Fridays Strike

[johnnyp]

Postal Strike Supported in Huge Numbers / POSTAL STRIKE GOES AHEAD / FURTHER STRIKE DATE ANNOUNCED
14:00:24 Sunday 15th July, 2007







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News
13 July 2007
Postal Strike Supported in Huge Numbers

No Royal Mail services operated today as mail came to a standstill with close to total support for the CWU strike across the UK. Postal workers in every area supported the strike in overwhelming numbers. This support was at a level of 99% in big cities and all the largest Royal Mail workplaces and over 90% in all other areas of the country.

The strike was the second 24 hour stoppage in 2 weeks as Royal Mail continues to refuse to negotiate with the Union. The dispute between Royal Mail and CWU has developed over a 2.5% pay offer and the company’s intention to cut 40 000 jobs, cut postal services and implement a business plan that will reduce pay by 25% over the next few years. Additionally, the 2.5% pay offer was linked to a number of strings that meant that most workers would receive a pay cut. The Union has consistently offered to negotiate a settlement to the dispute but Royal Mail have refused. The Union offered to call off today’s strike if Royal Mail simply agreed to meaningful negotiations. They refused.

The company continues to offer to “explain its plansâ€

[tinydancer]

On saturday our office had 8 walks that didn't go out, just my luck I am on one of them next week. There are 3 days of post piled up around the frame!!! I couldn't even do the D2Ds on saturday because the bench was covered in post. I asked my LM what was up with that? he said oh well, that's the way it goes when you go out on strike. I said he better be prepred to pay me OT on Monday, he laughed and said they would not pay a bean! The entire round consists of time-locked flats most of which I will not get to in time, so it looks like I will be cutting off on Monday as I did on Saturday. His response was, oh well you will get it out on Tuesday then. I asked if i could come off the sorting in order to attack the mess, he flatly refused. What would the Union say to this????? Help??!!!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Not a union officer but I would say work to your time. If you can only deliver 2 bundles not your fault. Keep annoying the LM by saying you don't want to work overtime and cannot get the round completed - he then has to help. If no help forthcoming then go to union guy and explain the situation. You might even be able to get a grievance in against him

Whatever you do make sure you have witnesses whenever you talk to LM.

[bigsharkboy]

Not a union officer but I would say work to your time. If you can only deliver 2 bundles not your fault. Keep annoying the LM by saying you don't want to work overtime and cannot get the round completed - he then has to help. If no help forthcoming then go to union guy and explain the situation. You might even be able to get a grievance in against him

Whatever you do make sure you have witnesses whenever you talk to LM.

totally agree if you cant complete in your given time CUT OFF
just make sure you follow the correct procedures as they do you for wilful delay

[st postie]

i would go in at your normal start time go on the ips as normal then tell your lm that you will be working your contracted hours regardless if there is mail still to be delivered its then there problem to get the rest of the round covered make sure you have your meal break before you go out weigh your pouches so they are not overweight and if they start giving you grief go to your union rep and tell him or her i personally wouldnt do 1 miniute of overtime while this dispute is on the managers get paid for making decisions or so they keep telling us

[Loony]

We were also told this in our office that no overtime can be booked if u go over so on sat we all cut off will do same again on monday!!

[Durden]

Go in as normal,do your IPS etc & when it comes to your prep throw in every letter that's there.

If this is going to take forever go to your LM when every one else has thrown in & show him how far behind you are.Just so that he knows your going to be late out. When it's all in, if you genuinely won't be able to get round bring this to his attention before you bundle. Hopefully you can agree a cut off point rather than having to take out the whole delivery.

It's in your LM's best interests to work with you because doing it this way is more productive than taking it all out & having to bring half back. If he is a tool & sends you out with the lot just go with the flow. Deliver what you can & 20 minutes before your working day is over ring in & tell them how far you've got & what bags need bringing back to the office.

If this is what happens you'll just get further & further behind & he'll be to blame. Just keep cool & plod on with it each day. No matter what happens don't get into a shouting match with him. The best way to deal with a manager who is raising is voice is to do the opposite. Stay calm & tell him that you don't appreciate the manner in which he's talking to you. When he's stopped because he will if you don't react,just calmly restate that you cant get round & ask if he wants you to agree a cut off point before going out or if he wants you to take the lot & ring in when your time is up about what mail you havn't delivered.

This will completely do his head in. A word of warning though. If you do agree a cut off point make sure that it will take you up to your time. You don't want to finish an hour early & find your LM is sat there waiting for you.

[vigilante]

On saturday our office had 8 walks that didn't go out, just my luck I am on one of them next week. There are 3 days of post piled up around the frame!!! I couldn't even do the D2Ds on saturday because the bench was covered in post. I asked my LM what was up with that? he said oh well, that's the way it goes when you go out on strike. I said he better be prepred to pay me OT on Monday, he laughed and said they would not pay a bean! The entire round consists of time-locked flats most of which I will not get to in time, so it looks like I will be cutting off on Monday as I did on Saturday. His response was, oh well you will get it out on Tuesday then. I asked if i could come off the sorting in order to attack the mess, he flatly refused. What would the Union say to this????? Help??!!!

What a patronising t**t.
Just do your job properly there is nothing he can do about cutting off if you follow procedures mentioned in some of these threads.
It's his problem, if you find his manner is against what you feel is right take out a grievance and get witnesses if possible.
Make sure there is a friend around when you go to talk to him and don't go into the office alone with him.

[i love mail sort]

Not a union officer but I would say work to your time. If you can only deliver 2 bundles not your fault. Keep annoying the LM by saying you don't want to work overtime and cannot get the round completed - he then has to help. If no help forthcoming then go to union guy and explain the situation. You might even be able to get a grievance in against him

Whatever you do make sure you have witnesses whenever you talk to LM.

If we do that in our office we get prep tested

[vigilante]

Not a union officer but I would say work to your time. If you can only deliver 2 bundles not your fault. Keep annoying the LM by saying you don't want to work overtime and cannot get the round completed - he then has to help. If no help forthcoming then go to union guy and explain the situation. You might even be able to get a grievance in against him

Whatever you do make sure you have witnesses whenever you talk to LM.

If we do that in our office we get prep tested

prep tested to what?
They don't even know themselves these days!!!!
Ask em prep and sort rates, they won't know.

[vigilante]

Not a union officer but I would say work to your time. If you can only deliver 2 bundles not your fault. Keep annoying the LM by saying you don't want to work overtime and cannot get the round completed - he then has to help. If no help forthcoming then go to union guy and explain the situation. You might even be able to get a grievance in against him

Whatever you do make sure you have witnesses whenever you talk to LM.

If we do that in our office we get prep tested

prep tested to what?
They don't even know themselves these days!!!!
Ask em prep and sort rates, they won't know.

[kinmad4it]

Back to work this morning after having the last two weeks off. The only mail that was taken on my delivery on Saturday was 1st class
After I stopped laughing when he asked if I was going to extend, I said I was cutting off. And just to make matters worse, got off the van and the chain had come off the bike, 10 minutes of grease and swearing and it wasn't going back on. Had to walk the entire delivery, not easy when you overload bags because the bike will carry them not you. They did send a lift out to pick me up once I'd finished though, but then that could be a surreptitious way of making sure I wasn't making any time.
I don't blame whomever did mine on Saturday, good on'em for not bowing to pressure. But what idiot in their right mind would even attempt to think I'd take todays mail and virtually all of Saturdays in one day

[ROCKY]

do you really need a reply to that question,if so look for the stressed out bloke at the end of the frames

[tinydancer]

well, ther i was bright and early to sort 3 days of post. did my time on the IPS, took 1/2 my meal relief and was prepped to go at 10.30!! So many packets I thought it was Christmas ( and I missed the the overweight driver!) I told my LM that I was leaving behind everything I didn't think I could finish in time (they were refusing to pay OT because i went on strike) and selectively took out the rest. finished 10 minutes over my time, got rid of all the packets I took and came back to a pleasant surprise. The LM had sent out some "greyhounds" {read...fast finishers} to complete my duty , so i came back to a clear frame (well they forgot the packets, but that's OK). So at least I can start off tomorrow on the level, just have to go in early to whack out the D2Ds. Victory for the little guy at last!!
PS. talked to union repand he backed me completely!

[L Tommo]

I just cant see it as a victory when the backlog is cleared???? Thats against the whole point aint it????? Now these (GREYHOUNDS) Should be taken aside by the Union Rep and had a quiet word in there ears..... WTF Is going on.??? When i done a WORK TO THE 318 After IA.. I cleared the days befores work and 1st class ..... Not MS from day. I just worked my way back to the furthest point of dated mail... Left all the MS for date and date before.. I asked for instructions from L/M & REP... And worked to do ONLY A DAYS DELIVERY NO MORE NO LESS... The Crap about MS out of date is Now 1st Class is still OUT OF DATE so work from the furthest day back.. And leave the rest IF YOU CANT COMPLEAT ??? By the end of the week you should have a nice backlog.... Label Mon, Tues,, Wed,, & so on.... They will ask you to clear the work in the end for Docket... Make it up to when you have as much as you can and either take it And barter a deal on O/T. But better still carry on and let the screws take it or get done for Not Clearing the office.... I tell ya Work to your 318 properly and it shafts em every time...... Just after,, DONT DO THE WORK FOR EM... OR WE BEAT OURSELVES!!!

Its our job as UNION MEMBERS TO HELP US KEEP OUR VERY OWN JOBS ALIVE FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE!!! DONT SHOOT OURSELVES IN THE FOOT...

In the end RM will be pressured in to O/T or around the table.. Then with US in the driving seat.... We clear it we clear RM's problem!!! Then The CWU have no bartering point!!!

OUT

UNITY IS STRENGTH AND HELP YOUR CO WORKERS NOT THE SCREWS TO DRIVE US OUT OF OUR JOBS!!!