Silence is golden...

[Whysoslowyehcfc]

Must say I agree with quite a lot of what you've said here. There are to many people who complain about their local reps but aren't willing to step forward and challenge the rep in place. Or what used to annoy me was I'd struggle to get a sub rep, so asked if a few would be willing to form a committee - guess how many volunteered - thats right NONE.

People can't keep moaning and hoping someone else will sort their problems out.

We've got our AGM coming up in the next couple of weeks, and generally we have some one from HQ attend. If other branches are the same how many people attend their AGM and make their views felt, it's only a couple of hours one Saturday a year. It's quite demoralising when going to AGM and most of the people their are either reps or ex-reps.

Moan over [/quote]

I was the deputy rep in my office, but every idea I came up with, the rep and area rep over ruled me, they only wanted me as a deputy rep cause the rest of the office trusted me more then them, so within a year I was gone..guess what the rep got beat in the election and the area rep had the right hump and was hardly seen for the next year, the reps job has since changed hands again, and because the area rep doesn't get on with him, he does nothing to support him, in fact he signed a new deal which stitched the office up when our elected rep went on leave for 2 weeks...
So is it any wonder people won't stand as rep when you get no support from people higher up the chain

[tommyrep]

No,Dingo is not management,Dingo gives out information,information that you would not normally get and some of the information he puts out is not liked.
That does no make him a manager.

Move on from that bollox,yes we don't always agree with some of his personal thoughts,but we all don't agree with others on here as well.

Postman, just wondering what happened to my post in reply to your stance on Dingo ?
If deleted by admin it would only strengthen a view that you are not completely open to fair debate on the forum. I never criticised Dingo, in fact I support him in his predicament on this site. I also no from experience how thankless the job is representing many staff who have no backbone or guts to challenge bullying management.
I will repeat, if the basic foundations of a Union fail to deal with grass root continually posted problems on site, their. Work on strategy is useless! Sort out the basic every day problems in delivery and you find the members rally round with a feeling that their problems are real and needs attention. If local branch, or divisional fail them then there is no other option than national level, Bob Gibson and Dave Ward cannot hide theirs heads I the sand continually ignoring it, it has and will. Not go away without some clout from them.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postman, just wondering what happened to my post in reply to your stance on Dingo ?

The one on page 2 of this thread

I can't see any deletion in the logs so I hope that you just missed your own post because it was on a different page.

[tommyrep]

Postman, just wondering what happened to my post in reply to your stance on Dingo ?

The one on page 2 of this thread

I can't see any deletion in the logs so I hope that you just missed your own post because it was on a different page.

OK, tbt. I assume that I did not hit the submit tag, but was sure I got the "posted successfully ". Thank you for the time taken to check anyway. I said nothing out of place, just sympathising generally with Dingo and wanting more input from our hierarchy.

[Sugar]

We have a legal IR framework but hardly any local offices are using it when there are issues why ?

The offices are using the IR framework Dingo but its those above who are doing the damage at grass roots level by not supporting them. Our rep is at such a point they now feels its pretty much time to throw in the towel and resign.

Its about time we saw Ward et al communicating with the workforce not gallivanting off around the country to conventions for little chit chats on the peoples post, junior doctors and so on.

[tommyrep]

We have a legal IR framework but hardly any local offices are using it when there are issues why ?

The offices are using the IR framework Dingo but its those above who are doing the damage at grass roots level by not supporting them. Our rep is at such a point they now feels its pretty much time to throw in the towel and resign.

Its about time we saw Ward et al communicating with the workforce not gallivanting off around the country to conventions for little chit chats on the peoples post, junior doctors and so on.

My sentiments exactly Sugar

[Danelectro]

Remember RM profits ultimately mean increased wages.
We should count ourselves fortunate that we even have union which will fight for those profits to be turned into increased wages. Many employees don't see increased profit come their way.

Nice theory if you completely ignore the 30%+ employees projected to lose their jobs under Royal Mails business strategy who will have zero increased profits 'coming their way'.

I presume you have already written to the MD stating your desire to be culled first

[fishtank]

If members aren't engaging with the union, If they aren't attending the branch meetings, the AGM, If they aren't supporting each other, registering disagreements and fighting proposals then only the dumbest, most short sighted would blame the members.

Think why?

[k979aaa]

Is it not for the top of the union to engage the membership of the plans by the employer for those at the bottom the workers are not invited nor welcome at such meetings we need to be informed of all developments NOW!

[tommyrep]

If members aren't engaging with the union, If they aren't attending the branch meetings, the AGM, If they aren't supporting each other, registering disagreements and fighting proposals then only the dumbest, most short sighted would blame the members.

Think why?

My view is apathy ! mere grass root posties have seen their job change in recent years - and not for the better I will add.
They view a massive increase in workload that has not been fairly tested for reasonable achievement ie, botched revisions, loss of money for d2d and flexibility simply a tool to screw them even further into the ground. Morale is so low its non-existent, we are on a downward spiral and unfortunately RM are well aware of it and they have easily won the challenge, sucked in our leaders and beat the staff into submission.
I am -and probably RM- astounded at how easy our members have made it so easy for RM. We cannot even get our members to start on time, use proper methods, take breaks - do the job properly - and the result is the bully tactics are reaping the rewards strongly in RMs favour. WE ARE DOOMED me thinks, too late, too many gutless members.

[aiden01]

If members aren't engaging with the union, If they aren't attending the branch meetings, the AGM, If they aren't supporting each other, registering disagreements and fighting proposals then only the dumbest, most short sighted would blame the members.

Think why?

My view is apathy ! mere grass root posties have seen their job change in recent years - and not for the better I will add.
They view a massive increase in workload that has not been fairly tested for reasonable achievement ie, botched revisions, loss of money for d2d and flexibility simply a tool to screw them even further into the ground. Morale is so low its non-existent, we are on a downward spiral and unfortunately RM are well aware of it and they have easily wosn the challenge, sucked in our leaders and beat the staff into submission.
I am -and probably RM- astounded at how easy our members have made it so easy for RM. We cannot even get our members to start on time, use proper methods, take breaks - do the job properly - and the result is the bully tactics are reaping the rewards strongly in RMs favour. WE ARE DOOMED me thinks, too late, too many gutless members.

So why blame union top bod,s if members are gutless

[fishtank]

If your fans stop turning up to watch the game on Saturday do you waste time blaming the fans while you go bust or do you look at yourself and think about what you're offering on the pitch?

Calling the members gutless is easy but ultimately pointless unless your answer is to give up and shut down the union. Industrial collective strength comes from believing you're part of something bigger than the individual and the responsibility for giving individual members that feeling of collective strength lies within the structure of the union and the ultimate responsibility for the structure of the union lies with the "top bods".

Members are not gutless, they are disengaged, dissatisfied and disenfranchised, they fear for their jobs and their terms and conditions and they don't believe that the union has the power nor the motivation to protect them. Even if you could blame the members for that where does it get you as a union? Playing to an empty stadium every week and eventual relegation to the Conference?

[daveyeff]

the rep says today he had been talking to area rep about our up coming pay deal. he says they're now saying a cut in weekly hours is probably NOT going to be negotiated as RM are saying its going to be too costly!!...... what a surprise.

[scotia]

Really taking the piss now, rumours and Chinese whispers abound, 5 year plans, 12 month plans, one wave, later starts, longer deliveries, more VRs.

No coherent, cohesive position as yet, what's going to happen?
I'll tell you, because no-one knows what's going on some units will agree to this and that, royal mail will pick us off , further divide an already disengaged membership and undermine any attempt to fight these changes.

The election of Dave Ward as GS was supposed to herald a new era of industrial and political cooperative action, where?
And don't get me started on the Terry and June(Bob) show. Get your arses in gear sharpish or we're all royally screwed.

Absolutely agree mate. Left the union a couple of months ago.
No auctions for at least six years, telling me how to vote, lumped our households vote with processing staff, no rep in our office(nobody wants it), no contact from anybody in cwu hardly for last few years.
Cwu has lost the delivery staff and don't want to engage them. Very poor effort.