FULL UPDATE FROM CWU HQ - DATES NAMED

ulster postie · Post by **ulster postie** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:19

OK BUT DOES IT SOLVE THE PROBLEMS, WHEN WE RETURN TO WORK ON THE 10TH AND RM HAVE CONTINUED WITH THE EX/ACTION IE, LATER STARTS WHERE DO WE STAND. HAS THE CWU GOT OTHER PLANS TO FIGHT THIS. THE REASON IM ASKING THIS IS SIMPLE, IF WE COMPLY WITH THE LATER STARTS ON RETURNING TO WORK WE WILL FIND IT VERY HARD TO REVERSE THIS. THE SCREWS WILL SAY IF YOUR DOING IT NOW YOU CAN CONTINUE FOREVER, THIS MUST NOT HAPPEN. THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS UNION MUST MAKE CONTINGENCY PLANS TO AVERT A DISASTER. OUR RESPONCE MUST BE QUICK AND TOTAL. OMWARDS AND UPWARDS

digitalangel · Post by **digitalangel** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:24

How will this affect pay?

ie. will the first two days come out of one week or will it all be out of one week's wages?

The general feeling in my office today was disbelief. Most people can't afford to lose that much wages.

Two days per week is the max. I can live without as my rent and utility bills come out weekly and cost half of my wages. My savings were for my Australia trip which has now been booked and paid for (going end of Oct) and thus my account looks unhealthy.

I suspect more people may cross lines than before especially single parents struggling with 1-day strikes...

I know alot of people will flame me for this but calling people strike breakers doesn't pressure them to fall in line but causes friction bewteen staff and disharmony. Bills don't pay themselves especially if you have a child to feed and clothe, etc all by yourself.

IWW Fellow Worker · Post by **IWW Fellow Worker** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:28

digitalangel wrote:How will this affect pay?

ie. will the first two days come out of one week or will it all be out of one week's wages?

The general feeling in my office today was disbelief. Most people can't afford to lose that much wages.

Two days per week is the max. I can live without as my rent and utility bills come out weekly and cost half of my wages. My savings were for my Australia trip which has now been booked and paid for (going end of Oct) and thus my account looks unhealthy.

I suspect more people may cross lines than before especially single parents struggling with 1-day strikes...

I know alot of people will flame me for this but calling people strike breakers doesn't pressure them to fall in line but causes friction bewteen staff and disharmony. Bills don't pay themselves especially if you have a child to feed and clothe, etc all by yourself.

Calling people strike breakers doesn't cause friction or disharmony. Crossing picket lines while the rest of us fight their battles for them does that.

frankie · Post by **frankie** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:28

leader · Post by **leader** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:34

digitalangel wrote:How will this affect pay?

ie. will the first two days come out of one week or will it all be out of one week's wages?

The general feeling in my office today was disbelief. Most people can't afford to lose that much wages.

Two days per week is the max. I can live without as my rent and utility bills come out weekly and cost half of my wages. My savings were for my Australia trip which has now been booked and paid for (going end of Oct) and thus my account looks unhealthy.

I suspect more people may cross lines than before especially single parents struggling with 1-day strikes...

I know alot of people will flame me for this but calling people strike breakers doesn't pressure them to fall in line but causes friction bewteen staff and disharmony. Bills don't pay themselves especially if you have a child to feed and clothe, etc all by yourself.

Look at the bigger picture you wont be going on holiday again because you will be on s**t wages with no chance of overtime or d2d payments. tell your collegues a sacrifice now will mean a long and meaningful future or its let them screw you in work and retirement.

SOLIDARITY COMRADES!! ONE OUT ALL OUT!! TO THE GATE!!

Post by **disheartened** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:38

digitalangel wrote:How will this affect pay?

ie. will the first two days come out of one week or will it all be out of one week's wages?

The general feeling in my office today was disbelief. Most people can't afford to lose that much wages.

Two days per week is the max. I can live without as my rent and utility bills come out weekly and cost half of my wages. My savings were for my Australia trip which has now been booked and paid for (going end of Oct) and thus my account looks unhealthy.

I suspect more people may cross lines than before especially single parents struggling with 1-day strikes...

I know alot of people will flame me for this but calling people strike breakers doesn't pressure them to fall in line but causes friction bewteen staff and disharmony. Bills don't pay themselves especially if you have a child to feed and clothe, etc all by yourself.

I think the RM just to be spiteful will rip the stoppage money out of one weeks wages,like you and i am sad to say this i think these next days of IA will see more people cross the picket line,i really hope not as it leaves a reall bad taste in ones mouth.Some people are not only short sighted they are tunnel visioned as well.

Like you i put my USA trip on hold for this year,because i could smell what was coming around the corner.

Please if you are thinking of working just think what the RM plans are for your future,the conditions will only get worse if RM get their way,me i stand to loose about 60k,i would have my 40 years service in before i am 60,thats only 12 years away,the last pension statement reckons i'll get 10k per annum + my lump sum,so in 12 years time that wont be far off 12k per annum and i am in the position to go at 60,now they want to increase the retirement age to 65 and i wont be able to draw my post office pension till then.

frankie · Post by **frankie** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:42

goinpostal · Post by **goinpostal** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:44

its definitely going to be a harder argument to win but the majority will strike because we have no choice. Its absolutely clear, we can save a handful of pound notes here and now or work till we drop at 65 - and with their flexibility plans, drop we will. 5 more years of our prison sentence or a fight now.

And those who think they're going to get another job, might want to think again after that northern rock meltdown, things are not looking too rosy in the economy. Where are we going to get a better job, with a pension, union, respect (that we earn through strength) etc?

I dont think we should be throwing words around like scab at the moment, we should be working all out to get the middle ground of shaky workers around us and keeping the door open to them till the last minute, through patiently explaining whats at stake, going through the list of what RM has prepared for us and what it will mean for them, how we can gaurantee that there will be well over 100,000 postal workers out and RM will be f****d, regardless of a minority who throw in the towel.

But in the final analysis IWW hits it on the head, to hell with being disruptive, the real issue is what is the basic cause of discord between workers? Its those who are actively arguing against the strike, and in particular that small miserable bunch that bitch and moan out loud every day about what the union hasn't done for them while they stab the rest of us in the back (and often as not are the manager's pet too in my experience) and make it seem like its ok to cross picketlines, loads are doing it etc While we shouldnt get people's backs up at this point, we should be looking to isolate such people by challenging what they say and arguing for what is at stake at every turn - because the TRUTH is on our side. We should make sure their voice does not become the dominant voice in the offices.

In 90% of the cases i am sure if we get all the strong people together, if we seek out the middle ground of waverers, if we confront firmly the moaners with patient informed arguments, we can win our offices.

The reason for the apathy and glumness is the fact that for 6 weeks the leadership criminally let not a word of what was going on leak out, and dropped the strikes. Evidently they got a roasting at the national meeting last week for that according to the branch officer who went from ours. Naturally the announcement of strike dates has hit like a bombshell, but that will wear off, as people begin to look at what RM is proposing, as long as even a handful of people are campaigning for it on the shopfloor.

Dont be downhearted comrades we have 2 weeks to make it happen, we can do it!!!! :cfo :lfo

ps moderator can i kindly request a smiley face with a fist in the air be added to the emoticons box.

hmtkeren · Post by **hmtkeren** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:46

been swamping sunderland do for the past week

Bloke7 · Post by **Bloke7** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:48

It's funny how in these debt-ridden days that we get so het up about money. We are the first to moan when directors of companies get huge pay rises, but the first to balk at standing up for basic rights in the workplace versus paying the bills for a week or two.

Yes, it is a loss of a lot of money, BUT it's a gain for the future. For the future of all Royal Mail employees.

If we are so short sighted as to believe that losing money over this dispute is a major problem, then take another look around you at the political landscape.

Do you really think this company has your best interests at heart? Would you really want to go into work for those days just because of money? What about your self-respect against a company that has absolutely none for you?

Do you think that the job will improve because you went in and "did your duty" for your country/employer/etc? Standing up for a short period of time against an employer that is obviously "out of control" is a small request in the face of massive destruction of a previously well thought of public service.

They want to destroy your union who have fought for you daily, monthly and annually over all kinds of "small" issues that amount to "big" things for the people who have had the chance to be represented by the strong, VOLUNTARY, group of local, area, divisional reps. They want to just walk all over you for the sake of money.

We come back round to money here. The company's money. The money they want to take from you while giving you a carrot in the other hand.

The carrot doesn't work anymore. It shouldn't make you think that things will get better unless we get a negotiated settlement which forms a structured, coherent plan to get this business ready for the future that is ahead of it. Not this idealised "plasma screen" world where rose-tinted glasses are the norm.

This job, as I have said, is run by and held by us. We hold the reins in this matter. We hold the knowledge, we have the skills.

Time to withdraw those skills to show them where the real heart of Royal Mail resides. In us, the workers who slog our guts out every day for our customers, who do appreciate us, against a small tide of "money-makers" (profiteers) who seem not to, or don't want to, appreciate us.

goinpostal · Post by **goinpostal** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:48

disheartened wrote:Please if you are thinking of working just think what the RM plans are for your future,the conditions will only get worse if RM get their way,me i stand to loose about 60k,i would have my 40 years service in before i am 60,thats only 12 years away,the last pension statement reckons i'll get 10k per annum + my lump sum,so in 12 years time that wont be far off 12k per annum and i am in the position to go at 60,now they want to increase the retirement age to 65 and i wont be able to draw my post office pension till then.

wow disheartened that is a lot of money, i didn't even think about that! I am nowhere near a pension so i havent bothered to do the maths. Maybe teh union should do a fact sheet with some model examples to bring it home to people what it will mean for them.

donut · Post by **donut** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:51

WHATS THE CHANCES OF THE RM SAYING THEY WANT TO TALK .....SAY ON 4TH OCT AND THE UNION FALLING FOR IT (AGAIN) AND CANCELING THE STRIKES ??

somerset · Post by **somerset** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:53

I shall have to have a word with Billy and Dave about this? I am solidly behind the strike action and have been on the picket every time and the future ones coming up

But am getting a bit brassed of as none of them fall on my rest days

Why me Billy, why?

goinpostal · Post by **goinpostal** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:54

right on bloke7 our branch briefed us on the changes they want to totally restrict rights of local reps to disagree, clear out the area rep level (so there is no appeal) and only major points of principle (rather than cuts etc) would be forwardable to national level. Bye bye union hello sweatshop

IWW Fellow Worker · Post by **IWW Fellow Worker** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:55

donut wrote:WHATS THE CHANCES OF THE RM SAYING THEY WANT TO TALK .....SAY ON 4TH OCT AND THE UNION FALLING FOR IT (AGAIN) AND CANCELING THE STRIKES ??

I hope not! They say it's good to talk, but the thread of a strike should focus the minds of the parasites. No let up this time!