Just appeared on Robin

[fadetogrey63]

In detail: 'Longs and shorts as a van pairing' - that was pretty much it. Two walks, one day you take everything on one walk and just priority on the other, next day swap it round.
[/quote]

We've been doing this well before Xmas and we still can't complete without bringing loops back. The ammount of parcels and packets we now get plus the added 1st class makes it impossible in our normal duty time.. The only way we can do it is leaving the parcels to do after on overtime

[Perseus]

They didn't even realise that thousands of their members don't drive at the start of the ODM trials.

No, the union conducted information gathering before the trials to determine how many non-drivers existed. I think what was in question was exactly how many non-drivers remained since the introduction of P&L, when that data would likely have last been determined. It's less than 10% currently, most probably twice that in 2015.

If they knew thousands didn't drive before the trials, then why did the trials go ahead, given they would be doomed to fail with a) fatigue, and b) more Saturdays off not achievable unless you have near 100% driving staff? Going into the trials, making non driving staff feel like they are a 'problem' and that it would be 'fixed' as they go along wasn't a good idea. For what it's worth, I know several offices with 0 non driving staff, and others with much higher then 10% that look like they will thrown under a bus.

[norris9]

I can't see strike action taking place over this if it's forced in. Posties across the UK won't know if the new way of working works or doesn't work until it's actually in place. Who knows how the trials really went or whether the new plans will work in our specific offices, it's all ifs and buts....

Maybe striking can be an option 2 months after implementation if it's not working in offices up and down the country.

[TopperGas]

I can't see strike action taking place over this if it's forced in. Posties across the UK won't know if the new way of working works or doesn't work until it's actually in place. Who knows how the trials really went or whether the new plans will work in our specific offices, it's all ifs and buts....

Maybe striking can be an option 2 months after implementation if it's not working in offices up and down the country.

Where has this talk of strike come.from.as it's not something ever mentioned by the CWU previously, I can't see many members striking just over changes on how we work, after all a lot of us have been working with excessive workloads creating backlogs for.months, it's not like something new for all of us. If post builds up it's customers not staff who'll be affected.

[buchanpeter]

I can't see strike action taking place over this if it's forced in. Posties across the UK won't know if the new way of working works or doesn't work until it's actually in place. Who knows how the trials really went or whether the new plans will work in our specific offices, it's all ifs and buts....

Maybe striking can be an option 2 months after implementation if it's not working in offices up and down the country.

Where has this talk of strike come.from.as it's not something ever mentioned by the CWU previously, I can't see many members striking just over changes on how we work, after all a lot of us have been working with excessive workloads creating backlogs for.months, it's not like something new for all of us. If post builds up it's customers not staff who'll be affected.

Was mentioned by the union in their letter to branches in paragraph 2. Sez after the month of formal talks the company can do executive action. At which point the union said they'll consider industrial action on the local/national level.
In the email that was sent to members the union is using the same formal procedure for the uplift on new contracts.
I believe that royal mail going through this process is just a formality. Then it's executive action.
I want to be wrong.
But we saw it before with the introduction of the new contracts to begin with.

[Valentina@1]

Having a 97% yes vote in strike mandate and then signing agreement which was basically a surrender document has got us to this point where EP/RM can now just steamroll through this now week union.

Whoever decision it was to wave white flag back then has well and truly left us in s**t street.

Union top brass needs to be held accountable

[SMS1969]

If you remember, RM threatened to pull union fees from the payroll, which would have forced the union to set up direct debits to collect them. As soon as this happened, they surrendered, knowing that many might not bother.

[chickenwittle]

Having a 97% yes vote in strike mandate and then signing agreement which was basically a surrender document has got us to this point where EP/RM can now just steamroll through this now week union.

Whoever decision it was to wave white flag back then has well and truly left us in s**t street.

Union top brass needs to be held accountable

If you think carrying on striking was going to win us that dispute, you are deluded. Once Royal Mail called our bluff on striking at Xmas it was game over . Once January came people were already drifting back to work and the union had to get out of there with what they could. I personally feel that was the worst deal in my 30 plus years at Royal Mail but we are where we are with a new owner that has already signed off on certain guarantees, the union are now pushing for him to honour them.

[yellowbelly]

If you remember, RM threatened to pull union fees from the payroll, which would have forced the union to set up direct debits to collect them. As soon as this happened, they surrendered, knowing that many might not bother.

DId they (RM) say that, I've heard it rumoured but did CWU come out and actually say 'RM have threatened to stop the payroll deductions'?

[chickenwittle]

If you remember, RM threatened to pull union fees from the payroll, which would have forced the union to set up direct debits to collect them. As soon as this happened, they surrendered, knowing that many might not bother.

DId they (RM) say that, I've heard it rumoured but did CWU come out and actually say 'RM have threatened to stop the payroll deductions'?

It never got officially announced but it was well known within certain circles that the threat was made by Royal Mail .

[Mr Rush]

If you think carrying on striking was going to win us that dispute, you are deluded. Once Royal Mail called our bluff on striking at Xmas it was game over.

Yes, as things played out it was a bust. However, I can't help wonder if the November strike dates hadn't all been screwed up if that would have made RM wave the white flag before Christmas passed. Perhaps not, we'll never know.

[antcpfc]

If you remember, RM threatened to pull union fees from the payroll, which would have forced the union to set up direct debits to collect them. As soon as this happened, they surrendered, knowing that many might not bother.

They also threatened to remove 70% of the time given to union reps to carry out their duties.

[TopperGas]

If you think carrying on striking was going to win us that dispute, you are deluded. Once Royal Mail called our bluff on striking at Xmas it was game over.

Yes, as things played out it was a bust. However, I can't help wonder if the November strike dates hadn't all been screwed up if that would have made RM wave the white flag before Christmas passed. Perhaps not, we'll never know.

I doubt striking in November would have made that much difference if RM were content for a strike to take place over Xmas, although with strike breakers, agency staff and managers still delivering Tracked the majority items it was probably just a sign of things to come in the future, rather than a disasterious Xmas financially for RM.

[ted_e_bear]

If you remember, RM threatened to pull union fees from the payroll, which would have forced the union to set up direct debits to collect them. As soon as this happened, they surrendered, knowing that many might not bother.

They also threatened to remove 70% of the time given to union reps to carry out their duties.

Do you mean they threatened to end paid release for area reps and above etc, Iirc that was another threat that would have resulted in a substantial amount of people shitting themselves at the prospect of having to go back on delivery

[Mr Rush]

However, I can't help wonder if the November strike dates hadn't all been screwed up if that would have made RM wave the white flag before Christmas passed. Perhaps not, we'll never know.

I doubt striking in November would have made that much difference if RM were content for a strike to take place over Xmas

The originally planned dual three-day walkouts (2nd-3rd-4th and 8th-9th-10th November 2022) were seemingly threatening enough to scramble the company lawyers three months into industrial action. November was more strategically important than December. The CWU lost on Christmas Eve, but RM won six or seven weeks earlier with the high court injunction. It served their ends to allow the charade to play out afterwards as a minor nuisance.

It's all history now, anyway. And it never ever repeats!