Action hits Royal Mail bosses

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Postal workers across Britain have taken strike action over the past week in response to a wave of management attacks on working conditions and on their CWU union.

Post workers struck in many cities including London, Birmingham, Essex, Coventry, Bristol, Peterborough and Crick in Northamptonshire.

In Woolwich, south east London, the strike was 100 percent solid. Workers from the Unison and UCU unions joined the picket line.

Union rep Neil Morgan said, “We are looking forward to a national strike.

“The bosses are setting us up to fail but they do not realise that without us they won’t have jobs either.”

Over 100 CWU members struck at Rochdale delivery office in Lancashire on Wednesday of last week against the imposition of changes to terms and conditions.

Management have imposed a new system that means postal workers have to walk for up to four hours at an average walking speed of four miles per hour with no break.

Bosses also want to impose a raft of other changes, including changes to start and finish times and holiday agreements. They are expecting staff to cover work in other offices.

Over 90 strikers turned out for a strike meeting outside the office.

There was applause for the announcement that there would be a national ballot, with some asking why it had not come sooner.

Meanwhile workers at sorting and delivery offices in King’s Lynn, in Norfolk, struck on Monday of last week as part of their first local action for 20 years in a dispute over increases in duties.

Area delivery rep Adam Oakes said, “We are not prepared to be bullied and intimidated into accepting duty alterations that will not work.”

Others on the picket line agreed, saying, “The management has got worse in the last two years”, “They don’t listen” and “They’ve just pushed us too far”.

Of the 106 workers employed at the office only two went in. But there was frustration about the union instruction that non-striking CWU members from other sites should cross the picket line. The workers said they were looking forward to taking united national action.

Postal workers in London and Bristol are set to take further strike action this week.

Thanks to everyone who sent in reports



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[andy2007]

It's good to see that some of the Managers are joining the Strikes: "In Woolwich, south east London, the strike was 100 percent solid. Workers from the Unison and UCU unions joined the picket line."

[BELIAL]

Wish you could all have seen the look of sheer horror on my Doms face when it suddenly dawned on him ,in a blinding flash of revelation, that the death of job and finish applied to management as well

[andy2007]

Wish you could all have seen the look of sheer horror on my Doms face when it suddenly dawned on him ,in a blinding flash of revelation, that the death of job and finish applied to management as well

[stokes11eg]

Shouldn't mock the Management--but over the years when some have been kicked out, it's nice to see most of
them have to go back to some kind of hard graft, driving vans etc. truth is, when they have culled us, they in turn will be culled, how many vacancies will there be for ex-R/M Managers? Not a lot . Ha. Ha. You know what they say about being kind to people on the way up!!! Ahh. revenge is so sweet.

[kwikpost]

Wish you could all have seen the look of sheer horror on my Doms face when it suddenly dawned on him ,in a blinding flash of revelation, that the death of job and finish applied to management as well

our DOMs all make at least 45mins to 1hr everyday. once we all go out there's nothing for them to do. it'll break their hearts having to work till their time.

[yorkie]

THEY WORKED TILL 6PM ON A SAT IN ONE DELY OFFICE.........LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[F0zziebear]

Slightly offended by a previous comment regarding slack DOMs. I'm sure there are slack DOMs out there, dishonest ones, etc. just as the same goes for posties, other management and senior management.

What I would say is this:

After you leave there are numerous things to be done:

Making sure your pay is sorted each week, which is why it should go to monthly pay and not weekly.
Dealing with the customer complaints, which usually arise when the regular postie is not on his walk
Dealing with customers who come into the Callers Office
Ordering and chasing new stationary so that you can drop rubber bands all over the place
Tidying up the office after you leave
Checking the frames are clear
Writing up disciplinary forms
Responding to emails from elsehwere in the business
Reading up on what is going on in the business in order to be informed
Ordering and chasing new clothing
Eating breakfast (is that allowed?)
Going to the toilet, no that is not allowed.
Going out to meet customers in some cases if a dispute occurs and trying to sort it out
Organsing casuals who have no clue what is going on, but as you have decided not to cover uncovered walks on OT trying to get the office clear so that customers get their mail each day

This is just a small number of the things I remember from my time as a DO Manager and DOM

Oh and to manage the office during a strike, which bizarrely was the easiest time I had as a DOM

Times might have changed since then

[Stormproof]

Making sure your pay is sorted each week, which is why it should go to monthly pay and not weekly. DOM support does that
Dealing with the customer complaints, which usually arise when the regular postie is not on his walk dealt with by LM
Dealing with customers who come into the Callers Office Dealt with LM
Ordering and chasing new stationary so that you can drop rubber bands all over the place Dealt with by LM
Tidying up the office after you leave Done by LM or Romec
Checking the frames are clear Done by LM or DOM if he wants to sack someone
Writing up disciplinary forms Done by DOM
Responding to emails from elsehwere in the business Done by DOM
Reading up on what is going on in the business in order to be informed Done by DOM, not difficult is it?
Ordering and chasing new clothing Done by posties
Eating breakfast (is that allowed?) Extended breakfast
Going to the toilet, no that is not allowed. Obviously needs to go to toilet with all that coffee being drunk
Going out to meet customers in some cases if a dispute occurs and trying to sort it out Done by LM
Organsing casuals who have no clue what is going on, but as you have decided not to cover uncovered walks on OT trying to get the office clear so that customers get their mail each day Done by LM's

[andy2007]

The Uniform was chased up by the Managers a few years ago. I'm not sure when Fozzie left. But I assume it was before we got the Uniform Helpline, to do it all ourselves.

[stokes11eg]

Ha,Ha. That is of course the theoretical approach for DOMs. In our office read cahising up wages as--only after repeated approaches by staff asking why they have not been paid for this or that.Checking Frames-Ha. I'm fanatical in keeping my frame and box aned surroundings clean in general,but without fail, whenever I come back from holidays etc. I come back to mounds of mail on top of frame--secreted in my box, and all sorts of trash.
Chasing new clothes-- we have to get out line Managers to confirm orders-- I truly, have given up on getting a new jacket--after three attempts.
Breakfast? If you've been confined within the D.O for whatever reason,our managers breakfast .usually run straight into their lucnh breaks!
'nuff said.

[F0zziebear]

Its interesting how when it suit people on here they pick out individual points, but when it comes to them its just sweeping statements and general stuff.

I was merely providing some examples. There are approx. 1500 DOs across the country. YOu are not going to find the same experience in all of them. I was only providing an insight and some balance based on my own experiences.

Unfortunately some prefer to keep their heads in the sand and pretend life is not changing.

Good luck is all I say

[stokes11eg]

Hi,ya Fozzibear--Sorry you feel offended,but as has been said on here before,very few people come into this job
as anti -management,anti this or that always looking for trouble. The very sad but true fact is R/M Management style bring out the worst in people ,not the best--and they only have themselves to blame.After 16 years in this job,I've seen it all.
I go back to the days pre R/M that is, when you had tremendous respect for 'the bosses' and they in turn respected their workforce.

[brothermagrew]

Hi,ya Fozzibear--Sorry you feel offended,but as has been said on here before,very few people come into this job
as anti -management,anti this or that always looking for trouble. The very sad but true fact is R/M Management style bring out the worst in people ,not the best--and they only have themselves to blame.After 16 years in this job,I've seen it all.
I go back to the days pre R/M that is, when you had tremendous respect for 'the bosses' and they in turn respected their workforce.

Well said sister stokesie

[axeman]

yes respect goes a long way cut the bullshit foz youv'e been rumbled

Perhaps it's not just the posties with there head in the sand