. I do not accept that a general strike is a general remedy. And I need the company to put before me the reasons why they are pushing their reforms through and what this really means for me and my job.

I feel like a piece of shrapnel actually, and working this Christmas will not be as rewarding a time as it was last year (the only other festive period over which I have worked for RM).

I am not a member of the union, so I will be watching out for developments closely on here. Neither am I a supporter of RM, I just work for them. I could join the union, but they will have to try something different to convince me of their appeal, and I wonder if my minority will not grow unless the union can sort out its game-plan over christmas. The union has a real game on its hands, because I think that the company came out on top in the battle of words.

C'mon ACAS !

[BELIAL]

Surely no one is genuinely that stupid And yes we could wade through the drivel step by asinine step to provide a logical and devastating rebuttal ,but ffs surely that is not necessary
Up your game pj ,thus far you just bore everyone

[peejay14]

Up your game pj

Up yours

(Couldn't resist falling for it)

[axeman]

yes 'belial' it's mostly innane drivel and now is getting teedious ......yes some are not equiped for the world that is royal fail 'peejay'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If the RM management have handled things badly leading to the strike, then is the CWU blameless for the mess we found ourselves in?

No but then no one has denied that. The CWU are slow to react, do not communicate with the grass roots very well and tend to rely too much on our connection with the Labour Party.

I am coming at this from a completely different angle than most on this board who want to see heads roll, I want to be sure that my job is respected by all powers that be. Before I go on strike I need time and information to decide, I won't be used as a pawn.

Sorry that's life, you may be researching and may be more informed than most but ultimately we are all pawns and will be used by both sides. Its called a pragmatic view rather than a defeatist one. RM and CWU both have strategic plans and both need us from them to realise their particular vision.

To be confident that both sides have my interests at heart I await their help and advice, and reports into the work being done on my behalf. The battle between company and union is effectively a power struggle for our support.

Sorry but to expect either side to have your interests at heart is naive at best wishful thinking at worst. Royal Mails interest lies solely in reducing costs and improving margins and profit. The CWUs is survival, inclusion in decisions and keeping memberships levels across its catchment areas as high as possible. Both will pay lip service to individuals concerns and worries but ultimately both of them have to keep an eye on the bigger picture and both will sacrifice things to ensure that they remain in the game.

I need the union to put considered options before me, not just the option to strike (even I, with limited background knowledge, have thought of something else that might be tried) but a range of options with associated risks and benefits. I do not accept that a general strike is a general remedy. And I need the company to put before me the reasons why they are pushing their reforms through and what this really means for me and my job.

Please read the rest of the forums as the "Work to rule" versus All out Strike has been done to death, however, ultimately the CWU will never sanction a work to rule as its hard for them to control and police, it also leaves weaker offices and less militant workers more exposed. BTW its called an "All out Strike", or "Functional Strike" or just Strike. A General Strike is something else entirely and will probably never be seen in my lifetime.

I feel like a piece of shrapnel actually, and working this Christmas will not be as rewarding a time as it was last year (the only other festive period over which I have worked for RM).

I am not a member of the union, so I will be watching out for developments closely on here. Neither am I a supporter of RM, I just work for them. I could join the union, but they will have to try something different to convince me of their appeal, and I wonder if my minority will not grow unless the union can sort out its game-plan over christmas. The union has a real game on its hands, because I think that the company came out on top in the battle of words.

C'mon ACAS !

Why the shout for ACAS they can do nothing for us they are just the go between. Its up to RM and the CWU

[peejay14]

Why the shout for ACAS they can do nothing for us they are just the go between. Its up to RM and the CWU

I quite agree, why the need for ACAS !