Unrest grows over treatment of Royal Mail IT workers

[dvbuk55]

Whatever your calling there has been a denigration of technical skills in all trades in my lifetime. There are very few things that a reasonably intelligent person cannot grasp and carry out to a satisfactory level.

Any who uses/maintains machinery has a knowledge of its use but could they design and develop it?

Take a computer - anyone can build and maintain one but they couldn't design a chip - those are the true technicians of today, developers and designers those are skills.

[Tman]

Take a computer - anyone can build and maintain one but they couldn't design a chip

"Anyone"? It would be nice to think that was the case, but sadly experience shows that for many unhappy individuals even the simplest repetitive tasks are too taxing.

For instance, how many more times will I hear the same manager saying "no, you write the little card out and put it through the door, then you bring the packet back here. You don't bring the card back and leave the packet in the wheely bin!"

It's not even funny any more.

[mailsort6]

The CWU has introduced learning centres at some delivery and some mail centres, the thing is alot of employees are not taking full advantage of this, they are more interested in earning loads of money. It would not hurt them to do a couple of hours each week learning IT skills or any subject they are interested in. A very long time ago I was told by an IT professional that there was new technology that was going to change RM and there would be job loses eventally and that person advised me to get as much qualification as I can whilst working for RM because things are going to change and that person was right and I am glad that I listened to that person's advise.

Are they open to non CWU Members? I am not sure
Ours didn't last long. So I don't know whether it was just for us, or anyone who was interested.

They only provided very basic courses, which few if any of us were interested in. So they were withdrawn, due to lack of interest. Although there is talk of reintroducing them, with proper courses, which will actually teach us something.

Yes! the learning centres just do the basic IT courses and most posties are more interested in IT courses that are Level 2 and 3. RM have alot of posites that are intelligent, skillful and talented, they are just ignored. Like someone stated previously in this forum alot of managers, administration staff are going to find it very hard to find jobs if they are made redundant and they will never get the wages or salaries that they are getting now since some them do not have the qualifications.

[andy2007]

Is there any more news about the plight of our Collegues in IT?

[ronnie6]

Not really, except I believe that surplus staff have received the 'share in success' money but no bonus after the rules were recently changed to preclude them from the criteria. The CMA are, apparently, 'awaiting a response from Royal Mail' on the justification for this change to contract.

[DGP1]

That 'foe' button certainly is worth it and TBH if people didn't keep quoting him I would get to read ANY of his posts so for a easier life just stick Tman on the foe list and don't worry about his posts again.

PS. Please stop quoting him

Back to the thread
RM seem to be going down the route of laying off all their IT staff so that they can replace them with contract workers/agency staff (it's a typical short term view of managers who only look for their next bonus) and this will be just the start of it, vehicle mechanics, equipment engineers, admin staff, HGV drivers and down to delivery staff will all be targets for this kind of casualisation of RM .

[randompostman]

That 'foe' button certainly is worth it and TBH if people didn't keep quoting him I would get to read ANY of his posts so for a easier life just stick Tman on the foe list and don't worry about his posts again.

PS. Please stop quoting him

JOB DONE

Back to the thread
RM seem to be going down the route of laying off all their IT staff so that they can replace them with contract workers/agency staff (it's a typical short term view of managers who only look for their next bonus) and this will be just the start of it, vehicle mechanics, equipment engineers, admin staff, HGV drivers and down to delivery staff will all be targets for this kind of casualisation of RM .

Good post i can find no fault with it.

[norbert]

That 'foe' button certainly is worth it and TBH if people didn't keep quoting him I would get to read ANY of his posts so for a easier life just stick Tman on the foe list and don't worry about his posts again.

PS. Please stop quoting him

Back to the thread
RM seem to be going down the route of laying off all their IT staff so that they can replace them with contract workers/agency staff (it's a typical short term view of managers who only look for their next bonus) and this will be just the start of it, vehicle mechanics, equipment engineers, admin staff, HGV drivers and down to delivery staff will all be targets for this kind of casualisation of RM .

It also weakens the union influence too , divide and conquer , there was talk from " the legend in his own lunchtime or Prat on a mission " propaganda plant on http://www.ipostedaparceloncesoiknowwha ... gabout.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; about paying all the drivers up ( that's if they can't rid of them by foul means ) and getting agency staff in

[F0zziebear]

I got to work with this department a few years ago. Whilst some made a bit of an effort there was a sense of silo mentality and unwillingness to work for the overall benefit of the business.
The reason why many talk about 'RM specific' skills is that the systems they maintained and managed are so old that only RM were using them.
There was also a complete lack of IT Project Management capability and how to govern these projects.
The main future of RM is about combining the physical delivery of items with IT e.g. information to customers as either the sender or reciever. The sooner everyone understands this and is informed about the strategy the easier it will be to implement.
There was also a lack of leadership in IT before Dargue came in, which is why there has been such upheaval and the need to remove so many people and replace them. This is not to blame the individuals in totality as the company and specifically the IT leadership let them down. However, for years RM as a whole did not take IT seriously as operations and interaction with the unions was a more pressing matter and many non-ops areas suffered from a lack of investment and to be honest a lack of understanding and giving a fcuk about them.

Whilst you may not like those at the top the company is now structured to compete as a private company and is being prepared for full privatisation. The implementation of Head Office Review (the clear split of the businesses that make up RM Group) is the sign that this is happening.

F0zz

[ronnie6]

I agree pretty much with most of your post except for the bit that says 'there was a lack of leadership before Dargue came in'. There is still no leadership, only dictatorship. A number of areas within the business refuse to have anything to do with him and prefer to place their IT spend with external companies. The best illustration is to ask for a list of major IT deliverables since he took post, the answer is 'nil' and they are struggling to keep what they have got, afloat. I have no problem with changes of leadership or direction but removing virtually all of the business knowledge within a group isn't necessarily the way to do it. What you are left with is a large group of individuals with predominantly no pride, interest or sense of loyalty to RM and earning shedloads of money, who will move on as soon as the recession picks up a bit and they can follow the money back to wherever it is they came from (probably with Mr Dargue.)

[F0zziebear]

Ronnie6. I stand corrected. As I am no longer in the grasp of the organisation I cannot back up some of what I have said and apologise.

I think IT is one of the last parts of the business to go through a major head reduction process begun in 2005. This does not mean it won't hapen again.

I suspect the next major battle will be with the frontline again as the operational machinery is put into place more mail centres and DO's will disappear and delivery rounds will increase in size once again.