Hello - the latest Workers Fight bulletin Mount Pleasant of workers - deliveries and processing and Romec etc... (not sure why it is being moved to MCs as it's got EC1-4, some international and now part of RM HQ at 185) 12/02/14
BEHIND THEIR DELIGHT
So the CWU and RM are jointly delighted with the 94.5% "yes" vote for the Agenda for Growth 2014? They even say the turnout - only 57% - wasn't that bad, comparing it to the 62% turnout for last year's October strike vote. But if you do some crude arithmetic, it means that 48.5% of those who got ballot papers, either voted no or didn't vote. It's a lot. Almost half. And why? Because we knew it was a "done deal" anyway and that our vote wouldn't make any difference?
BROKEN GROUND OR BROKEN TRUST?
Actually, we feel like we're on one of those tight-ropes with the bosses sawing the ropes one end and the CWU leaders sawing the other. Sure, some voted to ensure the backpay came now, rather than later. But just as many feel it was last year's 96% vote against privatisation (74% turnout!) which was the important one and that was the fight we should have had. Not one to close the stable door after the horse had bolted.
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
And has it even closed the stable door? A 3-yr pay deal, exactly the same as what we voted against in Oct; "legally binding" clauses to prevent changes in Ts&Cs for 5 yrs, but all dependent on "business stability". What's the definition of that, during an ongoing financial crisis? As for deliveries - unacceptable revisions are now agreed and the "review", (visits to just 20 DOs), just started.
One more point - the bosses' press is hailing the agreement because of just one thing: the no strike clause. They say that it's true that the CWU hasn't actually signed one, but that's what it amounts to.
ROMEC THE "FEARTIE"
Romec backed down in front of cleaners' threat to strike (we voted 94.55% yes ) against their attempt to ignore seniority and allocate duties without our agreement. If you stand up to a bully the bully falls down. Seniority will now be respected and we've got a proper re-sign for 38 duties. Only trouble is they say that's a surplus. How do they figure that? Do we need another strike vote?
SPIDERMAN COMES TO MP'S 185
To "learn" how to work cleaning machines, Romec bosses have the whole team training. But given they want everything spotless - i.e., we must climb the walls and swing from chandeliers to shine ‘em, we'll have to be in super-hero school for 6m, at least... And we need ropes, harnesses... and wings.
IT PROBLEM?
We await negotiations over Romec's AL "joke" - i.e., capping holidays at 2 wks. Are they trying to cover their inability to plan rotas? Haven't they heard of IT programmes which could sort out cover for 38 cleaners 52w/yr, in a tick? And btw, if there's a surplus, as they say, then surely we could have holidays for as long and whenever we want?
SHALL WE CHANGE OUR SHIRTS?
We thought it was just a temporary measure when RM got a private security company to provide men in nice suits to sit in reception areas. But now they're there every day and of course at 185. So it seems the RM bosses don't want us blue-shirts there, at all, during office hours? We don't convey the right "image" in front of fat-cat shareholders?
SEND THE FATCATS DOWNSTAIRS!
Actually 185's Fat-cats could be of some use - send them downstairs to the basement, where drivers are still having to share lunches with the mice. They can solve this problem for us, once and for all!
MESSY SELF MESS
The self mess isn't self-cleaning. Yet Quadrant is too mean to pay Romec or employ more Quadrant workers (or extend hours) to keep everything spick and span. So what's the answer? To let the rubbish pile up? Surely not.
BROKEN... MACHINE?
We see that new "mother" and "child" sorting machines are being assembled - for packets? The trialled one at Greenford didn't work. Until RM takes over the packaging as well as the sorting, we suspect it's a non-starter.
WE AREN'T EXTRA
Disbanded ex-DWP sorters are now unhappily used as a reserve army in packets, letters, jumbo-dumbo, etc. But a question: if bosses say there are so many "extra" hands, why the failures? Like on Mon night. Now they want to check mail arrival on the platforms - but they can never control traffic. "Extra" hands are always needed, to compensate for the natural chaos the system!
THE B SHOULD BUZZ OFF
Oh dear. Bob the builder is back glaring around the place and building aggravation. When he's not getting in the way, everything runs like clockwork. Our advice? You'd see far better if you stayed in your high chair.
PO OR CANTEEN?
No surprise we weren't warned the Post Office was moving into the prefab in the yard. But will it move back? We hear185 knobs want their own "Corner Bistro" there...
LET'S HAVE MORE TUBE WORKERS!
The tube workers are right to strike. Cut 950 job in the depths of a recession? Is TFL mad? We need more tube workers - not fewer, in ticket offices and on platforms, especially if tubes run 24hrs. And bring back the guards!
You can still buy the Class Struggle journal (£1.50) with the article on Royal Mail privatisation. [E-mail: contact@w-fight.org]
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