London Posties Deliver a massive YES vote for strike action

[Martin Walsh]

Look there will always be some who vote no thats why Thatcher introduce postal ballots instead of workplace ones. However the vast majority of those who vote no will support the strike. Remember the London ballot was open for just 10 days and included a bank holiday so the vote is even better when you considered that factor.

People argue for a work to rule , probably have never been invoved in such a thing with Royal Mail. Its the quickest thing to unofficial industrial action and whilst unofficail action has its place works to rule can easily be broken by Royal Mail by them doing what they have done at watford , streatham and a number of other units. They can simply say under the indoor workload you should be doing this amount of work and that you are not so we will take your whole days pay off you.

So once this happens any office with a reasonable workforce will end up supporting those who have been taken off pay.

Off course you can go to a tribunal but they will take up to 12 months.

So sadly the only weapon of collective strength the cwu can use is strike action and guess what it works. Our history proves it whether it was the Dras dispute of 1988, the employee agenda dispute of 1996, the Pay and major change dispute of 2003 or Pay and Mod 2007 we have either reigned in what Royal Mail wanted or we have recieved some big benefits.

Striking should be used a last resort but this is now our last resort to save our terms and condition and fight for our futures work to rules or burying your head in the sand will not do its time to decide wether this national union believes in national agreements or whether some areas are not up for it.

Anyone who wants comms on what this is all about please feel free to PM me and i will send you material etc. Its time those offices decided where they stand as at the National briefing in Manchester two weeks ago every branch was told they could have a ballot on the same basis as London and whilst another 20 odd offices requested ballots this week it is so far a trickle rather than a flood.

[Martin Walsh]

John I have not included the logsitics results in this and that would account for appox another 1000.

[k979aaa]

Dingo can you answer a question mate
Just under 7,000 ballot papers have been returned,how many were sent out?
Im a little concerned that a fair old number of members have not voted

That is democracy don't vote don't give a sh*t so they have disenfranchised themselves they are the turkeys who wish Christmas will miss them!.

[DGP1]

All I can say about the numbers voting is that in my office just over 50% bothered to vote and the result was an overwhelming yes vote but I don't know how many of the staff are in the union to allow them to vote.

[Martin Walsh]

JP will be able to post exact percentage but at first glance it is over 68% which is fantastic some offices produced higher then others but we due to circumstances we had to have a quick turnaround so if you take out the sunday and the bank holiday there were only 8 day deliverys and that is reasonable tight when the national ballot of 2003 was over 3 weeks.

So the turnout is excellent and the result is even better.

[baldrick]

The RMT have balloted their members on London Underground on similar issues, with
IIRC a 84% vote for IA. They have given notice for a 48 hour strike fom 7pm on 9 June.
It is probably too late for us to join them on those dates, but perhaps the London
Branches could consider co-ordinating action on future dates?

[Martin Walsh]

Baldrick we are having discussions and they invited us to their meeting last Thursday and they are very keen to do that as well , the 9th is out for two reasons really one its our conference and secondly we could all be coming back from Bounemouth to demonstarte if the second reading goes ahead on the 9th as forecasted.

[Phantom]

Mail centres and hubs need to strike on fridays

Delivery offices need to strike on Saturdays - this will piss off all managers forced to give up their weekends, followed by cutting off during the week

A plan which should have been done at the last strike!!!

[andy2007]

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's such a good idea, for different places to Strike on different days. So far, we've not been balloted, where I am. But in the past, it's always caused problems, when Shifts overlap.

For example: We had Drivers, being told BY THE CWU, to cross the Picket Lines, until their Shift ended. And even gave them letters, authorising them to cross the Lines. Whatever happened to everyone downing tools at the same time, and going onto the gates, until it's over?
Several Offices have done that, during Unoficial IA. So why can't we do that, with an official one?

I only had a 1 hour overlap, once, in '07. And that was because the 4 day weekers on Nights, started before the rest of the Shift. I rather stupidly thought that they wouldn't form a Picket Line, until we left. When I did finish, and found out that there'd been a Picket Line in place for an hour. I felt physically sick. I don't want to ever find myself on the wrong side of the Lines again!

There wasn't any trouble leaving. And they even said that I was daft, to worry about it, as I was going in the right direction. But the thought of working, while my Brothers and Sisters, were on the gates, is sickening to me. Please CWU. Don't do that to anyone this time!

Besides: If everyone went out and stayed out. It'd hit RM much harder, than just having staggered 1 day Strikes, with time to recover, inbetween.

[Phantom]

I agree we should have an ALL OUT STAY OUT but our union won't do it. The friday and saturday is a good idea cos most mail centre and hub staff only work mon-fri with the exceptions but delivery staff still work every saturday and we need to hit royal mail management hard and not our customers and this will do exactly what it says on the tin. And it should be repeated every week until the fight is won.

[k979aaa]

I agree we should have an ALL OUT STAY OUT but our union won't do it. The friday and saturday is a good idea cos most mail centre and hub staff only work mon-fri with the exceptions but delivery staff still work every saturday and we need to hit royal mail management hard and not our customers and this will do exactly what it says on the tin. And it should be repeated every week until the fight is won.

Most delivery postie's would love sat and Sunday off as well if not the loss of a days pay but Saturday may sweeten it somewhat.

[DGP1]

I agree we should have an ALL OUT STAY OUT but our union won't do it. The friday and saturday is a good idea cos most mail centre and hub staff only work mon-fri with the exceptions but delivery staff still work every saturday and we need to hit royal mail management hard and not our customers and this will do exactly what it says on the tin. And it should be repeated every week until the fight is won.

Most delivery postie's would love sat and Sunday off as well if not the loss of a days pay but Saturday may sweeten it somewhat.

Every Saturday until they break

[Fluke]

I dont agree. Very few businesses are open on a Saturday and its these that unfortunately we need to target in order to put pressure on both RM and the government. RM appeared quite happy to ditch Saturdays as a delivery day, its only the USO that prevented them from doing that and cutting the number of reserves down. Despite a few problems, I still believe that functional rolling strikes are the best way to disrupt the service at very little cost to us.

[BELIAL]

I dont agree. Very few businesses are open on a Saturday and its these that unfortunately we need to target in order to put pressure on both RM and the government. RM appeared quite happy to ditch Saturdays as a delivery day, its only the USO that prevented them from doing that and cutting the number of reserves down. Despite a few problems, I still believe that functional rolling strikes are the best way to disrupt the service at very little cost to us.

I agree with that 100% . It takes a short while to become effective but once backlogs reach a critical point, the entire system implodes. So you get paid for working ,but the system is so buggered ,nothing moves.
Take a gander at the pattern of the last dispute, rolling action,suspended, talks,rolling, suspended, talks.
Just don't suspend nothing till acceptable resolution this time. After all, there can't be a single soul left breathing who accepts the word of management on trust

[Fluke]

Dont forget the lost savings either, goodbye summer lapsing and absorption. RM was expecting to make a good few savings this year, looks like another business plan out the window.

We need to make sure our members get the message and do the job properly. Some of the muppets in my place came in early or raced round for nothing, trying to clear a backlog that they created.