Deja Vu

[Tamsky]

Postal Strike action goes national
In a sense of déjà vu, postal members of the Communication Workers Union have voted three to one for national strike action in Royal Mail Group. A similar strike mandate was given in 2007 over the same issues. Strike action then, over several weeks, brought Royal Mail back to the negotiating table and a half hearted agreement to consult the Union was wrung from top management. For a two year period the CWU negotiated major change in good faith while RM promises were systematically broken in the slash and burn of the public postal service. Now postal workers are demanding that the Union finish the job, even if it means losing pay again to do so.

The CWU recognises that new technology will impact on the way we do our jobs and have co-operated where improvements can be made. We have made well researched proposals to protect full time jobs while improving the delivery service. We have welcomed safer ways of working and have encouraged a flexible way of working which improves time away from work and supports families. We know change is coming and want to influence that change to the benefit of postal workers and the communities we serve. Senior Royal Mail managers want to continue the slash and burn until Privatisation fills their pockets in reward. As in previous state sell offs customers and staff do not merit concern.

We also recognise that a massive hike in pay is nowhere on the horizon, despite being paid £80 a week under the UK average manual workers wage. At £347 for 40 hours delivery workers cannot be accused of greed. Of the £350m Royal Mail Group profit, most went to excessive bonus payments to senior managers, in return for an increased workload with 30% fewer staff our wage reward was zero. And now workers are being asked to sell future full time jobs, holiday and pension rights so that profits can rise higher.

The CWU demand is for a shorter working week to protect full time working against the part time onslaught. Part time working means part time pension rights, part time holiday and sick pay, part time earnings and part time commitment to the service.
In addition part time working is being used to deskill the service. Jobs that can be performed by primates result in peanut pay. This is not to say that part time working does not have its place in Royal Mail and support from part time staff has been much evident in the 14 week long strike action in Ayrshire.

Unlike 2007 postal workers have time on our side. Although no date has been set for the first day of action, the approaching Xmas period generates 2/3rds of Group profits and is a time when the service depends of staff committed to the job. Recent examples of managerial “bullying” has eroded any good will amongst staff and Xmas strikes cannot be dismissed. Any strike free Xmas deal to allow talks to go ahead would emphatically not be welcomed at the coal face. Based on behaviour since 2007 we have no trust in the sincerity or honesty of the current leaders of Royal Mail.

Tam Dewar - CWU Area Delivery Rep, Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway
(In a personal capacity)
October 2009

[BELIAL]

[Body Beyond Repair]

Very true brother Tamsky and lets hope its no deja vu to our last agreement of 2007 when we hopefully get a resolution this time.

[DirtyHarry]

Absolutely spot on, Tam.

[chunk]

No sellout.

[heston]

perhaps our biggest enemy thus far has been the selective media driven illuminati dogma,they have used spin and lies as a the key to cabalism destruction and chaos as a prerequisite to change,this off course is wholly reliant on the many failings in our human nature,on this occasion selfishness is tool employed,forums /newspapers have sounded and demonstrated about there own selfish loss in the reult of strike action,from small businesses ,to oaps,big enterprises,even cwu members have joined in against future action,senior management spout there diktat ,all these factions have taken to air there outrage for there own selfish reasons,small businesses,didnt complain when royal mail was liberalised,royal mail managers embraced the diktat from brussels,dsa companies were forever lobbying govt and fleet street,to secure a vibrant royal mail,we must have no more govt driven newspaper supporting illuminati spin and deceit,we must focus our attention ,by putting the arguments for the yes vote into the public domain.the country will support us,if we take on this bungling managment,supported by a right wing euro driven cabalism intent on obscuring the truth,destroying a great british institution,assisted by an illuminati organised newspaper and tv campaign,time to get out and tell the truth

[BELIAL]

Deja Vu
by Tamsky » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:02,pm




Better Best

[HESS]

Well said Mein Fuhrer....we're fortunate that you represent DG/KA...!!!

[PrestwickPostie]

well said Tam i am in 100% agreement with you mate ... This is going to be a long and dirty fight brothers & sisters and as a union we must remain strong and united if we want to win this battle, we all need to pull as one, outwith our own circle we have few friends and the media are doing Royal Mails dirty work for them, we are all being treated like sh!te with politicians linning their own pockets and the managers recieving disgusting amounts for bonuses whilst the posties do all the work and we recieve the square root of f*ck all for it, they think because we work for them that they own us, time to stand up to Royal Mail and that goes for the clowns that scabbed during previous strikes .... it should be hammered into them in no certian terms what is at stake and how things will change for the worse if we lose

UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL

[IWW Fellow Worker]

"Recent examples of managerial “bullying” has eroded any good will amongst staff and Xmas strikes cannot be dismissed."

So true!

[pinstripe]

"Recent examples of managerial “bullying” has eroded any good will amongst staff and Xmas strikes cannot be dismissed."

So true!

I would add that Xmas strikes not only cannot be dismissed, they should not be dismissed. How many days strikes during the last 2 weeks of Xmas pressure would cripple the system, 1 or 2?

[Tamsky]

I would add that Xmas strikes not only cannot be dismissed, they should not be dismissed. How many days strikes during the last 2 weeks of Xmas pressure would cripple the system, 1 or 2?[/quote]

With the current backlog due to localised action 1 day all out a week till the pressure starts would be fatal.

[PrestwickPostie]

I would add that Xmas strikes not only cannot be dismissed, they should not be dismissed. How many days strikes during the last 2 weeks of Xmas pressure would cripple the system, 1 or 2?

With the current backlog due to localised action 1 day all out a week till the pressure starts would be fatal.[/quote]


i am not working overtime at Christmas i am just going to cut off on my time .... i will not be working to dark o'clock .... last year we had a night shift and we started at 5 am ... rumours are that we are starting at 6 am and the nighshifts could be cut or even stopped ... when the night shifts started we had 4 more full time postmen/women to do the sorting and the part timers ... nowadays the part timers don't know the sorting ... so it could be a mess ... we could be looking at 10 - 12noon before we hit the streets depending on the volumes that day ... i am not knocking ma c**t in for that shower ... you get no thanks and £100 bonus that they grudge ... the same £100 i got when i started in 1990 :cfo