31/05/23 Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[jimallen]

Hi, here is the Mount Pleasant bulletin of 31 May. Comments welcomed!

THE ONLY OPTION
Managers in Processing asked us to attend 1-to-1
meetings so that they could decide whether we're
"supernumerary"! They'd already announced their 3
options: (1) if we work more than 25 hours at the
moment, we lose all extra hours; (2) we remain on
contracted hours, but move to a different site, with a
different role; or (3) we take their unacceptable cutrate
VR! Obviously option (4) is missing: NONE OF
THE ABOVE!

LET'S VISIT UNION HQ?!
The 1-to-1 meetings were supposed to be finished this
week. And new duties are meant to be implemented
by mid-June. But now the "interviews" have been
paused until next week. So what's happened? We're
told there've been further discussions between
managers and union officials. Yet we've no idea
what's been discussed or what will happen next. Even
union reps are left in the dark...

WHAT WE WANT IS FULL-TIME!
Management not only want to put all part-timers on 25
hours, but they also said that they want to halve our
number in some areas! Yes, just when the company
has hit the headlines for missing its delivery targets!
And we all know it's not just due to them prioritising
parcels, but their deliberate, systematic job cuts...
10,000 of us, already gone!

THEIR JUSTICE, NOT OURS
And what does ACAS (supposedly providing
"impartial" arbitration!) tell us about management's
latest round of attacks? That it's all "perfectly legal",
since management is not forcing compulsory
redundancies on us, nor cutting our contracted hours,
but very kindly offering us "suitable employment
alternatives"!

THE CORRECT ANSWERS
So, first, using the argument of "perfect legality" is
utter nonsense. The law is an ass, weighted against
workers. Second, compulsory redundancies are
coming in, in 2025 (according to RM/Ward's proposed
"agreement"!). Third, the "suitable employment
alternatives" actually force workmates to leave (it's
compulsory redundancy by another name!), because
they're moved into duties which they physically just
cannot do.

THE REAL REASON?
We saw on Royal Mail Chat, that a poll was done
among around 1,100 of RMC's contributors, asking
whether they'd vote "No" or "Yes" for the "agreement".
75% said they'd vote "No"! This is significant because
many of the guys on RMC are reps, ex-reps etc., and
if they think this is a rotten deal, the CWU leadership
can't ignore it. Moreover, they're expressing exactly
what the majority of us - who aren't union reps - think.

FACE SAVING
Yes, so maybe we shouldn't be too surprised that the
ballot has been "postponed indefinitely". Ward and
the rest of the CWU leadership must realise that,
having recommended this deal, and begging us all to
"support the union", they will be shown up by a "no"
vote.

NOT ON OUR SIDE
In other words, all this pushing for us to vote for the
agreement, was essentially the plea of top union
officials for us to support them in their usual role, so
that they could show managers how indispensable
they are by (again) helping to implement "change" -
something both they and RM bosses knew we'd be
against.

WARD'S CART BEFORE RM'S HORSE
By the way, we also heard from the union HQ that the
"reason" we couldn't vote on the agreement was
because it isn't being "implemented properly"! But
how could it be implemented - properly or otherwise -
if it hasn't been agreed, by our vote, in the first place?

ROYAL MAIL'S C(R)OOKED BOOKS
We were told that RM made a loss of over one billion
pounds. We don't believe a word of it. But even if it
was true, it changes nothing for us. If they can't run a
profitable business delivering letters (and parcels) to
the public, then a privatised RM isn't viable. And
guess what, then it would have to go back into public
hands. But for it to be any good, we'd have to control
it from the shop floor.

WE DON'T INTEND TO LOSE
In fact, in its statement to shareholders, RM also
explicitly wrote that the changes made to our working
conditions in the "agreement" would make the
company "profitable" in 2024! A price we're not
prepared to pay!

CAN HE LEARN SOME MANNERS?
The light duties shift manager and his Buffoon
Etcetera have redoubled their efforts to push some of
us to take medical retirement... and failed. Apparently,
Buffoon is so upset, that he is starting (and ending!)
every sentence with an F word. Well, he better watch
out, because it will cost him 10p for each one.

PARCEL STALLING MACHINE?
The Parcel Sorting Machine broke down on Nights
again... This PM really needs a new name; even
when it's not breaking down, it spits out mis-sold
galore! So, all suggestions welcome...

[billie2]

So are all full timers being forced to go part time at Mount Pleasant