Tories: Defeat for strikers will help us privatise Royal Mai

[stephen500]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/ ... al-mail.do
Ross Lydall
30.10.09
Postal Strike
"A Conservative government would press ahead with plans to privatise Royal Mail and believes more bidders would be attracted if the union is defeated in the national strike.

The party is keen to go further than the Labour Government and sell off the entire service, rather than the 30 per cent stake that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson wants to off-load.

Today the Communication Workers Union continued its protest against proposed changes to jobs, pay and working practices by bringing workers who redirect badly-addressed mail out on strike. Tomorrow about 70,000 delivery and collection staff will walk out for 24 hours.

It has emerged that Ken Clarke, the shadow Tory business secretary, had met potential bidders for Royal Mail and is said to be ready to include plans for full privatisation in the first Queen's Speech after a Tory general election victory. The Tories are also looking to introduce measures that would ban strike action that was not supported by a majority of all workers being called out on strike. At present strikes are legal as long as a majority is obtained from those voting in a ballot. The CWU action was not backed by a majority of Royal Mail's total workforce.

John Major's Tory government failed to privatise Royal Mail in 1994. The party believes that more than 30,000 jobs will have to be cut as a result of introducing new mail sorting machines. The Tories want to avoid politicians being involved in Royal Mail after guaranteeing the universal delivery service."

[brunswick]

the present government was not backed by the majority of voters, would a future tory government follow their thinking to a general election?

[disheartened]

My opinion......for what its worth is..........................

Its a done deal already,when the tories return to power next year,"which they will as the Labour have kicked the working man in the nuts,just once to often,unsure who i shall vote for this time" its my guess tnt's name is top of the list,i think whoever buys the RM has to take on the massive black hole in our pension scheme as a sweetner for TNT to take RM,the goverment will plug the hole in the pension.

[banner18]

'The Tories are also looking to introduce measures that would ban strike action that was not supported by a majority of all workers being called out on strike. At present strikes are legal as long as a majority is obtained from those voting in a ballot. The CWU action was not backed by a majority of Royal Mail's total workforce'.

That would be a dirty underhanded trick. Democratic decisions are based on a majority of those that are voting. That would mean for us not to be on strike, they would have presumed that the ones that didn't vote, count as a no vote. What a load of tosh. Totalitarianism!

[Lincox]

Are they also going to ban all future elections if there is not a majority of the total voting public electing one party. Amazing how these people in power can manipulate what has been a presedence for donkies years, just for there own self interest. Sounds like what is happening in RM

[CustomerConnieagain]

Lots of the public are celebrating this story on the forums today - do a search on http://www.twitter.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on the subject of Royal Mail & you'll see. The Tories are very cleverly turning it into a vote winner, not that they'll need many more votes to win the next election - no I'm not a Tory.
Plus a couple of your large (ex) customers have set up a website at http://www.theroyalfail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is also all over the social networking sites today.
Meanwhile it's one of my son's birthdays in a couple of weeks. He'll be 6 & I'm trying to work out how I'm going to explain where his presents and cards are since I cannot see how they won't be caught in the backlog. Our car tax disc is about to expire, we renewed it online and it hasn't come, now I'm going to be a nervous wreck if we get stopped.
You think you're taking the public with you. I'm sorry but you're wrong.
I was starting to waver when I read and heard some of your stories. But the fact is that the minority (some postal workers) are holding the majority (the whole nation) to ransom and the only people truly suffering are customers like us just trying to live our lives who are nothing to do with your dispute.
Totally fed up with it all.

[BarryFromEastenders]

[britwrit]

Yes, look at how cheap and efficient our railways have been since they went private. And how they don't need any government subsidy at all.

[CustomerConnieagain]

Yes, look at how cheap and efficient our railways have been since they went private. And how they don't need any government subsidy at all.

I didn't say privatising Royal Mail was the answer. Your customers will start to think 'anything but this', regardless of whether it's right or wrong, when their lives, kids' birthdays and Christmas are screwed up by the few.

[trythat]

Lots of the public are celebrating this story on the forums today - do a search on http://www.twitter.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on the subject of Royal Mail & you'll see. The Tories are very cleverly turning it into a vote winner, not that they'll need many more votes to win the next election - no I'm not a Tory.
Plus a couple of your large (ex) customers have set up a website at http://www.theroyalfail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is also all over the social networking sites today.
Meanwhile it's one of my son's birthdays in a couple of weeks. He'll be 6 & I'm trying to work out how I'm going to explain where his presents and cards are since I cannot see how they won't be caught in the backlog. Our car tax disc is about to expire, we renewed it online and it hasn't come, now I'm going to be a nervous wreck if we get stopped.
You think you're taking the public with you. I'm sorry but you're wrong.
I was starting to waver when I read and heard some of your stories. But the fact is that the minority (some postal workers) are holding the majority (the whole nation) to ransom and the only people truly suffering are customers like us just trying to live our lives who are nothing to do with your dispute.
Totally fed up with it all.

Why not tell people to use the couriers or use special delivery to get it delivered, or is the cost going to be to exspenive, I mean you do keep slagging us off, so use the really good alteritives that everyone keeps on about, I mean a fiver to send a card must be good value, as we at RM are so rubbish. I do beleive you've been told by others on here, that in the end RM delivers 99.9% of what you receive.
I think you'll find regrading your tax disc, you have at least 5 days grace, of course you could of gone to a post office and got one there and then, but of course you are quite busy slagging us off.

[CustomerConnieagain]

Lots of the public are celebrating this story on the forums today - do a search on http://www.twitter.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on the subject of Royal Mail & you'll see. The Tories are very cleverly turning it into a vote winner, not that they'll need many more votes to win the next election - no I'm not a Tory.
Plus a couple of your large (ex) customers have set up a website at http://www.theroyalfail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is also all over the social networking sites today.
Meanwhile it's one of my son's birthdays in a couple of weeks. He'll be 6 & I'm trying to work out how I'm going to explain where his presents and cards are since I cannot see how they won't be caught in the backlog. Our car tax disc is about to expire, we renewed it online and it hasn't come, now I'm going to be a nervous wreck if we get stopped.
You think you're taking the public with you. I'm sorry but you're wrong.
I was starting to waver when I read and heard some of your stories. But the fact is that the minority (some postal workers) are holding the majority (the whole nation) to ransom and the only people truly suffering are customers like us just trying to live our lives who are nothing to do with your dispute.
Totally fed up with it all.

Why not tell people to use the couriers or use special delivery to get it delivered, or is the cost going to be to exspenive, I mean you do keep slagging us off, so use the really good alteritives that everyone keeps on about, I mean a fiver to send a card must be good value, as we at RM are so rubbish. I do beleive you've been told by others on here, that in the end RM delivers 99.9% of what you receive.
I think you'll find regrading your tax disc, you have at least 5 days grace, of course you could of gone to a post office and got one there and then, but of course you are quite busy slagging us off.

Not true. I don't slag you off, I've tried to understand. Of course I know that Royal Mail delivers 99.9% of what is sent, the service is fantastic when there is a service. But how can you expect customers to focus on how great you are usually, when you're on strike now affecting us now? And so my great aunt is supposed to know how to arrange for Federal Express to send my son's birthday present to him is she? And what good is 5 days' grace if the disk is stuck in the backlog which you have created & doesn't come next week? Oh yes I could have gone to the Post Office to get our tax disk, I'll do that next time, sorry for having a mind of my own and fitting in around MY life, instead I'll fit around YOURS. How about you could have not gone on strike, that way you wouldn't have had to worry about whether strike days clash with days off and how much you won't be getting paid? Or perhaps you don't appreciate having your life controlled & screwed up by someone else.

[dvbuk55]

Yes, look at how cheap and efficient our railways have been since they went private. And how they don't need any government subsidy at all.

I didn't say privatising Royal Mail was the answer. Your customers will start to think 'anything but this', regardless of whether it's right or wrong, when their lives, kids' birthdays and Christmas are screwed up by the few.

Lets not get carried away here Connie, do you seriously think that Royal Mail give a hoot about kids birthdays? Christmas they do care about because it is a great money earner - as for the rest they couldn't give a monkeys. A senior member of the board is quoted as saying "we don't care about Grannys card to the grandkids" - it's big business we care about".

We are the ones who see our customers on a daily basis, we are the ones who ask after granny and the kids and the wife,husband,mother because WE care and we don't want to see a national institute destroyed because of greed. We aren't rich people and we can ill afford to lose money but if we don't fight this fight then the postal service as you know it won't exist.

[G O Root]

I appreciate what your saying Connie, but what about our kids birthdays and christmases next year when RM try to cut payment of D2D items(10% a week in some cases) and try to reduce our contracts and in a lot of cases dismiss them alltogether. Funny how the tories and Kenneth Clarke should crow about what they would do, when clarke was one of the main players in the 13 year pensions holiday, which is one of the main reasons for where we are now. We all suffer in this apart from a priviliged few i.e the Royal Mail board who can enjoy their fat bonuses. Most of the general public seem to think privatisation is a bad idea, but don't seem to realise that that's the very reason Adam Crozier was brought in. I'm amazed that a lot of peoples anger seems to be at us, the postie, who have served the public and Royal Mail for years, a quarter of a century in my case . We don't make the rules, but we are fighting for our livliehoods and for the publics service. And this certainly doesn't apply to you , as you seem very reasonable, but i'm sick of getting stick off people on this forum and in the wider public , having a go and calling us lazy sods etc etc. People who have nothing better to do than sit on internet forums and tell us to leave our jobs if we don't like it. My challenge to them and anyone with the same attitude is come and try the job. I do a lot of training new starters and every single one have said how it's opened thier eyes and changed thier opinions, so it can't be that easy can it. I know the public are frustrated, i understand it, we are RM customers too, we get mail, use Ebay etc. I just think some of the general publics anger should be directed at the management of a PUBLIC sevice and indeed the owner of said service i.e the Government who are trying to run it into the ground.

[Shrek]

I appreciate what your saying Connie, but what about our kids birthdays and christmases next year when RM try to cut payment of D2D items(10% a week in some cases) and try to reduce our contracts and in a lot of cases dismiss them alltogether. Funny how the tories and Kenneth Clarke should crow about what they would do, when clarke was one of the main players in the 13 year pensions holiday, which is one of the main reasons for where we are now. We all suffer in this apart from a priviliged few i.e the Royal Mail board who can enjoy their fat bonuses. Most of the general public seem to think privatisation is a bad idea, but don't seem to realise that that's the very reason Adam Crozier was brought in. I'm amazed that a lot of peoples anger seems to be at us, the postie, who have served the public and Royal Mail for years, a quarter of a century in my case . We don't make the rules, but we are fighting for our livliehoods and for the publics service. And th :is certainly doesn't apply to you , as you seem very reasonable, but i'm sick of getting stick off people on this forum and in the wider public , having a go and calling us lazy sods etc etc. People who have nothing better to do than sit on internet forums and tell us to leave our jobs if we don't like it. My challenge to them and anyone with the same attitude is come and try the job. I do a lot of training new starters and every single one have said how it's opened thier eyes and changed thier opinions, so it can't be that easy can it. I know the public are frustrated, i understand it, we are RM customers too, we get mail, use Ebay etc. I just think some of the general publics anger should be directed at the management of a PUBLIC sevice and indeed the owner of said service i.e the Government who are trying to run it into the ground.

[ur late postie!!]

I appreciate what your saying Connie, but what about our kids birthdays and christmases next year when RM try to cut payment of D2D items(10% a week in some cases) and try to reduce our contracts and in a lot of cases dismiss them alltogether. Funny how the tories and Kenneth Clarke should crow about what they would do, when clarke was one of the main players in the 13 year pensions holiday, which is one of the main reasons for where we are now. We all suffer in this apart from a priviliged few i.e the Royal Mail board who can enjoy their fat bonuses. Most of the general public seem to think privatisation is a bad idea, but don't seem to realise that that's the very reason Adam Crozier was brought in. I'm amazed that a lot of peoples anger seems to be at us, the postie, who have served the public and Royal Mail for years, a quarter of a century in my case . We don't make the rules, but we are fighting for our livliehoods and for the publics service. And th :is certainly doesn't apply to you , as you seem very reasonable, but i'm sick of getting stick off people on this forum and in the wider public , having a go and calling us lazy sods etc etc. People who have nothing better to do than sit on internet forums and tell us to leave our jobs if we don't like it. My challenge to them and anyone with the same attitude is come and try the job. I do a lot of training new starters and every single one have said how it's opened thier eyes and changed thier opinions, so it can't be that easy can it. I know the public are frustrated, i understand it, we are RM customers too, we get mail, use Ebay etc. I just think some of the general publics anger should be directed at the management of a PUBLIC sevice and indeed the owner of said service i.e the Government who are trying to run it into the ground.

Here,here