Royal Mail - Deliver Or Let Someone Else Do It

[Geezer]

http://www.hellmail.co.uk/postalnews/te ... 0&zoneid=3


Steve Lawson, editor for Hellmail Postal News has warned that unless there is some meaningful discussion between Royal Mail, the government, and the CWU, postal strikes are likely to continue until Christmas.

"We have a situation where each party is trying to outdo the other for soundbites and frankly, this simply isn't good enough. Its a disaster for Royal Mail customers, be they business or domestic. Not only has the country been here before, customers are completely fed up with a postal service that seems unable to crack on in an increasingly challenging market.

"Every business right now is having to adapt to difficult times and strike action only serves to hold the country to ransom, particularly small business. I cannot be alone in feeling that this constant bickering is tiresome. Either achieve some kind of agreement or fold - one or the other. It would be better to be paying higher prices with another operator than having a postal service that just isn't up to the job.

"Every European operator faces enormous challenges right now as digital technology overtakes traditional mail services and we all try to claw our way out of a terrible economic recession but this is helping no one. Its not helping Royal Mail, its not helping union members, and its not helping customers. There seems no end in sight either. On that basis, the parties involved need to decide on a structure that will work and get on with the job of delivering mail - not this constant grind of who said what and disagreement on the basis of Royal Mail's modernisation plan. This is frankly no better than watching two children fight over a ball and what game to play with it.

"Online technology is eroding the monopoly of postal services, its high time they recognised that and got on with the job."

Lawson's comments follow the announcement of further industrial action at sites across the UK and an apparent stalemate between Royal Mail and the union over ongoing plans to reduce operating costs and introduce more automation, the nature of which neither side can agree upon.

Further disruption is expected on Wednesday at Birmingham, Coventry, Essex, Greenford, Northampton, Vauxhall, Peterborough, Bristol, Leeds, and many deliveries in London.

© Hellmail.co.uk (17 August 2009)

[baldrick]

And who else is going to deliver to every address in the UK ?

[Big Daz]

And who else is going to deliver to every address in the UK ?

SL may be inferring that RM should be taken over?

[DGP1]

If they'd stop treating us like crap and actually listen to us then maybe we could avoid all this action. It's RM forcing through changes that don't work and then blaming the posties on it.

[pickaname]

Who is this Peenarse?

Rogues gallery innit?

[BELIAL]

Don't know why he's getting his Knickers in a twist yet again about strike action, according to him ,with all those alternatives out there there should be no inconvenience caused at all
Come to think of it,the way things are going with pensions,pay and ot ,most posties will soon be better off on benefits,rent paid ,no tax etc. Might be financially prudent to strike until it vanishes

[norbert]

Don't know why he's getting his Knickers in a twist yet again about strike action, according to him ,with all those alternatives out there there should be no inconvenience caused at all
Come to think of it,the way things are going with pensions,pay and ot ,most posties will soon be better off on benefits,rent paid ,no tax etc. Might be financially prudent to strike until it vanishes

It's actually a her ( Sarah Sharpe ) that's getting her knickers in a twist but this RMC favourite should go in the rogues gallery & RM have been printing his articles off as propaganda - more propaganda soundbites complaining about RM & the CWU having a soundbite competition

To be fair - " Spare Parts " is a good article - anyhow why hasn't Private Fraser / Lord Hellmail come on here , telling everyone not to strike and that we're all doomed ?

[pinstripe]

"Either achieve some kind of agreement or fold - one or the other."

We had reached an agreement, back in 2007, but it doesn't suit RM to stick to it.
To be fair, this time he's not just union bashing, although I don't quite see his point

[norbert]

"Either achieve some kind of agreement or fold - one or the other."

We had reached an agreement, back in 2007, but it doesn't suit RM to stick to it.
To be fair, this time he's not just union bashing, although I don't quite see his point

it does smack of " bad dog - why don't you roll over ? " - there is a ultra defensive of RM , Colonel Blimp type on the other forum that says RM are quite justified in picking fights / a fight with the CWU .

That just sounds like the 2007 line - " We've had the miners , Longridge - now this , this will be a tipping point " - so the usual mexican standoffs and the spirit of the 80's , not sure which century though sometimes

the problem is the spirit of the agreement - the age old problem with RM - and that's being very kind to RM .

[TrueBlueTerrier]

To be fair, this time he's not just union bashing, although I don't quite see his point

Actually I disagree - in the first 2 paragraphs he complains that RM the Gov and the CWU should come to an agreement - fair point. But the rest of the article seems to be covert and not so covert digs at the Union and Workforce. Hell Mail appears to me to be run by an Anti Union "Editor" and unfortunately this colours my assessment of the balance of the articles that it produces, a bit like what some members on here feel about Socialist Workers and other Left Wing "rags".

[trythat]

Why is he worried? If more communications are sent digitally, then he should be OK.

Again doesn't he realise anyone could setup a nationwide delivery system if the so wished, of xourse there is the USO, to think about, and of course that costs money, which is why TNT etc, haven't gone national, and of course it's far cheaper for TNT etc, to get us to deliver the final mile. This bloke always comes over as a bit of a windup mechant, in fact most of He*****l comes across like this, what ever the CWU says is always wrong.

[Phantom]

Its just one man's opinion thats all, he hasn't got much knowledge of whats really going on, he just sees the surface like a lot of people do, nothing to worry about ladies and gents, nothing to see here...

[F0zziebear]

The definition of the USO will have to change. This is the only solution to a structural problem. I predicted that volumes would fall, not just due to e-substiution, but that all volume stability in the last decade was due to an expanding public sector and large (over-bloated) banking sector. Well we know what has happened to the banks, and the public sector will follow. This means further dramatic declines plus the impact of a recession on marketing spend.

What do I mean by this.

1. The number of addresses RM will deliver to will not change on the surface. I suspect that flats will get communal letterboxes. This means the postie can remain at ground level and put the main into these boxes. This will cut delivery time, and therefore jobs. Only recorded and SDs & parcels will be delivered directly to these addresses. I suggest they phase out RD as it's a pathetic product and should force customers either to 1st class or SD. Sounds harsh, but in times like this bold moves are needed.

2. Saturday deliveries will disappear if as in the US they go. This is currently going to senate.

This will leave a postal system similiar to Europe and the US. At this point RM will be sold off. Physical mail is still important, but decresingly so as a form of advertising, which is the underlying volume required to maintain the USO. Google and other online organisations are taking your business. When was the last time you wrote a letter or sent a postacrd? If you are not using the product yourself on a regular basis then are others?

This may be of no help in your current situation. The only glimer of light will be that your current pension will not disappear as the taxpayer will cover this.

If you are under 40 I would seriously retrain and get out of this industry now, as the longer you leave it the harder it will be to retrain.

I am no privatisation advocate as the posties, policeman, milkman, mobile delivery person (no sexual discrimination inferred) provided the communal bed on which we lie. For whatever reason we are doing away with this, and its a tragedy in my opinion as this is what made this country great to live in.

Finally, my only other general thought is that as broadband speeds increase more people will be able to work from home. I suspect and hope that in 15 yrs time the local high street and community will again begin to thrive and the city centre will decrease in its dominance. Companies won't want to pay such high prices for land when they can pay their employees to work from home most of the week. There might then be opportunities as people will demand more deliveries of goods and services to thier homes. If Mark Thompson (Media Director) has a decent insight team at RM they should be looking in this direction and attempting to transform the RM business model in this direction. I suspect alas that Finance still drives RMs direction and short-term cost cutting is the way forward.

[pickaname]

The definition of the USO will have to change. This is the only solution to a structural problem. I predicted that volumes would fall, not just due to e-substiution, but that all volume stability in the last decade was due to an expanding public sector and large (over-bloated) banking sector. Well we know what has happened to the banks, and the public sector will follow. This means further dramatic declines plus the impact of a recession on marketing spend.

What do I mean by this.

1. The number of addresses RM will deliver to will not change on the surface. I suspect that flats will get communal letterboxes. This means the postie can remain at ground level and put the main into these boxes. This will cut delivery time, and therefore jobs. Only recorded and SDs & parcels will be delivered directly to these addresses. I suggest they phase out RD as it's a pathetic product and should force customers either to 1st class or SD. Sounds harsh, but in times like this bold moves are needed.

2. Saturday deliveries will disappear if as in the US they go. This is currently going to senate.

This will leave a postal system similiar to Europe and the US. At this point RM will be sold off. Physical mail is still important, but decresingly so as a form of advertising, which is the underlying volume required to maintain the USO. Google and other online organisations are taking your business. When was the last time you wrote a letter or sent a postacrd? If you are not using the product yourself on a regular basis then are others?

This may be of no help in your current situation. The only glimer of light will be that your current pension will not disappear as the taxpayer will cover this.

If you are under 40 I would seriously retrain and get out of this industry now, as the longer you leave it the harder it will be to retrain.

I am no privatisation advocate as the posties, policeman, milkman, mobile delivery person (no sexual discrimination inferred) provided the communal bed on which we lie. For whatever reason we are doing away with this, and its a tragedy in my opinion as this is what made this country great to live in.

Finally, my only other general thought is that as broadband speeds increase more people will be able to work from home. I suspect and hope that in 15 yrs time the local high street and community will again begin to thrive and the city centre will decrease in its dominance. Companies won't want to pay such high prices for land when they can pay their employees to work from home most of the week. There might then be opportunities as people will demand more deliveries of goods and services to thier homes. If Mark Thompson (Media Director) has a decent insight team at RM they should be looking in this direction and attempting to transform the RM business model in this direction. I suspect alas that Finance still drives RMs direction and short-term cost cutting is the way forward.

Was the Telephone the end of Royal Mail? Nope.

The only thing that will definitely change in the future is your forecast. Analysts historically get things embarrassingly wrong and I fear your outlook is misguided.
For example you suggest companies will be looking for people to work from home. I doubt that.
Companies are increasingly likely to want their workforce where they can see them. This is the age of surveillance afterall. It will be cheaper to pay rent on offices and be productive than have staff work from home and skive. Look at RM at present. Spying on their workforce scared to death they arent working all the hours they are paid.

Im also confused as to how faster broadband speeds will allow people to work from home. Most jobs that exist today involve the circulation of money and, as economic growth will almost always focus upon wealth that is physical then i cant quite grasp how super fast broad band allows me to travel to france, for example. I doubt theres any small business out there that would utilise fully 100mbit fibre optic BB.

[flaminmoses]

royal mail and pro sell off merchants keep saying that email , texts etc will keep eating into letters but what they have failed to notice is that these mediums have been around for well over a decade and have basically eaten as much as they can out of volumes.
i rarely sent letters but i still send cards , postcards and presents via the postal system as i suspect most do.

to get rid of RDs would be a big mistake too
in fact to suggest to get rid of them suggests you havent really thought through what you have said and are just spouting propaganda to try and justify your beliefs.

when i want a letter to get somewhere i want to know that its at least got in the system properly rather than a bank or who ever it may be deny they have had it.