Royal Mail contingency plans.

NEWS · Post by **NEWS** » 24 Jun 2007, 16:44

THIS IS MONEY.

Royal Mail will permanently close sorting offices and delivery centres if industrial action, due to start on Friday, begins to bite, sources close to the company told Financial Mail.

And the company has drawn up plans to isolate pockets of militancy by relocating sorting work in London from offices where there are strikes to those unaffected by the action.

Contingency plans are being finalised as Royal Mail braces itself for the first national postal strike for 11 years. The one-day stoppage on Friday is expected to be followed up by a strike on Friday week and another on Monday July 9. Managers are prepared for three or four months of industrial action.

With more than 5,000 executives working in depots, disruption is expected to be kept to a minimum. But while management believes the first day's strike will be well supported, the longer the dispute lasts, the less will be the impact.

Royal Mail is confident it will have the full support of the Government, which so far has decided to leave the handling of the dispute to the company.

Gordon Brown, who takes over as Prime Minister on Wednesday, will not want to be seen as giving in to union militancy, Royal Mail executives believe.

Workers voted 70% in favour of a strike to protest against a 2.5% pay offer and plans to cut the workforce by 40,000 because of the introduction of new automated sorting processes.

Royal Mail said it would continue to try to resolve the dispute. 'We remain willing to sit down with the Communication Workers Union to explain again the absolute need for Royal Mail to modernise,' said chief executive Adam Crozier.

The company is fighting private competition from Business Post, Dutch company TNT and others.

PHP · Post by **PHP** » 24 Jun 2007, 16:52

Now more than ever we have to stay united. Their whole strategy relies upon us being fragmented, selfish and disorganised.

Give the bastards hell, lads!

:lfo :cfo

somerset · Post by **somerset** » 24 Jun 2007, 17:05

Where did this press release come from? :cfo As for the last two paragraphs

I believe the union is wiling to adapt to modernisation but not with so many job losses

And as for Royal mail fighting the competion

I don,t see much of a fight going on

Post by **POSTMAN** » 24 Jun 2007, 17:12

Sorry i didn't put the link in.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/artic ... _page_id=2

Bloke7 · Post by **Bloke7** » 24 Jun 2007, 17:13

It came from this site here :)

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/artic ... _page_id=2

johnnyp · Post by **johnnyp** » 24 Jun 2007, 18:37

Union militancy ,is that what they think we are?We want a deal but not with those strings.NEGOTIATION NOT DICTATION

IWW Fellow Worker · Post by **IWW Fellow Worker** » 24 Jun 2007, 18:41

johnnypick wrote:Union militancy ,is that what they think we are?We want a deal but not with those strings.NEGOTIATION NOT DICTATION

They'll always call you a militant or an extremist whenever you ask for:

A decent wage.
Better working conditions.
Decent housing.
A good health service.
Good schools.
A job.

All the things those using the term take for granted, but who mostly have never worked to get them.

johnnyp · Post by **johnnyp** » 24 Jun 2007, 18:54

Well if thats the case then im proud to be a Union Militant

Im gonna change my name to Bob Crow a.s.a.p :

Fellow Millwall Fan

martin · Post by **martin** » 24 Jun 2007, 20:19

looks like thay are getting worried :lfo :cfo

pillar box · Post by **pillar box** » 24 Jun 2007, 20:26

I hope the bastards get a Hernia carrying overweight bags. :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo :lfo

bigsharkboy · Post by **bigsharkboy** » 24 Jun 2007, 20:32

when we go back in on saturday we should all report back how much mail has been left over cause i reckon they wont wanna upset the strike breakers by forcing them to cross the picket line again and the fat lazy managers in my office dont even know many of the deliveries
so i reckon it will be all there saturday so much for al saying that deliveries wont be affected by IA

cruisey · Post by **cruisey** » 24 Jun 2007, 20:33

RM fighting competition. I've never known a company roll over so easily. They should face the competition head on instead of running away from it.
Leighton and Crozier are to busy trying to flex what muscles they've got against the CWU instead of joining us in our assault on the competition and the regulator.
RM are going to fail if we stick to our guns. I've read posts by people complaining about money if the strike goes on too long. I'm personally in for the long run. My missus is having an op and will be off work for a month. If anyone will feel the pinch I will. THIS DISPUTE NEEDS TO BE WON. IN THE SHORT TERM IT WILL HURT, BUT IT'S WORTH LOSING MONEY NOW TO ENSURE OUR FUTURE IN THE BUSINESS WITH NO REDUCTION IN CONDITIONS, PAY FOR ANY DOCKET DONE, MINIMAL JOB CUTS DUE TO MODERNISATION AND INFLATION BASED PAY INCREASES EVERY YEAR

vigilante · Post by **vigilante** » 24 Jun 2007, 21:48

Royal Mail said it would continue to try to resolve the dispute. 'We remain willing to sit down with the Communication Workers Union to explain again the absolute need for Royal Mail to modernise,' said chief executive Adam Crozier.

this paragraph says it all we will not negotiate we want to tell you again whats on offer.
millitant only cause you make us so.

cwurep1 · Post by **cwurep1** » 25 Jun 2007, 01:10

What a load of crap. According to the article RM needs to employ more managers. If they think that 5,000 will do the job of 130,000 with minimum disruption their living in cloud cuckoo land. If they can: The top CMA rep needs to ask for a 500% payrise for the managers and thats not being greedy, just point out that your 5,000 almost did the work of 130,000 and your laughing mate. Utter garbage wrote by the papers when it comes to disputes, its just a pity that the writers have no balls to tell their editors they will write the truth. The reality that RM walked away from an agreed 3 year deal after the nonsense of trying to impose the payrise last year seems to be forgotten by most of the press. Its all sound-bites that the press and the public like to hear, just wait until the strike starts rolling on and the mail gets back-logged. Keep the public onside and your laughing, big business that RM pander after will move anyway for cost purposes they won't show any loyalty towards RM as much as the Mr Leighton and Mr Crozier would like to think they will do.