Martin Walsh has provided an update 24/3.

[Foxel]

Not looking for a fight but

We all know Royal Mail is understaffed to a point it is collapsing.

Instead of demonizing agency workers why does the CWU not fight to get them contracts and alleviate the pressure? They can increase the CWU membership that way as well

The only reason for moving from agency is job security, but do any of us have that now? There is also a hiring ban while the industrial action is live.

[Mike G]

You really have to look at privatisation royal mail 1516 to 2013 and was privatised 2013 says it all does it not!

The problem isn't privatisation perse, the problem is what is now a privatised company being held back from operating in an efficient and profitable manner and not being allowed to provide a relevant product for the customer.

A company being held back by a self serving union that wants to retain a pointless, anachronistic and inefficient 'public service' in the form of the 6 day letters USO which requires a bloated workforce to deliver an increasingly irrelevant 'public service'

The union are not acting in the best interests of their membership, all the union are interested in is RM remaining as personnel heavy as possible so there's no reduction in income from union membership subs.

What are you talking about? The USO was part of the deal for privatisation, set out by the government. If there was no USO there would be quite a few people who wouldn't receive anything as the not so bloated other private companies have no will to deliver to everywhere in the United Kingdom as it would be far too expensive and eat into their profits.
If it wasn't for the collectiveness of the membership and the CWU as our representatives, we would be another Amazon, Evri, Dpd etc, already.
You only have to look at Royal Mail's intended direction and it is not good. Walk through the new hub in Warrington and you will see the majority of people are from poorer foreign countries, just like all the gig economy employers, where the employees are on minimum wage with very poor t and c's. That's where we're headed if Royal Mail have their way.

I'm talking specifically about the 6 day element of the USO, which as far as I'm aware is the only aspect of it that RM wishes to change... yet we all know the CWU will scream blue murder to prevent that happening because it doesn't want to see the resultant reduction in the workforce and subsequent reduction in income from union subs.

As for your claim that much of the hub workforce are apparently immigrants, I suggest you take a closer look at some of your beloved union's literature because I can assure you the CWU are all in favour of mass unskilled immigration, which as you rightly say, is something that has driven down wages and T&C's across just about every sector and industry in the UK over the last couple of decades.

[Mike G]

Not looking for a fight but

We all know Royal Mail is understaffed to a point it is collapsing.

Instead of demonizing agency workers why does the CWU not fight to get them contracts and alleviate the pressure? They can increase the CWU membership that way as well

RM is in the peculiar position of being simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed.

The only reason RM is both understaffed and overstaffed and to the point of collapsing is due to it having to adhere to the utterly pointless, irrelevant and inefficient 6 day letters USO commitment.

Reduce the 6 day letters USO and RM can become a leaner more efficient, more profitable operation providing a service the customers and recipients require along with secure jobs and decent pay for the employees.

The last thing RM needs to be doing is taking on more permanent employees purely to adhere to a pointless and costly 6 day letter delivery.

[theotherone]

Not looking for a fight but

We all know Royal Mail is understaffed to a point it is collapsing.

Instead of demonizing agency workers why does the CWU not fight to get them contracts and alleviate the pressure? They can increase the CWU membership that way as well

RM is in the peculiar position of being simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed.

The only reason RM is both understaffed and overstaffed and to the point of collapsing is due to it having to adhere to the utterly pointless, irrelevant and inefficient 6 day letters USO commitment.

Reduce the 6 day letters USO and RM can become a leaner more efficient, more profitable operation providing a service the customers and recipients require along with secure jobs and decent pay for the employees.

The last thing RM needs to be doing is taking on more permanent employees purely to adhere to a pointless and costly 6 day letter delivery.

That maybe be so but you've got to deal with the here and now
The USO is 6 days and for all the huff and puff it looks like it's here to stay for the time being.
They do need to recruit more staff to deliver the USO because that is they licence they work under.

[richietns]

Not looking for a fight but

We all know Royal Mail is understaffed to a point it is collapsing.

Instead of demonizing agency workers why does the CWU not fight to get them contracts and alleviate the pressure? They can increase the CWU membership that way as well

RM is in the peculiar position of being simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed.

The only reason RM is both understaffed and overstaffed and to the point of collapsing is due to it having to adhere to the utterly pointless, irrelevant and inefficient 6 day letters USO commitment.

Reduce the 6 day letters USO and RM can become a leaner more efficient, more profitable operation providing a service the customers and recipients require along with secure jobs and decent pay for the employees.

The last thing RM needs to be doing is taking on more permanent employees purely to adhere to a pointless and costly 6 day letter delivery.

Or RM could of put some of the millions back into the company and run it more efficient with a 6 day uso and have the union and workforce on its side.

[Postee2]

Not looking for a fight but

We all know Royal Mail is understaffed to a point it is collapsing.

Instead of demonizing agency workers why does the CWU not fight to get them contracts and alleviate the pressure? They can increase the CWU membership that way as well

RM is in the peculiar position of being simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed.

The only reason RM is both understaffed and overstaffed and to the point of collapsing is due to it having to adhere to the utterly pointless, irrelevant and inefficient 6 day letters USO commitment.

Reduce the 6 day letters USO and RM can become a leaner more efficient, more profitable operation providing a service the customers and recipients require along with secure jobs and decent pay for the employees.

The last thing RM needs to be doing is taking on more permanent employees purely to adhere to a pointless and costly 6 day letter delivery.

That maybe be so but you've got to deal with the here and now
The USO is 6 days and for all the huff and puff it looks like it's here to stay for the time being.
They do need to recruit more staff to deliver the USO because that is they licence they work under.

What difference in truth does this USO mean to anything. I mean let's think about it logically. Royal Mail as a business wants to expand as much as possible, as any national company does. We would still be attempting to deliver mail not only 6 days per week, but in fact 7 days per week under the new plans.
They are looking to increase the amount of mail, not decrease it.
Why the song and dance about this I've no idea in truth.
Royal Mail have the world in their hands in the regards of network power and strength.
It's just another example of how far from the rails the current management objectives are. Have you seen the amount of money that Royal Mail generates ? It's a money printing machine, an incredible amount of money goes through it.
All the complaining they are doing of staff wages and the number of employees, well Tesco have vastly more staff (over 300,000) and they have to buy all their stock in on a daily basis for massive associated costs, they still have to ship things, still have very expensive stores to run, still have wages, pensions, warehouses etc.
What stock do Royal Mail have to buy in ? They get PAID to carry the bloody stock and do not have the risk of surplus if they can't sell it !!
What an absolute and total mess the senior management are making of a massive revenue driving machine. Total and utter mess.