Wish list(New pay deal)

[johno47]

I take your point mate, but there is one more factor to put in and that is replacing full time with part time, witch will also reduce the contributions, you know what RM are like if they can get out of any agreement and save money, they will, honesty, decency, and doing the right thing are not in RM thinking.[/b]

[Geordie]

Bearing in mind I failed my maths o level, here's some sums:-

30,000 job losses at £323 a week equals £10 million a week in savings (for ever)

A £50 wage increase for the 100,000 left is £5 million a week (for ever)

That's £5 million a week that can plug the pension gap.

And none of that takes into account the residual savings from getting rid of 30,000 people - these savings, together with the £5 million a week when the pension gap is filled, will fund another £50 a week rise

AND pay for a 35 hour week.

As long as the redundancies are voluntary, what's the problem?

[F0zziebear]

RM made it clear to the Union heads that if they don't play ball then Compulsory Redundancy will be imposed. So far EVR has been offered by selling off redundant estate, but it has cost the company billions and there is less money about these days.

There are plans afoot to out source more of the support services, such P&OS (about 2,000 employees who do all your HR stuff) and then the financial payroll department which is also lots of people. Don't be surprised as IT services, and welfare have already been outsourced. I am not an advocate of this particularly as I think we lose the human and local element of these jobs, those centralisation and outsourcing of repetitive low-skilled processes can be.

Herfordshire has it almost right regarding the pension and I reckon RM is much better protected on the pension deficit than most companies. I fear for the future of those on private pensions and many more black holes may appear in the medium term.

I also wanted to point out my frustration with RM over something. That is efficency savings versus transformation.

Headquarters on one hand put in transformational projects. However, there are also annual budget cuts/constraints that departmental heads have to meet to hit the financial shrt-term targets. This short termism is what in my opinion is what you see on a regular basis. I hate this approach as it's like snipping off the edges of a bit of paper and trying to write an essay on the remaining piece of paper. This causes in my opinion managment and frontline to get into a tense situation caused by finding 5% here and there. You end up with people trying to cut corners as they don't have time to properly restructure how an office can get something done.

anyway off to the boozer

[johno47]

Geordie, if people want to take EVRs ive got no problem with that, RM have been dangling carrots in front of us for years, there will always be people who take it, i am just trying to point out that in the coming years there is going to be a problem with the pension funding, this business is being primed for a part time labour force, there will be full time but they will be in the minority, Fozzie says compulsary redundancys will be used b***ocks, doesnt that sound like RM scaremongering, and our pensions are better protected than others, wait till privatisation and see. RM doesnt do anything for our benefit, if they did what you say do you honestly think they would stick to that agreement, what was the last one, oh yes job and finnish.

[Carnoustie]

i am just trying to point out that in the coming years there is going to be a problem with the pension funding, this business is being primed for a part time labour force, there will be full time but they will be in the minority

I understand the concerns about converting full-time jobs to part-time, but we still have a strong-ish union and I don't believe RM are about to just rip up people's terms and conditions and tell you that as of next week, you will only work for and be paid for a 20-hour week. The union would fight it to the death, we'd all be out on strike, TNT, DHL and UK Mail would be rubbing their hands and robbing our customers, and nobody would get their mail cause none of our competitors could rustle-up an army of delivery people at a moments' notice even if they were willing to work during the dispute.

Each week, as more people leave the business / retire / get sacked , each full-time job could be re-advertised by RM as 2 part-time jobs. All of us will retire eventually, so if they really wanted to bring in a 'policy' of making the workforce part-time, phased in over a really long period of time, I don't see how we could stop it !
But part-time jobs would not in themselves mean less money available to pay pensions, because as with the debate over EVRs, part-timers would put in lesser contributions but would also represent a lesser future liability for the pension fund.

Anyway, who wants job and finnish ?

I want job and Swedish. Preferably UL-RI-KAK-KA-KA

[johno47]

We have just been on strike in stoke because RM wanted to make full time positions into part time, and your right we would all be out if RM forced it on us, but this is how RM work now they try different things out in different areas and see what they can get away with, they will probably do it eventualy, by natural wastage in the business, as people go or retire they will try it, and i cant see many part time staff wanting to pay into a pension when they are on less money, can you, especialy if they are mothers who are just after a bit of extra money.
And also we have heard that the staff at a local DO have been offered £20,000 each to go part time, so if RM get there way it wont be too far down the road.

[L Tommo]

The points made by you johno is spot on mate!!! The stick and carrot is only the stick now!!! DONT FORGET IT when RM offer you anything!!! Part time is all they push for.. Ohh and a nice dose of H+B. So it weakens us 1st... And Johno, The area tattics is in play as well, Devide and conquer!!! BUT UNITED WE STAND DEVIDED WE FALL...

OUT..

DONT LET THE BASTARDS GRIND YA CARROT DOWN..

ps i hate man united tho....

[robd]

What's fascinating is without this outlet(royalmailchat)most posties around the country are unaware of the issues at Burslem.
indeed most DO's have simply accepted that when someone leaves they are automatically replaced by a part-time entrant.
I'm not sure on the part-time to full-time ratio,but last week in our office,of around 70 staff only 9 were due on ips!
During WTLL we had a motivational speech from our DOM telling us we weren't sorting fast enough!!
How much further can they go before it comes to a standstill,and if we took them up on there part-time offer who sort the bloody mail.

[L Tommo]

I feel for ya pal. RM bullshit again!! But the answer to your Q on "Who will sort your mail now " IS a f***ing great big machine at ngt and a house wife in the afternoon. U just sort the missorts.. YEH THOUSANDS!!! So when everyone is still on the sorting or breakdowns or RM3000 frame chucking missorts left right n all over, Give it plenty to your SCREW! BUT as Burslem do things, DO IT AS 1.. A Union.. If WE stay strong WE will prevail...

OUT..


DONT LET THE SOUND OF YOUR MACHINE DRIVE YA CRAZY

[johno47]

Tommo is right, what he says is what will eventualy happen, thats why i said in 10 years time all the knowledge of areas places people will be gone with machines doing the primary sorting, people will only know their walk, knowledge of walk sorting will be gone, the thing is, its the knowledge that makes us better than any competition.