latest Mount Pleasant bulletin

[anna]

Hi there,
latest MP bulletin - dated 9th September (we took a break for 5 weeks.., now back, fortnightly)

Thanks. Anna

TAKE THEM ON PERMANENTLY
What’s really going on with this business of casual cleaning workers in Romec? Now we’re told they aren’t on zero hours contracts, after all. Was that a quick rewriting of Ts&Cs by frightened Romec bosses? Anyway our temporary fellow workmates are still with us and we think they should be on the same terms and wages as us - and made permanent. There are never enough hands to do this job!

REINSTATE OUR MATES!
That said, we still have another fight to take on - because one of the two unfairly sacked workers has lost her appeal and the other is still pending - and we say they must both be back in our ranks asap!

OK, BUT ON OUR TERMS?
In Processing, we were hearing rumours last month, that due to a "low" workload, management was thinking of sending us elsewhere to sort mail… In the end, it didn't happen, but we'd like to know if this will become normal practice whenever things get quiet…? We wouldn't mind getting out of HMP for a while, doing a bit of travelling, and visiting mates in other offices. A change is as good as a rest! But only on certain terms and under certain conditions!

PLAN B
We night shift workers had a good break from the Bee, who was busy buzzing elsewhere, supposedly on holiday again. Couldn't we sign a petition asking RM to grant a promotion to their hard working little Bee, to have it permanently buzzing in RM HQ? That's an idea!

DOWN WITH 24/7! (WHERE WILL IT END?)
So the extended “pilot” for the opening of 100 Delivery Offices on a Sunday began this week. And a precedent is set : our “normal” rest day - the only one we share will others - is being thrown out of the window... Delivery workers already do Saturdays when other people - and our family members - are off work, or off school. So now Sunday is going to be encroached on too?

WE WOULD HAVE STRUCK A HARDER BARGAIN
And where’s the compensation - i.e., double time for all the extra unsocial hours mates are meant to work? That should’ve been the bottom line - and a deterrent against the bosses’ so-called “competitive spirit”! And obviously, getting time in lieu goes without saying - but it should be doubled as well, of course!

RM'S CRYING LIKE A BIG BABY
Oh dear! RM and TNT are now bickering over an ad… RM is accusing TNT of misleading the public into thinking it has the same service obligations as RM. Well, we all know that RM may not want to lose the state protection attached to its USO, but it would love to be just the same as TNT when it comes to our Ts&Cs! This looks more like big bout of jealousy.

ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL
Maybe it’s too obvious to mention, but if TNT workers all become part of the union and we then fight together for equal pay and conditions for all, we’d be well on the road to destroying the bosses competitive game and getting universal working conditions, to go with a universal service...

WHO REALLY BENEFITS?
We read on Royalmailchat that RM sold its Warrington warehouse for £7.68m, which they still occupy, and which they’ll now rent back from the buyers. Apparently it's called "sale and leaseback" (verified by the "Business Dictionary"!). This is meant to give RM a better tax deal!? Doesn't make much (common!) sense to us. It would be nice to know the finer details of who's helping whom and whether it's a way to dodge tax…!? But that's probably one of those famous "commercial secrets".

MOYA AND US: SAME FIGHT??!
So Moya Greede is "deeply offended" by the criticism over her pay? Not only did she have to hand back her housing allowance (£250,000), but, believe it or not, she's still badly paid compared to other CEOs of the big stock exchange listed companies (she got £500,000 last year). She couldn't be comforted with her bonuses (£863,000) and new shares (£328,000). Well, we couldn't agree enough, Ts&Cs in RM are bad… Keen to organise a strike over pay?

YES OR NO - SAME DIFFERENCE
Seems the CWU is one of the few unions making a recommendation over the Scottish independence vote: it says we should vote “no”, citing future pressures on RM, BT the PO, if “yes” wins. Of course, GS Billy Hayes, aspiring Labour MP wouldn’t oppose Labour’s “no” campaign anyway, would he?

FOR INTERNATIONALISM...
That said, most of the gripes causing mates to opt for independence aren’t due to “Westminster” but the fact that governments rule in favour of the capitalists wherever they are: the so-called “class nature of the state”... So sure, we’d be better together, overthrowing the state and the system - and having a new one in the interests of all of our class, north, south, east and west!

[rainbowwarrior72]

Where have you been hiding? I thought you had been stopped

[anna]

hello rainbow, no we always take a break during August. Statutory holidays!! No not really . Sorry we should have posted that we'd be away.