Mount Pleasant WF bulletin September

[anna]

PENSIONS THREATENED UNLESS WE ACT
We're all seriously worried about our pensions. And it's no good that the CWU reassures us that it's putting a strong case forward to "defend" the defined benefit scheme and improve the lousy defined contribution scheme (which they agreed to in the first place!). No. This proposed attack by RM and the government needs a concerted response, using all our forces. Yet the union's pushed the few Crown Post Office workers - first in line for the very same attack - to go out on strike alone? THAT is not serious.

THEY WERE LEFT ON THEIR OWN
Yes, on the day of the Crown Post Office strike last Thurs, even tho' a glossy leaflet was issued telling the rest of us that we should "show solidarity" with PO workers - there was no sign of it on the ground, nor anything actually organised to involve the whole workforce. Certainly not here at HMP, even tho' we've a Crown Office right next door. Next time we'll know that we'd better go directly to them ourselves, to organise proper "solidarity". Which can only mean striking together. Nothing less.

NEW CATEGORY, NEW HANDS
So the Chinese parcels are here to stay? Tiny little packets, hundreds of them per yorkie and each with its own address! This is a new category of mail altogether, something between the usual small flats and real packets! And surely it needs a new category of worker - well, a whole number of new workers allocated to sort these things? But of course that's not how management sees it. So we see a great big pile-up looming...

OVERTIME OR OVERWORKED
And with the Chinese parcels all over the shop (floor), and no proper jobs, let alone OT to cover for them, what's going on in here?! The union officials said RM had met their demands over this .... hence the withdrawal of the strike ballot. Can they tell us which demands, exactly, were met??

A GRIM SOUND
Indeed, RM must be laughing - when the best we (or rather the union officers) offered as "resistance" to the flood of mini-packets was a threat to strike if there was no OT granted. When of course OT is used by the bosses precisely to avoid taking on enough workers to do a job. Have union officials forgotten the time when the fight was about proper (full-time) jobs and proper pay?! Bring back real such fights and we won't "need" OT in order to make ends meet.

HOW CAN WE REST IN HERE?
We know RM-CWU are preparing a new disaster agreement covering all of our Ts&Cs. But in the meantime, whether on Processing, EC, or WC, management keeps cutting jobs - or rather keeps pushing our mates through the exit door without replacing their valuable hands! And though we can be sure that those who went were happy to go, RM keeps putting more extra duties into the already over-worked hands of those of us who're left!
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
At RM/Romec we still don't understand why there's such a difference between the "old" cleaners' contracts and the new ones. It seems that the night allowance is less when working under the "old" contract (minus £25 per week, that's not a "small" difference!), but OT on weekends is £4/hr less for those on "new" contracts! Doesn't make any sense at all! And as far as we're concerned, we do the same work, so we expect to be paid the very same (highest) rates and allowances!

STOCK SOMEWHERE?
As for the cockups of Stockport, the company that deals with cleaners/engineers pay, what can we say? Last week, we found out that OT pay was wrong for everybody… and of course, if we don't check and demand our money back, Stockport stocks it somewhere, never to be seen again!

USING THEIR FEET
We've read in RMC that our mates in Dorcan sorting office (Swindon) went on strike last month, over the suspension of their area union rep - and were shortly joined by other postal workers in the area. As many as 300 workers took action against the nasty behaviour of RM managers… and we understand how they feel! There or here, it is the same management nonsense - so we're glad to hear that these mates reacted against it!

BB: B-ACK ON OUR B-ACKS
It seems that Medway wasn’t too keen on keeping the constructive management style of Bob the Builder… but still, we want to thank our Kent mates for having taken B the Burden for a few weeks. We appreciated the break!

BRING THE THERMOMETERS
We won’t complain about the late summer and sunny days in the last few weeks. But in HMP, especially in confined areas, the heat was intense! Now there are reports that next week it's going to be hot again... So what about bringing along a thermometer and if the temperature reaches 25̊c, we take an extra 10 mins break every hour for a breath of fresh air? Above 27.7̊c, we take 20!

WHO MAKES OUR PROBLEMS?
We're meant to tell the Romec manager all about our problems, but how, when he's creating these problems? For instance he could've put casual workmates onto permanent contracts, since they're absolutely vital extra hands here and we can't manage without them. Yet instead, new supervisors were taken on, to breathe down our tired necks!

LACKING BASIC HUMANITY
The consequence for "casual" Romec workmates can be disastrous: one cleaner who'd worked as a temp for 1 day short of a year when she had to be admitted to hospital (with a serious illness) is without pay as a result. How is she meant to manage? How is this permissible (even if strictly within the so-called "law") when it's so inhumane? [e-mail:contact@w-fight.org]

[baldrick]

Good to see you back anna!

[SpacePhoenix]

NEW CATEGORY, NEW HANDS
So the Chinese parcels are here to stay? Tiny little packets, hundreds of them per yorkie and each with its own address! This is a new category of mail altogether, something between the usual small flats and real packets! And surely it needs a new category of worker - well, a whole number of new workers allocated to sort these things? But of course that's not how management sees it. So we see a great big pile-up looming...

OVERTIME OR OVERWORKED
And with the Chinese parcels all over the shop (floor), and no proper jobs, let alone OT to cover for them, what's going on in here?! The union officials said RM had met their demands over this .... hence the withdrawal of the strike ballot. Can they tell us which demands, exactly, were met??

?????????

We've gotten multiple sleeves of Chinese packets through for years

[baldrick]

We've gotten multiple sleeves of Chinese packets through for years

Mount Pleasant has been processing those little Chinese packets for years too, although all foreign work was supposed to have been transferred to Langley and processing duties in MP cut.
But it seems that with Langley unable to process the increasing volumes as they have to be sorted manually, more are being diverted to MP. The problem is restricted space and not enough staff, and management don't want to put out overtime.

[Creditshampoo]

If they don't pay overtime for the packets then it wont get done no one's problem but the management

[anna]

Cheers Baldrick, I think yes it's the fact of the great volume increase - which is definitely something new...
Is this a problem "everywhere" - or where do you mean,( if you can say sort of vaguely so as to be unexposed....) and does it continue in the same way or has it increased?

[jetblack]

This proposed attack by RM and the government needs a concerted response, using all our forces. Yet the union's pushed the few Crown Post Office workers - first in line for the very same attack - to go out on strike alone? THAT is not serious.

Yep - completely agree. I don't know when the penny is going to drop. To be fair though, how many RM members would have voted for industrial action on behalf of the Post Office ?
That's the problem. Not enough joined up thinking.

I remember times when there was some kind of solidarity http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/date ... 514195.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[baldrick]

Cheers Baldrick, I think yes it's the fact of the great volume increase - which is definitely something new...
Is this a problem "everywhere" - or where do you mean,( if you can say sort of vaguely so as to be unexposed....) and does it continue in the same way or has it increased?

anna I worked at MP before I retired three years ago. The Chinese packets were a problem then, and as volumes increase the problem will get worse. Management don't want to increase staffing to deal with it through ot or making pt staff up to ft. They think the extra work can be done in 'quieter' periods when there isn't so much work being processed. Trouble is there aren't quieter periods.
I don't work in RM now so I don't know if these packets are being sent to other mcs too now, but I would be surprised if they weren't.
Also they really should be sorted into the old dropbag frames, not into yorkies as they are too small and light to throw, but management in their wisdom scrapped the dropframes.

[britwrit]

I don't mind them. They're almost like magic. You can spend two hours tossing them into a red sleeve and it never fills up, having to be replaced.

[k979aaa]

I don't mind them. They're almost like magic. You can spend two hours tossing them into a red sleeve and it never fills up, having to be replaced.

Just wondered if all that's in them is powdered rhino horn in these packet's! What a way to go be shot have your tusk sawed off shipped to china sent back over here for some limped cocked rich bastard to imbue his masculinity with! Stop the ivory trade.

[anna]

re "chinese pkts" so it sounds like they are growing in number (but shrinking in size) in all MCs then, not just MP. Ok cheers.
On pensions struggle:
if you don't ask you won't know. So maybe worth at least giving people the benefit of the doubt as to whether they might take action over pensions or not. Unless of course the union leaders don't want to risk it, because the are so "very relaxed" in being considered such good partners in their talks with the management.

[baldrick]

Greenford MC is getting the Chinese packets too, I just got one delivered that has been processed there.

[enskied]

We are delivering these as Special Delivery ! Go to cage and see your SD total at 11 plus reggies and 7 of them are Chinese freepost.. WTF is going on with the Management of this Co?

[SpacePhoenix]

We are delivering these as Special Delivery ! Go to cage and see your SD total at 11 plus reggies and 7 of them are Chinese freepost.. WTF is going on with the Management of this Co?

Some of them goto a company near Heathrow who then fowards them on as Tracked items