The wise one has spoken

[bexhil palace]

WSM makes for a win-win situation as far as management is concerned. It means that they can afford to drive our wages and T&C's into the ground, knowing full well that if it results in a transitory workforce then they will still be able to do the job as well as any old timer.

Thats in theory, not in practice.

How many peeps have started the job to find out its not as easy as us old guard make it look.

In the fifteen years Ive worked here Ive seen loads of peeps fall by the wayside because they either cant do the job to any kind of standard, are thieving bar stewards or are just feckin lazy.

To be fair, the lazy feckers don't fall by the wayside, they go into management.

[krussel]

A great effort by Roy

With most of the important points totally missed by the Union bashing readership.

In the comments.


releasethedogs
19 Jul 2010, 8:25PM

It as taken nearly two decades for these machines to be installed. THAT IS THE PERNICIOUS AND DELAYING POWERS OF THE UNIONS. A bunch of luddites who are fighting tooth and nail to preserve employment of CWU members at the expense of taxpayer value and a competitive service

The union couldn't give a rats arse for the quality of the service to its customers and nor could it give it a rats arse as to the financial viability of the company. their only concern is the preservation of its role within the RM set-up. It is petrified of being sidelined.

Less RM staff mean less CWU members equals less income for the CWU.

Privatisation needs to happen to disinfect the company of the mongrels from the CWU who happen to think they have a divine right to be involved in mgt decision making. MESSAGE TO CWU - YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE INVOLVED. NOW TROT OFF AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL

And:

OldGray
19 Jul 2010, 9:09PM
Universal delivery of messages inscribed on deadtrees was a great advance in its day. So was the telegraph. The sooner postal workers accept that they are engaged in a dying service, albeit slowly, the better. They should focus on assuring that their members, especially their younger ones, develop skills for new employment.
The good news is that the post will take a while to die. They have time. Illustrating this trend, my three young adult children, all well educated and successful, (oh is that a dig perhaps ) never use the mail for anything. My son doesn't know where his local post office is. He doesn't need to. I don't think my young company has ever mailed a letter to anyone, and we don't plan to. Almost everything we receive is junk. I still get personal bills by mail, and I even mail out some checks, but slowly I am migrating to the internet.
I can't imagine why a business would need mail delivered early in the day. We only fetch the mail from the box every other day as it is. Also, who needs to receive or post mail on a Saturday?

Keep fighting Roy but i think your fighting a losing battle with this lot.

[andy2007]

That's no reason to give up, though is it?
It's about time these supposedly well educated fools woke up and smelled the coffee. Technology is only useful when it does a good job, and improves things. Technology for technology's sake is a bad thing.

[Mr Blonde]

So, this has got me thinking, what with this six minutes that the WSM's are going to save us thats six minutes I'll be able to spend on the toilet when I'm supposed to be sorting.

Thank you Royal Mail ;)

[dvbuk55]

That's no reason to give up, though is it?
It's about time these supposedly well educated fools woke up and smelled the coffee. Technology is only useful when it does a good job, and improves things. Technology for technology's sake is a bad thing.

Luddite I bet you'd have been down at t'mill stoning the looms

[andy2007]

On the contrary. If the technology does an efficient job, then IMHO it's a good thing. But when a company spends that amount of money, to save a few minutes per Delivery. Then quite frankly, it's a total waste of money!

Technology is only good, when it improves things noticably. For example: The car, makes it possible to travel previously unheard of distances in a day (even with all the traffic jams!). The Internet allows people from all over the World to share information in seconds. Etc., etc.. The list is endless. But something which saves a few minutes per person, per day, is an embarrasment, and a waste of money which should have been used to improve the service we provide.

[fishtank]

Andy the WSM are not there to produce massive savings now....this is a red herring.
They are there as Roy points out primarily to allow the casualisation of the industry...now think of the massive savings in that....
The Union has unfortunately bought into it's own demise with these machines...sometimes it's advisable to throw your clogs while you can still afford a pair.
Make a stand and probably fail or stand back and watch the rapid erosion of our terms,conditions and union representation....it's all the same in the end.

[dvbuk55]

We are of a mind here ft, the saving is not the here and now but the tremendous saving in part time and temporary staff in the future. Three years was always in my mind an odd agreement under the circumstances. Almost a strike free guarantee for the next three years with, at best, tenuous agreement on preserving full time jobs on a 75/25 split - something that has always been an untenable position for both parties, on the one hand having the work to maintain that ratio and on the other making sure it is upheld. If the ratio of FT/PT is as agreed at the end of the three years, keep your eys on a Burtons window near you

[andy2007]

Andy the WSM are not there to produce massive savings now....this is a red herring.
They are there as Roy points out primarily to allow the casualisation of the industry...now think of the massive savings in that....
The Union has unfortunately bought into it's own demise with these machines...sometimes it's advisable to throw your clogs while you can still afford a pair.
Make a stand and probably fail or stand back and watch the rapid erosion of our terms,conditions and union representation....it's all the same in the end.

And that's another major reason to be against these machines. I've no problems with technology, far from it. But what they SHOULD have done, is try to find equipment which would make the work more efficient (saving a minimum of 1hr per person per day, for it to be worthwhile), so we wouldn't have understaffed offices. But what they've done, is (as both Roy and you have said) remove some of the skill from the job, and save a pitiful amount of time per Postie, per day. Ok, that'll allow them to take on more Casuals/Agency, without worrying too much about them making mistakes. But what happens when the machines break down, if they don't have enough skilled Posties left?

[krussel]

Andy the WSM are not there to produce massive savings now....this is a red herring.
They are there as Roy points out primarily to allow the casualisation of the industry...now think of the massive savings in that....
The Union has unfortunately bought into it's own demise with these machines...sometimes it's advisable to throw your clogs while you can still afford a pair.
Make a stand and probably fail or stand back and watch the rapid erosion of our terms,conditions and union representation....it's all the same in the end.

And that's another major reason to be against these machines. I've no problems with technology, far from it. But what they SHOULD have done, is try to find equipment which would make the work more efficient (saving a minimum of 1hr per person per day, for it to be worthwhile), so we wouldn't have understaffed offices. But what they've done, is (as both Roy and you have said) remove some of the skill from the job, and save a pitiful amount of time per Postie, per day. Ok, that'll allow them to take on more Casuals/Agency, without worrying too much about them making mistakes. But what happens when the machines break down, if they don't have enough skilled Posties left?

Totally agree.

Also what about the delivery aspect ?. Will they be letting agency staff take out packets and parcels as this is an increasing medium.
When so many got stolen they are no longer allowed anywhere near them at my office.

[REDLETTER]

andy2007 wrote:
Ok, that'll allow them to take on more Casuals/Agency, without worrying too much about them making mistakes. But what happens when the machines break down, if they don't have enough skilled Posties left?

If it breaks down the can send they casual/agency staff home

What amount of fines would RM expect to be hit with when they don't reach the set targets of mail delivery?

So Joe Public don't get their mail one day!

As we have seen from some of the comments on the article, some of the public don't care WHEN they get mail, as long as they get it sometime!