Totally agree with last post
a work to rule would probably get 100% backing as no-one is actually losing money, only ot that is prob done clearing up the mess that is left by office being understaffed. this would make royal mail sit up & realise that we need more bodies to do the job properly, leading to part timers possibly being made up to full time hours.
No overtime & cutting off del would also back up mail so would eventually do the same job as a strike.
I am all for the strike as we must all stick together but it is something we should think about in future
saru wrote:I'm in the same position as madelin4, left some time ago & glad I did! Didn't mind the job, just the people I worked with! I went out last time, my husband & me were the only ones out of an office of 50. I hope everyone there gets loaded with work & I hope everyone here wins the battle!
On another note, I was in the canteen the other day & someone asked me (knowing I was an ex-postie) what I thought of the strikes. I was glad to enlighten him & by the time I'd finished, I had 1/2 dozen others firing questions at me which I was glad to answer. I'll keep on spreading the word whereever I can.
How are you doing then since leaving R M Saru? Hope its all going well for you.
Komet wrote:I have always thought that the CWU leadership have missed a trick a number of times over the years calling strike action - this time being no exception.
This time especially there seems to be a groundswell of opinion against the RM workers especially as Christmas is coming etc. This is not good as public sympathy could well be reduced.
If I am wrong then please tell me why.
Hi Komet - someone named after something that appears every 120 years and then disappears as quickly. I find it truly amazing that all those who have recently posted have taken so long to make their opinions known - AND they appear to be, without exception, negative reactions to strike action because of this or that or t'other.
It is quite simple really K, the workforce have had enough of change for change sake, a denigration of the service we provide and a lack of appreciation for the work that we do and the goodwill that we provide this company.
dvbuk55 wrote:[
See you in another 100 years or so.
What colour uniform will you be wearing then I wonder? (Age aside)
Trouble is, irrespective of your viewpoint, the CWU has offered limited options in the disputes over the past numbers of years. Basically strike or not. There have been no other options put forward for members to vote on.
I would like to have seen a more subtle method of attack rather than the everybody out call. This goes for previous disputes also. I am sure that the majority of employees have their own minds on the subject which do actually count for little when all they are treated it seems are as pawns between the CWU and the RM. I know the CWU leadership want the best for its members but it would be nice to see a bit of real thinking on the subject.
In any case it really doesn''t matter what you say on here does it ......
saru wrote:I'm in the same position as madelin4, left some time ago & glad I did! Didn't mind the job, just the people I worked with! I went out last time, my husband & me were the only ones out of an office of 50. I hope everyone there gets loaded with work & I hope everyone here wins the battle!
On another note, I was in the canteen the other day & someone asked me (knowing I was an ex-postie) what I thought of the strikes. I was glad to enlighten him & by the time I'd finished, I had 1/2 dozen others firing questions at me which I was glad to answer. I'll keep on spreading the word whereever I can.
How are you doing then since leaving R M Saru? Hope its all going well for you.
Things are going good, thanks, madelin4. Enjoying my new job & enjoying working with some good people instead of a bunch of tossers. ET coming up soon, so will post when I get the result, one way or the other!
I am a single parent of a 11yr old with a mortgage and all the bills that go with it, I cannot afford to go on strike I have no partner to help me out , but after being on RM for 20= yrs I think it is better to go on strike then to end up with nothing in a few years time,
I was knocked over on delivery a few weeks back and hurt my back so I need to work as I cannot see RM helping me out in the future so I will be helping my collegues to stand up to these bullys once and for all, and I can seee this going on for a while.
music4essex wrote:I am a single parent of a 11yr old with a mortgage and all the bills that go with it, I cannot afford to go on strike I have no partner to help me out , but after being on RM for 20= yrs I think it is better to go on strike then to end up with nothing in a few years time,
I was knocked over on delivery a few weeks back and hurt my back so I need to work as I cannot see RM helping me out in the future so I will be helping my collegues to stand up to these bullys once and for all, and I can seee this going on for a while.
pdosouth wrote:" Can't afford to strike"!! Selfish or what!
by madelin4 » Today, 00:39
I just cannot get my head around people who say they cannot afford to strike Is it not about morals?? I could not afford to strike a few years back but I did because it was the right thing to do all stick together.
Do you all feel the same? I understand family to feed , I had a lot of bills house and single and it did take me a while to get back on my feet last time Everyone to there own but I think it is selfish expecting the rest of co-workers to take the lose while a strike breaker goes in and works
Im striking but came close to working and here`s why.
My mortgage is £1`580 a month and ive got 3 kids ,2 in high school . There`s a constant asking for money for school trips etc etc , and our bills and household budget is bang on 3.2k a month which is what me and the wife (teacher) bring home almost exactly. We havent had a night out in around 4 years and we never spend anything on ourselves bar me getting 24 cans in the weekly shop. If I strike it will mean losing £60 off our weekly £160 shop , and thats just doing 1 day of it. How can you cut your shopping budget by almost half and survive ?
After long hard deliberation ive decided to strike, and one of the main reasons is because if I worked I would still get a £20 nursery fee as Id have to work my hours until 130pm and would then be late for my kid, theres no one to pick her up ,only me, so I lose out either way . I`ll stick with it a while but not long ,becasue im not losing my home ,its that serious! if I strike or not it wont make a jot of difference to the outcome. I didnt vote, as again I lost out either way so there was no point.
Obviously I agree with why we are striking as the current situation cant go on , but we are all in different situations and my family must come first. Certain people will work through it who dont need to , that I dont agree with .
I`ll stick with it a while but not long ,becasue im not losing my home ,its that serious!
Admirable attitude really.
If a person can't afford to strike then that should be understood by all.
Surely there are other ways of making a protest even if you do go into work.
No I'm not being paranoid, they really are out to get me.
Komet wrote:I have always thought that the CWU leadership have missed a trick a number of times over the years calling strike action - this time being no exception.
This time especially there seems to be a groundswell of opinion against the RM workers especially as Christmas is coming etc. This is not good as public sympathy could well be reduced.
I have always thought that a work to rule - no OT - would be the way to go. Nobody would lose any money except that earnt through overtime. There would be a far greater willingness amongst the workforce to comply to this meaning a gretaer message sent to the RM aristocracy and the government. The public would be kept onside as would most of the press also because it would prove that the RM need bodies to make the operation work properly. The idea to reduce costs by reducing the workforce is wrong - we all know this - the place only works because of all the OT, whether paid or unpaid. To work only the hours you are paid for - a requirement of the RM management by the way - would lead to backlogs of mail and a reduction in service but it would highlight the issues so lodly braodcast by the CWU that the indistry needs the jobs. To go straight for the strike is to play directly into the hands of the RM who can then label the CWU and its members as uncaring.
I have always believed that the Royal Mail - including the Post Office - is a service and not an industry. That said even a service can and should be modernized for a modern world. Unfortunatley the word profit gets dragged into it which usually means a few people make a killing whilst the rest get screwed. It should be one of the jobs of the CWU to highlight the shortcomings of any RM plans by the best means possible. A work to rule would do that ..... a straight out strike is folly IMO and cedes any moral high ground to the RM by saying the worforce and CWU do not want to modernize and wish only to disrupt the public irrespective of any claims they may make. To stay in the job doing only what you are paid to do would regain that high ground expecially when (not if) it was noticed the reason the service was failing was because there were not enough workers.
If I am wrong then please tell me why.
I agree that a work to rule/overtime ban would be the best way to go but, after a few days, those that come in early, use their own cars and those that rush around to make five minutes at the end of their duty would soon return to their old ways and any effect of this action would be lost. Many in my office go straight home after their deliveries so I could not see them cutting off and returning to the office at their official finish time.
Our D.O.M does not insist on people retuning after their duties as he knows that if they had to, he would get more cut-offs as he knoes they would rather complete a delivery than have to return to the office.
to answer. I'll keep on spreading the word whereever I can.
Hey lets face it, if any of us could afford to strike we would'nt be working in the first place. 