I change my opinion more than my underpants.................

[Just_My_Opinion]

Well I actually change my underpants every other day but that is neither here or there.

So down to business....

I have read and re-read the agreement numerous times and to being totally honest I find it misleading and very vague. I have also listened and read the views of the media, my workmates, my union rep, the CWU website and of course the views of the members of Royal Mail Chat.

As I work in deliveries I suppose I'm being biased in my opinion and view.

There is absolutely no denying the company and it's workforce has to change with the times. I personally think D2D items are a valuable source of income for the company and could secure my job for a few years yet. I would have no problems delivering 5,6,7,8+ D2D items a week. I know there is people who's view is why should I get paid £20.60 a week for delivering 5 D2D items to 700 houses when Joe Bloggs is getting his £20.60 for delivering 3 D2D items to 400 houses. Is this not like Joe Bloggs saying that on his delivery he had 1200 items of mail to deliver and you only had 800 items but your still both getting the same pay at the end of the week?

As I say I would have no problems delivering 5,6,7,8+ D2D items a week. However there has to be a strict set of conditions for me to agree this. These D2D items HAVE to be included as part of our workload and traffic. No ifs, buts or maybes. It has to be physically possible to deliver the 5,6,7,8+ D2D items in the hours you have to work that day. Health and safety has to be paramount. The weight of bags etc have to be within reason. So if this means that trolleys or other means have to be used to accommodate this then so be it. Once again Royal Mail have to take this factor into consideration. A trolley may be able to let you carry more weight but it will indeed slow you down. As I said I have no problem delivering unlimited D2D items as long as a strict set of conditions are adhered to by Royal Mail. Unfortunately with how I've seen Royal Mail and mangers perform in the last few years in my office, I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them. Royal Mail have give me absolutely no reason to trust them. They have shown heavy handed management and bullying is rife up and down the country. Why and how could I trust a company which sets unrealistic working targets generated by a computer? I am giving Royal Mail the benefit of the doubt with regards to the £20.60 a week supplement. However they have indeed burnt their bridges with me as far as trust is concerned. Royal Mail have had numerous chances to show trust and try and work with it's workforce over the years and has failed time and time again. Trusting your manager and Royal Mail is far more important to me than money.

I feel part timers are being totally taken for a ride though. How a union can recommend that the pay scales between a full timer and part timer can be different for doing the exact same job is beyond me. Pro-rata with regards to bonuses is fair enough. To use it for when two people are doing the exact same job and delivering the exact same items is totally unjustified. If a full timer and part timer have both the exact same number of D2D items to deliver perhaps the part timer should only have to deliver the pro-rata amount? Makes perfect sense to me as that's all there getting paid for.

The CWU have also let me down. Perhaps if this agreement had been thrashed out a few months ago with minimal strike action then the CWU would of had something to work on. Then we could of used to strike action against the current agreement until Royal Mail give us something better. However 18 days+ lost pay and 4 months talking does not justify this agreement one single bit. The CWU have lost the support of it's members and I for one would never honour another strike. How could I if this agreement is the end result?

Can someone please clarify to me that the lump sums linked with this agreement are indeed our colleague shares? Or are we getting both the lump sums and the Colleague Shares? If the lump sums are indeed replacing the Colleague Shares then the CWU has well and truly been taken for mugs. Surely we were entitled to our Colleague Shares whether this agreement falls to the ground or is voted through? If this agreement does get a no vote could Royal Mail threaten not to give us our Colleague Shares or say that they are indeed worthless? After all they are only phantom shares.

So my conclusion is this-
If you personally feel you can trust Royal Mail to give you a fair and equal work load and realistic times to work to without compromising your health and safety then vote yes for this agreement.

If you personally feel you can't trust Royal Mail to give you a fair and equal work load and realistic times to work to without compromising your health and safety then vote no for this agreement.

This agreement is based a lot on trusting Royal Mail. Just look around your office. How many deliveries are too big? How many people have had the conduct code used against them because they can't complete a delivery in the time a computer says you can? Have you ever seen a manager being heavy handed? I know I can't trust Royal Mail.

Can you?

[opgpat]

Pro-rata for bonuses paid to implement change is unfair as PT'ers jobs will change just as much as FT'ers.

[Just_My_Opinion]

Pro-rata for bonuses paid to implement change is unfair as PT'ers jobs will change just as much as FT'ers.

Yes, I agree. I suppose I was meaning the Christmas bonus etc being pro-rata. A bonus which is being paid for introducing change probably should be the same for each employee. Thanks opgpat. Apart from that little mistake ( ) was there anything else in my post you agree or disagree with my knowledgeable friend.

[wacko74]

Even if dr2drs are included as traffic we already know how RM are committing fraud with their supposed traffic figures based on average number of letters per tray, so NO I cant and wont trust them.

[Straight4ward]

Wear your underpants outside your trousers. Don a cape and stick a big 'S' on your chest. 8+ D2D's - - - - bring 'em on!

[libborius]

That is the real problem... we can t trust them! Is true I wouldn have a problem in delivering 10 lots of d2d as long its a fair onest day work.

[jack straw]

Up to 8 door to doors?? Are you crazy old son?? With the early attendance allowance being taken away, you will be delivering that lot for £8 a week. I don't believe how short sighted people are on this chat site.

[Just_My_Opinion]

Up to 8 door to doors?? Are you crazy old son?? With the early attendance allowance being taken away, you will be delivering that lot for £8 a week. I don't believe how short sighted people are on this chat site.

Nope not crazy. Just being a realist. As I have said in my post I will happily deliver 8 D2D items as long as it's included in the workload and and can delivered within the time allocated and my health and safety is not compromised. Of course I doubt very much Royal Mail will do any of the above. Much as I hate the alarm in the morning I would like to have a job with Royal Mail for the foreseeable future and beyond. D2D items will play a massive part in job security over the next few years. Whenever jobs are being cut because there's not enough 'real' mail going through the system and people didn't want to deliver more than 3 D2D items a week, how will you feel then if you've no job? I don't want to have to deliver unlimited D2D items for £8 a week however if it was to keep me in a job I'd happily do it. What's more important to you? A job for the next few years or a few extra pound in your pocket? Bearing in mind you can have only one I think the choice is easy. I'm pretty damn sure if you were in the dole queue you'd be grateful for an unskilled job which pays over £8 an hour.

[fishtank]

It's quite simple Just_My_Opinion read the agreement and base your opinion on what is in it.
Not what might happen or what could happen or what others will tell you will happen.
Just the words in the agreement.
Are they strong enough to protect you against an aggressive employer?
And does the Reward section meet your aspirations in relation to the workload?
If you can truthfully answer yes to both these questions then vote yes.
But if you can't DON'T.

[Just_My_Opinion]

It's quite simple Just_My_Opinion read the agreement and base your opinion on what is in it.
Not what might happen or what could happen or what others will tell you will happen.
Just the words in the agreement.
Are they strong enough to protect you against an aggressive employer?
And does the Reward section meet your aspirations in relation to the workload?
If you can truthfully answer yes to both these questions then vote yes.
But if you can't DON'T.

fishtank, I can't trust Royal Mail. However I can't trust the CWU either. The CWU don't pay my wages though. I will probably be voting no, however I dread to think what the alternative will be. The CWU have showed in 2007, 2009 and 2010 they aren't capable of getting it's paying members a good deal. Where do we go next?

[fishtank]

It's quite simple Just_My_Opinion read the agreement and base your opinion on what is in it.
Not what might happen or what could happen or what others will tell you will happen.
Just the words in the agreement.
Are they strong enough to protect you against an aggressive employer?
And does the Reward section meet your aspirations in relation to the workload?
If you can truthfully answer yes to both these questions then vote yes.
But if you can't DON'T.

fishtank, I can't trust Royal Mail. However I can't trust the CWU either. The CWU don't pay my wages though. I will probably be voting no, however I dread to think what the alternative will be. The CWU have showed in 2007, 2009 and 2010 they aren't capable of getting it's paying members a good deal. Where do we go next?

That is a difficult question with no easy answers but the easy path is not always the right path.
Stay strong and vote on your principles,they are after all the only things of true value.

[Just_My_Opinion]

It's quite simple Just_My_Opinion read the agreement and base your opinion on what is in it.
Not what might happen or what could happen or what others will tell you will happen.
Just the words in the agreement.
Are they strong enough to protect you against an aggressive employer?
And does the Reward section meet your aspirations in relation to the workload?
If you can truthfully answer yes to both these questions then vote yes.
But if you can't DON'T.

fishtank, I can't trust Royal Mail. However I can't trust the CWU either. The CWU don't pay my wages though. I will probably be voting no, however I dread to think what the alternative will be. The CWU have showed in 2007, 2009 and 2010 they aren't capable of getting it's paying members a good deal. Where do we go next?

That is a difficult question with no easy answers but the easy path is not always the right path.
Stay strong and vote on your principles,they are after all the only things of true value.

Hey! I want my question answered! If the do majority vote no, what will happen next as I have absolutely no confidence in the CWU of getting a better deal.

[fishtank]

Hey! I want my question answered! If the do majority vote no, what will happen next as I have absolutely no confidence in the CWU of getting a better deal.

The CWU do not get you a deal.
Royal Mail offer a deal and the CWU negotiates around it.
What would happen next would depend on how badly RM wants an agreement to implement the massive changes planned.
In my opinion Royal Mail want one very badly.
But to be honest the probable outcome of a no vote would be some alterations to the present deal.
Enough to make a difference....Who knows?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Hey! I want my question answered! If the do majority vote no, what will happen next as I have absolutely no confidence in the CWU of getting a better deal.

The CWU do not get you a deal.
Royal Mail offer a deal and the CWU negotiates around it.
What would happen next would depend on how badly RM wants an agreement to implement the massive changes planned.
In my opinion Royal Mail want one very badly.
But to be honest the probable outcome of a no vote would be some alterations to the present deal.
Enough to make a difference....Who knows?

Yes I think they will tinker with it at the edges specificly the D2D issue and then present it again.

[Just_My_Opinion]

Hey! I want my question answered! If the do majority vote no, what will happen next as I have absolutely no confidence in the CWU of getting a better deal.

The CWU do not get you a deal.
Royal Mail offer a deal and the CWU negotiates around it.
What would happen next would depend on how badly RM wants an agreement to implement the massive changes planned.
In my opinion Royal Mail want one very badly.
But to be honest the probable outcome of a no vote would be some alterations to the present deal.
Enough to make a difference....Who knows?

Yes I think they will tinker with it at the edges specificly the D2D issue and then present it again.

When you say tinker with the edges, do you see anymore money being offered on the D2D issue or a set of easy to understand and realistic conditions being set out with regards to D2D's? What about our Colleague Shares being replaced with the lumps sums? Surely this is little short of criminal. Is there any other issue you feel Royal Mail/CWU could tinker with in the agreement?