An alternative view

[richietns]

Once again people persuade themselves its their fault and that we have to face "economic reality " and the attacks on everybody from middle class downwards using nflation and fuel prices is not a coordinated attack but just economic reality.

That's not to say this union or any other union can mitigate/ these attacks on their own but at least know why and how your getting screwed

Of course its coordinated but be carefull Bob you will be called a conspiracy nut people like to have a rosey outlook.

[vmaxv4]

I fully realise there is frustration out there , especially as some revisions have been imposed and the adherence to the joint statement is patchy to say the least.

There is a thirst for communications and updates but ACAS and in this case Sir Brendan Barber ask both parties to refrain from discussing the details and progress of the negotiations. The principle is nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

There has been ample criticism of the latest update that talks will continue for a few more days. Instead the cry by many is we should be calling action whilst others are saying we are going to sell them out.

However you have not had the information that the Postal Executive have had and remember the postal executive have not been shy calling strike dates we have had 18 actual dates with a further 8 stood down either with the Queen’s Death or due to legal challenges.

So why have we made the decision to allow for a few more days to reach an agreement?

1. Whilst the joint statement has had its problems , there has been a pause on executive action reported across all 10 Divisions.

2. We have a commitment to an independent review into all conduct cases of reps and members in the dispute and talks are progressing on how that works and the independent body which will deal with this.

3. If we walked away from talks now and served action do you think both of the above will still be on the table ?

4. We have made progress on a range of issues in talks including later starts , pipeline , seasonal variations removing annualised hours , Sundays , new entrants , pay and other issues enough for us to give the talks a few more days to see if they can conclude an agreement. There are still challenges to overcome.

5. Whilst I recognise a lot on here are very defensive if you mention that the company has serious financial issues and of course it is there fault. However what if they do go the same way as Lehman Brothers or Woolworths or the hundreds of other companies which end up not be a going concern ? I am sure all of you would blame the CWU if we did not try to reach the right agreement to prevent this.

6. The CWU are not going to roll over and surrender. We want an agreement which provides a decent pay rise with good terms and conditions.

7. If we can’t get one in the next few days then we will be left with no choice but call for industrial action and this time we will be rolling the dice knowing the risks in line with point 5.

It will be make or brake over the next few days. So whilst I fully understand the frustration we would love to update you on issues but we would be breaching the confidentiality and protocols of the negotiations.

Thank you for the update.

[needadvice]

I still can't get past the 12th march deadline and how anybody would be so naive to announce it as the day it will all be resolved. That is astounding to me

[SpacePhoenix]

If you forget about what RM may or may not be lying about nobody honestly can deny that the workload coming through the door is the lowest we've seen for 20 years and has been in free fall since last summer.

The current GDPR regs when they came into affect had a big impact on marketing mail, we could see a noticeable drop in postings by firms at the time

[clashcityrocker]

Then add self inflicted wounds through strikes - viola!

Viola - is that like a big fiddle?

[chrisj]

Then add self inflicted wounds through strikes - viola!

Viola - is that like a big fiddle?

Ha ha ha... I type that the first thing I did when I got to my frame.

Voila!

The fiddle is the CWU that has been stringing us along... This is not even being captain hindsight; I gave up totally on the Union about October after the first final offer...

A few days more of negotiations? More like 2 weeks and end of financial year to help Royal Mail balance sheet...

[KilledOff]

Another Alternative View?!

Sellout being prepared in closed-door talks between Royal Mail and CWU.


https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/0 ... o-m14.html

[49erman]

Just read that…….liked the paragraph that stated “Anyone thinking about stopping their subs (I know I am) should wait as we will need everyone to vote no to a bad deal coming our way. Then stop.”

That’s a very valid point and one that needs to be highlighted!

[2chorizon]

Just read that…….liked the paragraph that stated “Anyone thinking about stopping their subs (I know I am) should wait as we will need everyone to vote no to a bad deal coming our way. Then stop.”

That’s a very valid point and one that needs to be highlighted!

Nah thats a further snivell blag and a further few million for any betrayers to siphon off.

Rinse em now.

[datasaint]

I still can't get past the 12th march deadline and how anybody would be so naive to announce it as the day it will all be resolved. That is astounding to me

Who proposes these dates? RM or CWU.

If it's RM surely the are doing it to prolong talks with no real intention of settling.

[Cedar_Room]

Then add self inflicted wounds through strikes - viola!

Viola - is that like a big fiddle?

Ha ha ha... I type that the first thing I did when I got to my frame.

Voila!

The fiddle is the CWU that has been stringing us along... This is not even being captain hindsight; I gave up totally on the Union about October after the first final offer...

A few days more of negotiations? More like 2 weeks and end of financial year to help Royal Mail balance sheet...

My god,you’re boring

[SpacePhoenix]

Many no longer have any faith in the CWU

[postslippete]

The accounts of all public limited companies are independently audited.

If any company attempts to lie the directors can ultimately end up in jail.

You really think that we are somehow giving Royal Mail a free ride by accepting they have financial issues ? You don’t think we seen the problems.

Due to obviously laws about things like impacts on share prices I and others needs to be careful about comments.

However the threat is real.

Do they need an agreement ? Yes

However they also need to reduce costs hence why the revision targets are non negotiable as it is the COMs and ROD budget.

Like I said the next few days are vital.

The accounts might be independently audited but that does not mean that they cannot make the financial situation of a company look a lot worse than what it actually is!! For example, they can minimise the current earnings period on the income statement by deflating the revenue or they could inflate the current period expenses.

If the CWU cannot honestly see that what Royal Mail are doing is dumping grim financial numbers in front of them and relating it all to strike action to justify what they are doing, then they really must be more gullible than I thought. The company has been very profitable in the past and that is what allowed them to buy GLS which in turn has been buying up other smaller courier companies not just in Europe, but in countries like North America. I haven't even mentioned how many billions these super hubs must cost. Whether they are assets on the balance sheet or whether the company took out loans to pay for them (so they would be current liabilities) is quite important when looking at the company's accounts. However, I am sure that they will overcome it - just like the billions of pounds pension liabilities that they had to deal with in the past.

The reality is ever since the privatisation of Royal Mail which grossly undervalued the company and then saw its shares shot up through the roof when it was sold; private investors have been profiting off the company ever since. Millions have been paid out in dividends over the years and everybody knows where most of last years profits went to....its a fact that more money has been flowing out of Royal Mail, rather than into it. Royal Mail sold off buildings and merged offices and there have been thousands of job losses - or rather an increase in a part time workforce and duty sizes.

Volumes always decline after Xmas and it provides the ideal setting for Royal Mail to push forward with their changes. But once mail and parcel volumes inevitably pick up again, any potential revision to the extent that the COMs are hoping to receive their bonuses based on are pretty naff. We really should stop this company giving hand-outs to people who don't actually contribute to our bottom line. I can't remember the last time I saw a manager going out doing deliveries to prevent any USO failures. In the meantime as everyones individual workloads are increasing we are all tasked to work harder and faster for less. There is a reason why PDAs, SISO, trackers in vans and technology is being used. We might have trust on the doorstep, but we certainly don't have any trust in anything that the Royal Mail board say.

[SWIM]

[redlen]

Royal Mail had to take out loans to fund the transformation process and talking telephone numbers. Just like the Government with Gilts and Bonds has been hit with inflation and interest rates, so more expensive to service those existing loans. This has to be considered by balancing the books with future liability.

The Government took on the pension black hole when privatised, so it's the taxpayer responsible for any deficit.

You cannot argue about the financials of the company being independently audited. Any discrepancies later discovered is a criminal matter.