GOOD article & comment at the end

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No strike, for now - union hopeful of deal
By Chris Wickham
Comment | Read Comments (1)

Protest: Members of the CWU make their feelings known
Royal Mail workers have said the suspension of industrial action may only be temporary if bosses continue to push ahead with changes to working practices and conditions which would see borough residents and small businesses, as well as the workers themselves, suffer.

Members of the Communication Workers Union, in a joint statement with Royal Mail, announced they were suspending strike action, which has been in place since July 29, in a bid to reach a solution before September 4.

Last week, a member of the South West Middlesex Branch of the Communication Workers Union, which covers the TW postcode area, said Royal Mail staff feel they have no choice but to continue their industrial action if they are to preserve the future of the service.

But strikes planned for last week and this week did not take place as the CWU agreed to meet Royal Mail to discuss the company's modernisation plans which could lead to 40,000 redundancies and a below-inflation pay offer along with changes to shift patterns and a much later mail delivery.

A spokesperson for local CWU members said bosses wanted postmen to start work at 6.15am, rather than 5am, and to not begin their rounds until 10am, meaning some residents and small businesses might not get any post until after lunch.

And with fears delivery staff may be expected to collect mail on the way back to the office, and only one collection of post a day, it would be impossible to give a next day reply to important mail.

advertisementA local spokesperson said plans were being put in place to scrap the Sunday collection of mail, which, coupled with later deliveries on Saturdays, meant it would be impossible to get a reply delivered by Monday morning to Saturday post.

During the talks, Royal Mail agreed not to serve notice or take any unilateral action to impose changes by executive action and the CWU will suspend industrial action for the same period.

But local postmen, who are also fighting to preserve their final salary pension scheme - which the company wants to scrap - and to retain the retirement age of 60, have said strikes may resume if a solution is not reached.

And workers were seething again earlier this week when Royal Mail bosses accused the CWU of fighting a political campaign to challenge the right to competition in the postal service.

"We are hopeful an agreement will be arrived at," said a local CWU spokesperson. "But there are so many issues our negotiators have a very hard task in front of them. They have a real task on their hands to reach an agreeable solution.

"Of course, we are pleased to be back at work. We believe it is a public service and the public should get the best service we can provide. The earlier we can get their mail to them in the morning, the better."

He said: "Around 60 per cent of addresses will get their mail after midday under the new working conditions, and that is unacceptable. We want to see our negotiators resolve that.

"We are pleased to be back providing the service but we want to provide it in the future - Royal Mail just want to run a business."

12:18pm Sunday 19th August 2007

Print Email this CommentPosted by: Andy, Bath on 7:54am today
Ive been a postman for 18 years and enjoy my job and get much satisfaction from delivering what was once a 1st class service. I accept that times are changing and RM has to change with it. But nowhere since the introduction of the single delivery we,the staff have been helpling RM modernise and turn around an ailing business. We asked for and were given a £300 a week basic pay deal as part of accepting radical changes which helpled PM not only back into profit but record profit at that. The thanks we get? The public are told that we are 40% underworked and 25% overpaid! What a kick in the teeth for loayal men and women who many still take immense pride in what we do. The style of management has changed into a daily bullying to get the job done scenario. Our pensions and working conditions appear under threat as messrs Leighton and Crozier now after years of frenzied costcutting and selling off seem to have no other option than to use staff for one last asset stripping frenzy. They are not demi gods they are simply businessmen who once their mission is acheived will be off elsewhere a couple of days a week on huge salaries and bonuses doing the same no doubt. We will be left with an under-resourced workforce attempting to deliver some kind of sub standard economy service for the person in the street. Any business with urgent postal needs will be forced to pay over the top prices to survive. Make no mistake altenative services such as TNT are foriegn postal services in sheeps clothing at present and who know what when they collar the UK market. Maybe RM will make inroads in Germany and Holland? I for one voted to give my union the power to put RM under pressure NOT for a pay rise but to try and save a service which once demolished will never return in the form we know it. Ive always taken pride in my work but over the last few years Ive come to be embarrassed telling people what I do for a living.The day to day chaos is no longer a secret behind closed delivery office doors,the public getting their post sometimes at 7pm are finally finding out.
Ive been a postman for 18 years and enjoy my job and get much satisfaction from delivering what was once a 1st class service. I accept that times are changing and RM has to change with it. But nowhere since the introduction of the single delivery we,the staff have been helpling RM modernise and turn around an ailing business. We asked for and were given a £300 a week basic pay deal as part of accepting radical changes which helpled PM not only back into profit but record profit at that. The thanks we get? The public are told that we are 40% underworked and 25% overpaid! What a kick in the teeth for loayal men and women who many still take immense pride in what we do. The style of management has changed into a daily bullying to get the job done scenario. Our pensions and working conditions appear under threat as messrs Leighton and Crozier now after years of frenzied costcutting and selling off seem to have no other option than to use staff for one last asset stripping frenzy. They are not demi gods they are simply businessmen who once their mission is acheived will be off elsewhere a couple of days a week on huge salaries and bonuses doing the same no doubt. We will be left with an under-resourced workforce attempting to deliver some kind of sub standard economy service for the person in the street. Any business with urgent postal needs will be forced to pay over the top prices to survive. Make no mistake altenative services such as TNT are foriegn postal services in sheeps clothing at present and who know what when they collar the UK market. Maybe RM will make inroads in Germany and Holland?
I for one voted to give my union the power to put RM under pressure NOT for a pay rise but to try and save a service which once demolished will never return in the form we know it.
Ive always taken pride in my work but over the last few years Ive come to be embarrassed telling people what I do for a living.The day to day chaos is no longer a secret behind closed delivery office doors,the public getting their post sometimes at 7pm are finally finding out.

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Just noticed this has been posted elsewhere..........SORRY.