VERY LATEST - STRIKES CONTINUE

[dvbuk55]

"Had that proposal been agreed this would have enabled a period of calm and allowed further talks through ACAS with the intention of concluding a full and final agreement.

I really, really do NOT like the wording here. It smacks of giving up the strikes just to allow further talks at ACAS with the "intention of concluding a full and final agreement". I understand the need to go to ACAS but only if the deal is already done, the membership are aware of the details and ACAS are the rubber stamp - NOT some bullshit delaying tactics to get RM through the christmas period and then turn their back on any "intentions" and go back to their old ways. The negotiators may not be wary enough - maybe there is an element of the Stockholm Syndrome, when they are closeted in a room together for long periods, what would sound outrageous to the membership may sound almost avuncular to the negotiators.

[shamalang]

Sorry, I have supported the postal workers until now but to wait until the last minute to decide to strike whilst negotiating has hurt my business again! My support and respect for your CWU leadership is fading now!

i respect the troubles caused by the postal strike to small businesses, lets not loose sight JRD, if you know / understand how to negociate ,then you will know not to let too much slide(compromise too much) in the closing stages of finally reaching an agreement, there is too much at stake here at royal mail, over 140.000 staffs future and the foundations being laid on the future of royal mail sustainability ( profit / reducing liabilitys etc, bear with us, we have the best postal service in the world and want to keep it that way, so support the posties.

[JRD]

I appreciate your point of view. It is because I support the posties that I am on the forum. Perhaps more work needs to be done to explain to the public. We have the best postal service but also the cheapest and perhaps that is where a lot of the problem lies!

[shamalang]

why ...? i support the postman ...but why make the public pay?

At the moment the postal service is the publics service, so the union always has the publics interest at heart and by us striking we are saying enough is enough! we are protecting the service and not running it down if it were left to royal mail getting on with running the company with out cwu involvement then the public would pay the ultimate price, and there would be no royal mail at all! do you want your ebay parcels comming at night and getting your mail around the same time, also do you want to send a letter at a cost of around a £1 ago,more post office closures, our pensioners need this service as it is, and also people out in the country rural areas need that all important link.

[shamalang]

I appreciate your point of view. It is because I support the posties that I am on the forum. Perhaps more work needs to be done to explain to the public. We have the best postal service but also the cheapest and perhaps that is where a lot of the problem lies!

We should have a hand out to the public , i will chase this up. you are right that the problem could be that we are too cheap, we should have more deals on postage for the public, make more of xmas / bdays / over seas letters the list goes on, what we need is to prove to the public that posting letters is more personal, more deals on stamps, a system of where the public can give posties there letters for posting, stamps being sold by postman on the street, school visits , community involvement, hand writing competitions for kids, getting kids to write and post letters, i think in the future we may loose the ability to write.

[Cheetah]

I am afraid whatever the outcome of the industrial action happened, it was a no win. The Royal Mail will be Privatised and that will really upset so many people, including myself who felt that the last bastion of this country was safe in the CWU's hands. From the staff perspective, hopefully this action will tidy up the agreements to give more protection for staff when the privatisation goes ahead.

I personally and i am sure all posties appolagise sincerely to you with regards to your buisness..... The CWU put a document forward today and allthough i do not know what was in this document i would suspect it would have included in it either talks to go to ACAS or similar to get a LEGALY binding document after 2007's shananagans. When for example RM agreed to discuss our pensions they did not, they imposed a much de-flated scheme ( bear in mind RM's 13 year pension holliday they refuse to make good, we paid our dues they didn't!!! whilst declaring massive profits). We need a long lasting binding document signed by BOTH parties to take the buisness forward. I would like to add i beleive RM's proposals for modernisation will also affect buisness detrementally (i.e even later deliveries rumoured to be as late as 5 p.m etc etc) but that damage will last forever!!! Please continue to support us and again appolagies for the disruption caused.

[rm2000]

I saw Mark Higson on sky news earlier tonight,talk about evading a direct question. He was asked 3 times what the 1 sticking point was why the union officials walked away from the table today,3 times he didnt give a direct answer. Is this the way royal mail conduct talks with the union by not giving direct answers,seems to me that the answer to that question is YES.

[dvbuk55]

I am afraid whatever the outcome of the industrial action happened, it was a no win. The Royal Mail will be Privatised and that will really upset so many people, including myself who felt that the last bastion of this country was safe in the CWU's hands. From the staff perspective, hopefully this action will tidy up the agreements to give more protection for staff when the privatisation goes ahead.

Well I feel you are premature with your privatisation prophesy jrd, not least of all because of the public support and quite rightly so. A privatised Royal Mail would be an uncontrollable money grabbing machine without the obligation of a USO. Royal Mail now has scant regard for the private customer and do you think that would improve with privatisation? As in all things unpopular and disruptive it is difficult to see the good that can be engendered and we ordinary postmen and women do care about the public. This fight is as much for the public as it is for our terms and conditions of work which believe it or not are closely allied.

[uprising95]

so what happens from here....... :mfo :mfo :mfo :cfo :cfo :cfo :lfo :lfo :lfo

[Destroyer]

Go for the jugular, its the only way.

[concerned]

Sorry, I have supported the postal workers until now but to wait until the last minute to decide to strike whilst negotiating has hurt my business again! My support and respect for your CWU leadership is fading now!

the strike was always going ahead....if anything it would be called OFF at the last minute. Not the other way round (ie not striking until last minute

[left739]

The last lines of this report are interesting:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091028/tu ... 23e80.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Post strikes go ahead as talks fail
Press Association

A fresh wave of postal strikes will go ahead from Thursday after hopes of averting the action collapsed. Skip related content

Up to 120,000 members of the Communication Workers Union will walk out from 4am causing huge disruption to mail deliveries.

The strikes were confirmed despite three days of intensive talks between union leaders and Royal Mail bosses, under the chairmanship of TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

The Royal Mail accused the union of walking away from the peace talks and condemned the new strikes.

Dave Ward, the union's deputy general secretary, said this week's talks had been the "most useful and productive" since the start of the bitter dispute over jobs, pay and modernisation. But the company said the union was "playing havoc" with customer confidence.

Mr Ward said: "Earlier ... we tabled a proposal as part of the process that reflected the progress made in negotiations over the last few days... At this point of time, we have not had confirmation as to whether our proposal is acceptable and therefore the strikes previously announced for the next few days will take place.

"This series of strikes and future strikes can still be avoided and we remain available for discussions at any time, including tonight. We remain committed to reaching an agreed resolution."

Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson thanked Mr Barber for his efforts to broker a deal and said the company was willing to talk for "as long as it takes" to resolve the dispute.

"We have repeatedly asked for a commonsense approach that allows a strike-free Christmas while we talk about the future, yet even that seems too much for the CWU to accept. We had made huge progress with the help of the TUC when the CWU came back from their executive meeting with a whole new series of demands."

Royal Mail said that after three days of intensive talks and mediation at the TUC, it was increasingly evident that the CWU leadership, the national officers and the postal executive had "very different views" on the reason for the strikes and how the dispute can be resolved."

[dvbuk55]

A strike free christmas has always been Royal Mails objective, NOT sorting out the dispute - they wanted us to go back to work whilst they prevaricated until January and then it would have been more of the same - well Mr Higson we're not biting.

[jaja]

Go for the jugular, its the only way.

Yep let them have it smug Ba*****ds :cfo :lfo :mfo can we have one for higson and tollhurst please

[Destroyer]

The Royal Mail accused the union of walking away from the peace talks and condemned the new strikes.

"We have repeatedly asked for a commonsense approach that allows a strike-free Christmas while we talk about the future, yet even that seems too much for the CWU to accept. We had made huge progress with the help of the TUC when the CWU came back from their executive meeting with a whole new series of demands."

Such a shame Royal Mail didnt want to talk earlier in the summer while they were forcing through their changes & implementing without any agreement.

We Told You We Would Ballot

We Told You We Would Strike

We Did Stike & Continue too,

Now Listen to Us & Listen Good, Were gonna keep on Striking until you 'Bastards' talk sense in the terms of a 'Fair Agreement' for all & an agreement covering all those already affected by the 2009 'Executive Unlawful Action' by Royal Mail & an Investigation Into Bullying & Harrasment. I think if they did have that investigation it would be like opening up a tin of worms, the CWU are not toatlly innocent in all this.