Newbie Help!

[peejay14]

I only used 3 words

[BELIAL]

No pressure, Shamrock...

Incorrect ,lots of pressure ,RM management have launched a massive and sustained attack on your terms and conditions. Obviously not the workforces idea , but there is no neutral position.
So unfortunately Shamrock management pressure from the off

[peejay14]

but there is no neutral position

Help, where am I? It can't be. They said it was impossible (like flicking a light switch, there's nothing in-between). I'm stuck in neutral, forever...

'Ok, now check your mirrors, signal, depress the clutch, ignore that hand gesture... and that one, take your time, now at the junction ahead I want you to...'

I'm sure you will make your own mind up, in your own good time, given half a chance, eh Shamrock ?

[crazytaxifife]

Hi Shamrock, been in the job over 2.5 years now. Good walking sock are a must as is breaking in of any shoes you get from RM. Radox muscle therapy bath stuff also work miracles. never mind Rm waterproof trousers, think they are made to fit 6 ft+ people and at 5ft 7 they trail around my feet, got slazengers waterproof trousers myself and they are great. Ask lots of questions as there is loads that no-one tells you. Been there for a long time and no one has yet mentioned pouching off! Good luck as you will need it!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No pressure, Shamrock...

Right we get the point, you arent in favour of striking - enough already.

A little naive I think not to expect pressure from the CWU and members on here , when Royal Mail have been bombarding us with News Articles, WTP meetings, letters to home addresses and videos on the flat screens.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

but there is no neutral position

Help, where am I? It can't be. They said it was impossible (like flicking a light switch, there's nothing in-between). I'm stuck in neutral, forever...

'Ok, now check your mirrors, signal, depress the clutch, ignore that hand gesture... and that one, take your time, now at the junction ahead I want you to...'

I'm sure you will make your own mind up, in your own good time, given half a chance, eh Shamrock ?

I am confused - You either strike or you don't I honestly can not see a 3rd way perhaps you could point out what other choices there are.

Shamrock will make his mind up, as apparently you have not yet, but I am interested in what other choices there are.

[clashcityrocker]

The third way is to go sick.You get paid but do not have to work.
In our place the managers normally give the new boys the day off if we are only taking IA for one day.I think it is quite sweet really.

[peejay14]

I am confused - You either strike or you don't I honestly can not see a 3rd way perhaps you could point out what other choices there are.

Shamrock will make his mind up, as apparently you have not yet, but I am interested in what other choices there are.

Most people felt that they wasted their time reading my 'What type of postie are you?' thread, well I must have been wasting my time typing it, because for at least two weeks I was trying to tackle your very question. I presume then that you think there are only two types of postie ?

Your view on the situation is rather problematic because it suggests that to be a postie then you have an innate sense of what to do when in trouble, either you carry on working or you down mail and vacate the office, an instant decision, a gut reaction. That view will lead to division and fuel the fire, because it prohibits any other form of thinking that can bring the 'two sides' of the work force, as you see it, together.

I don't view it as union or company, although we can't escape the fact that this is the legacy we have to deal with. I would view the union and the company as two parts of the same thing: the work force, since without the work force neither organisation would be there. I think that the set-up of union versus company is counter-productive, and divides the work force, thus making it weaker. I can see how the set-up might work in favour of the work force, if only both sides agreed not to fight for their 'share' of the work force, but instead kept it united, while still selling their separate agendas but not as means to break us up, as a means to steering us along a common path. There are many voices to be heard, well at least more than two, and instead of pulling in different directions we should all be looking and keep moving forward.

I don't feel that I fit into this battle between the two sides, I don't want to be party to it. I just want to go to work and work. If I want to manage then I'll manage, if I want to be managed then I'll be managed (my personal choice). One of the strongest arguments out there is that the strike damaged both sides, not a soul sensibly believes otherwise. I am NOT anti-company, nor am I anti-union. Some people try to say that they can be in favour of the strike yet still support the company, as it is the management who they have a gripe against - but it is obvious that the management are on the side of the company and vice versa. I might be wrong, but I think that the management might have their own union too, and so one day they might face the same problem that the general work force are facing today, and that is - to choose union or company, when in my view we should never have to face such a divisive choice.

So I abstain. I am carrying on as if nothing is happening. My head is in turmoil, and it is no fun to be a part of this company at the moment, but to look at me one might assume that it is business as usual. And it is hard for me then not to give the impression that I am siding with the company, because I am employed by them, but it is not because I don't choose to strike that I am working, it is because I make no choice at all, and keep the status quo. I could be working anywhere, I just want a job. Though I do take an interest in the job, and want to work with those who provide me with it to improve it. Funny that, because I think that those on strike justify their actions by saying amongst other things that they also want to see improvements in the job, I just want to go about it in a different way.

If the union could avoid striking, and the management of the company could agree to let the union work alongside them every step of the way forward, then I might be willing to join the force, but until I see proper leadership at the top I will continue to fight my own fight.

By accusing me of not striking, you are falling into the trap set by the flawed methods we have in place today for dealing with unrest between the work force and the management. My vote for change would be to find a way of resolving problems that allows progress to continue to be made, not be sacrificed, ie no short-term loss in the present for uncertain long term gain in the future. Why take that risk? I can see both points of view, but I can't see why the company and the union in the best interests of the work force cannot get along.

You have put before me a stark choice: to strike or not to strike, but I do not believe that the type of postie I am (or even person, out of this context) is defined by just one question alone.

(Another ramble, you did ask, and I'm sorry but I can't explain myself in just a few words - if I can at all ?)

[peejay14]

I wouldn't mind, if for the sake of others, the manager of this board reduced my above post to a link, that anyone interested can click on if they wish to read. It has nothing to do with Shamrock's original post.

Sorry, Shamrock

[clashcityrocker]

The type of postie you are is defined by the type of person you are.
The type of person you are is not defined by one question.It is defined by your response to one question.
Are you the sort of person who fights injustice?
But you have hijacked this thread and I do not want to get into a long drawn out debate.

[peejay14]

I hope that these posts can be reduced to a link, because they are off-topic.

The type of postie you are is defined by the type of person you are.

Can't see how you differentiate there.

The type of person you are is not defined by one question.It is defined by your response to one question.

Q & A go hand in hand.

Are you the sort of person who fights injustice?

There aren't many fights that I could win, so I pick them carefully and hardly at all. And this aint my fight, though I wouldn't criticise your decision to fight.

But you have hijacked this thread and I do not want to get into a long drawn out debate.

Agreed. I want £6m or you're not getting it back, Shamrock.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You have put before me a stark choice: to strike or not to strike, but I do not believe that the type of postie I am (or even person, out of this context) is defined by just one question alone.

Going on strike or not going strike is the choice there is no middle ground or third way. Your posts attempt to link 2 completely different subjects when there is only a superficial connection.

Whether you strike or not is a personal choice influenced by many factors such as lifestyle, membership of the Union, political beliefs, other commitments, laws of the land and whether you believe the sacrifice is worth the benefit of the action. However, and this is only my opinion, what type of postie you are has no effect on a personal choice.

You can be the best postie in the UK and still strike or not, you can be the worst and the choice is still the same. There is no difference in one postie doing one duty and another doing something else. The only difference between one postie and another is how well they do the job, all the other stuff about showing loyalty to the company or the Union, and working hard for the company because of some innate wish to return their trust in you, is to be honest extraneous to the job or work in hand. I think I am loyal to the firm, and I work hard and to the best of my ability, I may even look at management in the future, (although RM current ethos of management would have to change drastically), as I have experience and some skills in this area, but I made a personal choice to strike because I think sacrifice is required to change RM approach to modernisation and its staff.

[BELIAL]

It ain't complicated; scab and you help management to cut hours ;jobs ;pensions etc. Strike and you oppose this. How simple can you get?

[dvbuk55]

I'm not sure about the strike either, and I've been in the job 18 months! Not an easy position to be in, let me tell you, especially on this board!

Now now peejay, don't be frightening people away

Too early to be worrying about strikes, but definitely not too early to be joining the union despite it's failings there are a number of advantages to being a member and it's not too expensive and because you are part time you will pay a reduced rate.

[peejay14]

I made a personal choice to strike because I think sacrifice is required to change RM approach to modernisation and its staff.

Respect

I envy your position in this matter, you are way ahead of me to the extent that I could be considered to be a non-runner in the event.

what type of postie you are has no effect on a personal choice

One point, I think that we each bring a lot of our self to the job, and put a lot of our self into the job, which is what makes our job valuable to us above being just a means of earning a living. I think that people's choice of job is influenced by what they believe and what they like to represent. It is not because we may be different types of postie (on a quality level) that we are making different decisions, it must be because we have different beliefs that lead us through life. Our job is inextricably connected with our life, and choices we make at work directly affect our life. I won't base my decision on whether to strike solely on matters pertaining to work, I must be true to myself and follow my instinct, otherwise I will be on shaky ground. Though my work is important to me, it does not complete me, it is but an aspect of my life, and must complement all the others, which is why decisions we take at work and the person we become at work must be consistent with who we are. I think that the postie I am will be a reflection of the whole person that I am, and what I strive to achieve at work is driven not just by the decisions that the job teaches us to make, but by decisions that are relevant to life as a whole.

Which is why I do not think that the decision to strike or not strike is a simple one. To say that I am undecided is an over-simplification, as if to say that the decision comes naturally to one and all. Choosing to strike is a momentous decision for anyone to make, it is a life changing decision, which may seem clear to those who have already resolved to take, or not take, that course of action, but I assure you as one who is struggling with the decision it is not straight forward.

Going on strike may not be an option for me, and so there may be no decision for me to take, hence why I am struggling perhaps in futility to take sides in the dispute, when I cannot.

Not every postie voted in the strike ballot.