Whats happened to this trade union ?

[Martin Walsh]

10 years ago maybe even 5 years ago this union had a proud record that we did not handle other mail centres work unless agreed and certainly not if they were on strike. It was something you learnt as soon as you started in the job. It was good old fashion trade union principles.

Admitily there were still some mail centres who failed to honour that code but they were in the miniority, In fact most drivers and delivery staff refuse to delivery to offices when other unions have picket lines be that PCS, RMT , Unision or even Unite. Its something we knew that set us apart and made our union strong.

Now in probably the biggest fight for our futures ever. Remember Royal Mail do not want a union which reaches agreement on the things that effect your futue this has become clearer in the last few days, they only want us to smooth the path on change. If we dont win this dispute then we will not have a future worth staying within Royal Mail for.

So why would offices , mail centres , drivers wish to perform the work of others who have been on strike for the whole of the union. Why would others wish to perform overtime on our work whilst we are willing to scarifice our wages and hardship for the benefit of all the union.

This is what sickens me we have appoximately 50 odd mail centres apart from London. management for the last two weeks have ensured that all the London mail centres do not process one outward letter. So all of our outward is being moved to other mail centres yet only one mail centre has contacted us to say they have our work.

The lack of commmunication by other areas ( you cant blame this on CWU HQ ) is shameful. So the question for everyone has your mail centre got our work , if so are you doing it and are you earning out of it ?

I know in London we certainly would not scoop so low as to earn out of someones dispute. In London we have previously gone out unofficially for Liverpool , Watford , Milton Keynes , Dartford , Greenford to name a few.

I love this union but what some of the members and reps have done to the London members who have now taken 14 days strike action in defence of everyone is sickening and a betrayal.

rant over but the anger and hurt still remains.

[baldrick]

Agree with you dingo. We've heard that the Jubilee MC has been doing our work on open docket.
It's a disgrace. I can understand offices having to do diverted work if they can do it within their
normal hourage - we are having to do Nine Elms processing at Mount Pleasant because our work
has been sent out to Jubilee MC, HWDC, the Dartford Scab Warehouse and other offices including
Birmingham MC. But to do it on OT and with extra shifts being put on is an absolute disgrace, and
the so called Union Reps and Officers at these offices should hang their heads in shame.
I hope this will change when we get a Yes vote in the National Ballot.

[stokes11eg]

'What happened to this trade union?' Billy Hayes happened--conspicuous in his absence at this point--I have
no doubt if by some miracle WE the fee paying grass roots members win something from this action--he will suddenly appear at the front of the queue.

[DGP1]

NIMC is doing diverted mail, the only reason I know is we're getting mail down in bags again because they don't have the time or the staff to do it.

PS. I don't know if it's being done in 'normal' hours or it's being put through docket.

[HESS]

Never a true'r word spoken......!!! Its not just down your way either(not a dig)..!!Due to Glas MC/Edin MC and surrounding DO's taking IA, there is the obvious back-up..! But then to hear that some of the smaller 'sister' offices are processing mail on o/t from the afore-mentioned MC's is nothing short of f***ing DISGUSTING...!!!! Do they know that fellow CWU members are willing to sacrifice whatever pay necessary to make our point to RM.....then for them...not only NOT coming out in support but then to make money out of their members suffering is again DISGUSTING...!!! I happened to be in the 'dom's' office when he was phoned and asked if we'd caught up with backlog.....he replied that we nearly were....he was then told he could process some MC mail.....I then told him that WE DIDN'T WANT ANY...!! IT'S QUITE EASY......JUST SAY NO.....!!!!!!!

[thehappyones]

You know people ,i think one of the biggest things that has made this union less ,dont know the right word here ..but i'll use strong for now ,is the fact that the union subs come straight out of your wages and the reps dont have to come round collecting them any more and listen to the brothers (and sisters) and it was easier to say as a whole that they wouldn't be getting the subs unless they tackled that particular problem etc. .............do you know what i'm getting at here

[Martin Walsh]

Stoke I have had my disagreements with Billy but the fact other mail centres handle blacklisted mail on extra duty is down to the area processing reps and Branch"s not headquarters.

There are no excuses each mail centre should have told their members not to perform overtime on strike blacklisted mail. Has this happened I could name the offices who have handled our mail and it would be a long list , unsure if all these were done on overtime but have been given a list of extra sundays performed by mail centres and it is alarming and disturbing.

I have been in this job since 84 and we have always had check off ( union deductions from pay ) and that shouldt excuse the fact that people have chosen to benefit on the backs of their fellow striking postal workers. Stangely enough some of those now doing our work are the same mail centres who beg for our help when they are in trouble. You know who you are and shame on you !!

[barbario]

If we lose this dispute,it wouldn't be long before management would turn on these scab offices.I really can't believe that these people are doing our work on overtime,its digusting.

[Edward Hunter]

Ive been hearing about this and it is so dissapointing. Perhaps IF there is a yes vote us in London and elsewhere taking action should take a bit of a break, and let the rest of the country "catch up" by taking 14 days action without us, perhaps we can do some of your diverted mail too. After the 14 days we can all carry on together (as it should have been from the bloody start )

[POSTMAN]

Got a message from facebook.....


"Work in ******* DO in ******. Last weekend when Edinburgh MC were out, St Andrews do were doing diversions. The f***ers never go on strike."

[Fred B]

Along with some other users on this messageboard, I belong to a certain Union which refuses to scab on other workers in other industries. It seems the TUC unions have forgotten the principle of solidarity. We have not!

[stokes11eg]

Stoke I have had my disagreements with Billy but the fact other mail centres handle blacklisted mail on extra duty is down to the area processing reps and Branch"s not headquarters.

There are no excuses each mail centre should have told their members not to perform overtime on strike blacklisted mail. Has this happened I could name the offices who have handled our mail and it would be a long list , unsure if all these were done on overtime but have been given a list of extra sundays performed by mail centres and it is alarming and disturbing.

I have been in this job since 84 and we have always had check off ( union deductions from pay ) and that shouldt excuse the fact that people have chosen to benefit on the backs of their fellow striking postal workers. Stangely enough some of those now doing our work are the same mail centres who beg for our help when they are in trouble. You know who you are and shame on you !!

Couldn't agree more about those people who benefit from our
actions--the one saving grace is that through time, these folks are thought less of by management than they seem to think, and in the course of time usually end up leaving the job.but, i still say big billy has a lot to answer for!

[kwikpost]

sorry to have to tell you this dingo but the union only has it's self to blame for this. from the outset it should of balloted everyone for an national strike. by pulling out only london they opened the door for royal mail to move our work around the country to be sorted. they've been trying to close the big london offices for year's and now the union has given them a helping hand to carry it out. this strike has so far been carried by only a few worker's the only way we can win is if we all strike. sadlly the union don't seem to have the ball's to get everyone out.

[bandit1157]

If we lose this dispute,it wouldn't be long before management would turn on these scab offices.I really can't believe that these people are doing our work on overtime,its digusting.

very true. if we loose this one the end reult will be more and more work for no extra money. do these pushovers think they will be rewarded for their work and their managers will remember what they did, like f^^k. the only thing the managers will remember is we can bully these pushovers into doing it again and they have already alienated themselves from the rest of the workforce. once the yes men have shown it can be done then it will be our turn. these people need to wake up. their fellow workers are losing money to make the job better for everyone and are having their efforts undermined by shortsighted i'm alright jack greed. once the industrial action is over the overtime will go then they will be back to no pay rise for more work, more pressure, more harrassment, more bullying. i'm not the sharpest tool in the box but you only have to look at the last two years, lose this one and and you will regret it for the rest of your working life with royal mail. no pay rise this year, are the dims still getting up to £80.00 a week bonus for trying to break your back. no compromise, no going back to work and we can sort it out then. what we want is everything in black and white, all signed sealed and delivered before we cease industrial action. we have to go forward as one and stick it right up them now.

[POSTMAN]

From bits that i've gathered over the last few months.......
There have been small pockets of strikes,the big one was Scot num 2 branch who when exec action came in they started to ballot,it's well verced in the union room.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 15&t=14097" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 18&t=15449" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This was in FEBURARY!!!!!

But the problem was unlike London who decided as a Division that any exec action going in would result in a ballot,which we have done they did not ballot as a Division.
But the reason was,and we have to blame ourselves here is that i've got word that certain offices up there were not interested in IA,even the offices that had IA the vote was close.
I posted in the 1st thread..

My point is,London is ready to ballot,and we have not had ONE single EA yet!!
When we get one,then we will roll.
This is what EVERY branch/Div should of done.

The reply by PM i got was that a lot of offices weren't interested.
And we have had over the last few months different offices here and there balloting but no Divisions or branches!

Unity is strength,an injury to one is an injury to all,what a load of bollox!

Now onto HQ and the PEC,surely when the 1st exec action started then the alarm bells should of started ringing,i am aware 100% that a PEC member at a branch meeting has said that they (PEC) did not realise the seriousness of the situation,and that was why there was not a national ballot quicker.

You couldn't make this s**t up could ya?