Oxford Mail Centre to be closed down !

[trythat]

Royal Mail pay me to manage my office as I see fit. I do not have my boss breathing down my neck telling me what to do. However, some of the things that I am paid to do will not be very popular amongst my team. For example, we have to achieve a business plan each year of around 5%. Therefore, my team will undoubtably need to work "smarter" or, if they are unable to improve efficiency, thay will need to absorb work onto their duties. Implementing these plans is hard and unpopular work but I do it because it's what the company pay me for. Just like they pay you for the "final mile" of deivery ........ the most important part of the whole process.
I don't see a problem in Royal Mail losing jobs if the people who wish to leave are paid via our very fair VR policy and are shown out of the business with the respect they deserve. Likewise the CWU should be looking after the members they have left. I cannot comprehend the CWU stance on refusal to close the pension scheme to new employees. Surely we must look after our current staff and let new staff join under the revised terms. (If they don't accept the terms then they can find another employer who can offer a better pension scheme)
Not all managers are bad and against the CWU, in fact some CWU reps I've dealt with have been the most honest and decent in the whole company. I just hope the more militant reps understand the damage they are causing the business and, long term, the damage they may inflict on their own units.

So as a manager you can do what you want, plus no-one is breathing down your neck, perhaps you'd know how a lot of us feel, if you had some one telling you, you are under worked and over paid, of course it's not your office that make you look good (which is what I assume you're saying), how can staff work smarter, you sort letters - you deliver letters, are you saying if I could sort with both hands then thats smarter? Plus you can't keep taking out 5% from budget, there's got to be a flat line of where costs can't be cut, I expect that will be when all DOMS become just team leaders.
I could go on and on and on, but just being a simple lazy postman - my brain hurts.

[trythat]

K66YLA,
If the pension issue did affect us managers in the long run then, yes, you would see strong opposition to it. At the end of the day CMA represented grades are strongly affected by these issues too. Remember, we get the same % pay rise as you and also DOM's will be forced to change their start times to reallign with staff start times. Likewise the pension issue involves EVERYONE in the business and, therefore, if necessary we do need to support each other. We just need to do it the correct way without further damaging our already fragile business.

It's a pity you don't get the same bonus's as us.

[Wild Cat]

Read the comments from the Oxford public and look at how pleased they are that Oxford Mail Centre is closing. If OX really was performing well and quality figures were superb then there would be a backlash and not the support for Royal Mail that Joe public is showing.
This is a wake up call for the CWU in militant Mail Centres to think long and hard about what they are doing when they promote unofficial (illegal) action. The likes of Bob Cullen are from the 1970's and I hope he's at home now proud of the fact that he has lost many of his "members" their jobs. Fair play to Gloucester Mail Centre that has been efficient, well led and has a CWU that works with Royal Mail to improve the business. We should be encouraging these sorts of Mail Centres to stay open and close the likes of Oxford who, through the militancy of the CWU, displayed contempt for their customers.
Well done Thames Valley Royal Mail Management team ....... a really good call. Let's hope this sends out a message to other Mail Centres who are "led" badly by their CWU reps.

You can congratulate yourselves all you like but no matter where you move the work there will still be workers and they will still be under the capitalist assault from the likes of :lfo and :cfo,so it will be a bit like sticking your fingers over a hole in a leaky pipe the leak just springs up somewhere else.

You bosses try this rubbish every year and more mail centres become militant like Watford and Southend what are you going to do close them all down?

If you would treat people with respect and pay them a decent wage,they would not need to do this,and at present we are not paid a decent wage and we are not treated with respect,so we have to take action into our own hands.

So you may move the problem,but I can guarantee the way things are going the Swindon mail centre will be in the same boat in 5 years with a hard line management and downtrodden workforce and then they'll be filling the place with scab labour who will f**k things up and moaning that they want to close that down too.

As for the managers crying at Oxford well every cloud has a silver lining.

As for the customers they are full of s**t and are probably working in tesco's who have no union and are envious that we have the balls to stand up for ourselves and they don't so f**k them we don't need their approval and never did.

[baldrick]

Royal Mail pay me to manage my office as I see fit. I do not have my boss breathing down my neck telling me what to do. However, some of the things that I am paid to do will not be very popular amongst my team. For example, we have to achieve a business plan each year of around 5%. Therefore, my team will undoubtably need to work "smarter" or, if they are unable to improve efficiency, thay will need to absorb work onto their duties. Implementing these plans is hard and unpopular work but I do it because it's what the company pay me for. Just like they pay you for the "final mile" of deivery ........ the most important part of the whole process.
I don't see a problem in Royal Mail losing jobs if the people who wish to leave are paid via our very fair VR policy and are shown out of the business with the respect they deserve. Likewise the CWU should be looking after the members they have left. I cannot comprehend the CWU stance on refusal to close the pension scheme to new employees. Surely we must look after our current staff and let new staff join under the revised terms. (If they don't accept the terms then they can find another employer who can offer a better pension scheme)
Not all managers are bad and against the CWU, in fact some CWU reps I've dealt with have been the most honest and decent in the whole company. I just hope the more militant reps understand the damage they are causing the business and, long term, the damage they may inflict on their own units.

The reason we are against closing the pension scheme to new employees is because it will create a two tier workforce with
the newer staff on worse terms and conditions. And if a few years down the line RM decide on even more harsh attacks on the pension scheme, maybe scrapping the lump sum payment or cutting the pension we would not be able to get a unified response as the newer staff (maybe by then in the majority) would quite understandably say that they are not benefitting from it, so why should they support it.
Also on a practical financial standpoint don't the newer and younger members' contributions keep the fund topped up?
If the scheme was closed the existing members would be retiring over time leaving a dwindling number of active members to finance the pensions of a growing number of retirees. This might prove to be financially non viable after a few years.

I accept your point that not all managers are bad and against the CWU but unfortunately the ones who are seem to be protected if not encouraged by RM, and they do cause a reaction in turn from their workforce and that can be reflected by their Reps - who are as the name suggests 'Representatives'.

[POSTMAN]

Hold on a sec,if somwhere is doing badly is this not down to bad management.
We have just got rid of our DOM and Lino because of this.

[POSTMAN]

Disappointed .......... far from it !!
It's about time Royal Mail stood up to militant offices and showed them that wildcat striking and poor service will result in the closure of that office. I won't lie, I am a Royal Mail Manager at a mail centre and we are constantly having to clear up the debris from the last strike at Oxford Mail Centre. Why should other more efficient Mail Centre have to bail out poor performing ones like Oxford. It's down to Bob Cullen that OX is in such a mess and perhaps he now has the wake up call that he deserves. If you don't like what I'm saying then read the comments from members of the public in the link on the message above and see their views. They are delighted that Cowley is closing and looking forward to an "improved service". This is amazing considering in nearly all other areas the public would support their postal workers.
I know this website is for CWU activists, and you won't like what I'm writing, but this is the reality of the situation that we are in and only the strongest will survive.
I just hope the CWU are aware of this !!

This website is for all Royal Mail workers,not everyone on here are either in the CWU or are activists.

The biggest Message Board on the net dedicated to All Royal Mail workers and customers.
We aim to bring you the latest news and goings on in the business.
And a 1st class Message Board to discuss it all in.
Run 100% by Royal Mail workers.

Lets get that straight 1st,as nowhere on this site does it say any different.

And as for blaming one man for the downfall that's a bit much aint it.
I'm sure the CWU are aware of things,you'll be more aware of them on the 5th,6th,8th & 9th of Oct and this Sat if you're in London.

[norbet colon]

Royal Mail pay me to manage my office as I see fit. I do not have my boss breathing down my neck telling me what to do. However, some of the things that I am paid to do will not be very popular amongst my team. For example, we have to achieve a business plan each year of around 5%. Therefore, my team will undoubtably need to work "smarter" or, if they are unable to improve efficiency, thay will need to absorb work onto their duties. Implementing these plans is hard and unpopular work but I do it because it's what the company pay me for. Just like they pay you for the "final mile" of deivery ........ the most important part of the whole process.
I don't see a problem in Royal Mail losing jobs if the people who wish to leave are paid via our very fair VR policy and are shown out of the business with the respect they deserve. Likewise the CWU should be looking after the members they have left. I cannot comprehend the CWU stance on refusal to close the pension scheme to new employees. Surely we must look after our current staff and let new staff join under the revised terms. (If they don't accept the terms then they can find another employer who can offer a better pension scheme)
Not all managers are bad and against the CWU, in fact some CWU reps I've dealt with have been the most honest and decent in the whole company. I just hope the more militant reps understand the damage they are causing the business and, long term, the damage they may inflict on their own units.

The reason we are against closing the pension scheme to new employees is because it will create a two tier workforce with
the newer staff on worse terms and conditions. And if a few years down the line RM decide on even more harsh attacks on the pension scheme, maybe scrapping the lump sum payment or cutting the pension we would not be able to get a unified response as the newer staff (maybe by then in the majority) would quite understandably say that they are not benefitting from it, so why should they support it.
Also on a practical financial standpoint don't the newer and younger members' contributions keep the fund topped up?
If the scheme was closed the existing members would be retiring over time leaving a dwindling number of active members to finance the pensions of a growing number of retirees. This might prove to be financially non viable after a few years.

I accept your point that not all managers are bad and against the CWU but unfortunately the ones who are seem to be protected if not encouraged by RM, and they do cause a reaction in turn from their workforce and that can be reflected by their Reps - who are as the name suggests 'Representatives'.

I've just read the thread Management Redundancies bring it on
Firstly please don't play into Hellmail's hands , I don't blame TBT for locking it as it was getting silly , secondly there's the chance that RM will get more paranoid and vindictive about Posters on this site .The problem is RM's High Profile Chairman & CEO , his board and a nasty breed of Senior Management with opportunistic Area Management . I accept Leighton uses DOMs as his mouthpieces , he's been trying to turn them against the CWU for quite a few years now . He doesn't have them in a rota basis for nothing . The problem is more the regimented command and control style of management with RM's culture and system, but I didn't have a problem with what that manager said from a CMA point of view .The CMA leadership has been scathingly critical of RM and some are sick of Leighton.

[oxon]

'Post will be second class'
Oxfordshire is destined to have a "second class" post service with mail delivered at 2pm if controversial changes to the county's post service go ahead, workers claimed last night.

As many as 430 jobs could be lost if the Oxford Mail Centre moves to Swindon in 2009 in what Royal Mail management has described as a plan to boost efficiency and reliability.

Despite the 54-mile round trip to sort letters, parcels and packages, Royal Mail bosses insisted the potential closure of the office in Garsington Road, Cowley, would herald good news for customers.

But union officials at the depot warned the move would halve service levels and lead to a mail system "worse than Spain" in terms of delivery times.

Staff at the centre were first warned of the possible closure on Thursday.

Some senior managers are said to have been in tears on hearing the news.

Rank-and-file workers, who have vowed to fight the depot closure, described the plans as "payback" for a series of recent strikes over national and local issues.

Last night, an insider, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Oxford Mail: "The service is going to be third rate, it is going to be onwards of 2pm to get your mail - which is behind the service of the Spanish.

"The service will be very much second class.

"The management don't care as long as you pay for the stamp and they get their money."

Noel Fay, spokesman for the Oxfordshire Communication Workers Union, added: "It is a simple case of bad planning and bad logistics.

"The service will be cut by 50 per cent - it will be cut in half, I really believe that.

"They have got total contempt for the customer and the service."

Industrial relations at the office have hit rock bottom following a five-day wildcat strike over the suspension of two workers in July.

A forthcoming ballot for strike action over their subsequent sackings will be followed by more national strikes over pay and working conditions.

They will take place over two 48-hour periods, starting on October 5 and October 8.

Stephanie Jenkins, of Kennett Road, Headington, Oxford, who lost mail during the height of the city's post chaos in 2005, said: "I do not think anyone would sympathise with the strikers.

"You do not just walk out and wreck people's lives because of the conditions.

"They deserve what they are getting, but we do not necessarily deserve to lose our facilities."

Royal Mail spokesman Susan Dakin said: "It is irrefutable that customers are concerned about reliability.

"We believe the opportunity to transfer our operation to an extended Swindon site, which will be subject to a £20m investment programme, can only improve the service for them."

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith has written to Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier and Secretary of State John Hutton expressing anger at the news.

And last night he called the plans a "u-turn" by Royal Mail management.

He said: "I am very concerned because we want a better service - not a worse one.

"If the mail is being hauled down to Swindon and then hauled back again, it is difficult to see how it is going to be more efficient. People are bound to fear the worst.

"One of the things I have asked for is proper consultation about this.

"I have asked them to state exactly what the implications are for services. The plan is certainly a u-turn compared to what they were proposing before.

"They previously proposed that Gloucester and Reading were going to close and Oxford would stay open.

"If that was a well thought out plan, why did they change it?

"And if the plan was not well thought out, how much confidence can we have this is a well thought out plan? I remain to be convinced."

5:30am today



By George Hamilton

Back

[strangler]

I cannot comprehend the CWU stance on refusal to close the pension scheme to new employees. Surely we must look after our current staff and let new staff join under the revised terms. (If they don't accept the terms then they can find another employer who can offer a better pension scheme)

The reason we are against closing the pension scheme to new employees is because it will create a two tier workforce with
the newer staff on worse terms and conditions. And if a few years down the line RM decide on even more harsh attacks on the pension scheme, maybe scrapping the lump sum payment or cutting the pension we would not be able to get a unified response as the newer staff (maybe by then in the majority) would quite understandably say that they are not benefitting from it, so why should they support it.
Also on a practical financial standpoint don't the newer and younger members' contributions keep the fund topped up?
If the scheme was closed the existing members would be retiring over time leaving a dwindling number of active members to finance the pensions of a growing number of retirees. This might prove to be financially non viable after a few years.

I think Jafferpants may be able to clear this one up? Agree 100% with Mobsters point (above). We already have a 'two tier workforce' (at least). Some allowances went under the way forward, so you can easily find two people doing the same job and one getting more money than the other.

[stephen500]

K66YLA,
We just need to do it the correct way without further damaging our already fragile business.

It's a pity you don't get the same bonus's as us.

I just get the impression that the cma is full of people who 'want to get on' and therefore will not rock the boat', or those that will not strike no matter what RM do to them.

[norbet colon]

K66YLA,
We just need to do it the correct way without further damaging our already fragile business.

It's a pity you don't get the same bonus's as us.

I just get the impression that the cma is full of people who 'want to get on' and therefore will not rock the boat', or those that will not strike no matter what RM do to them.

Exactly-from my experience with CMA reps/members it's yes Alan, no Alan or one of his subordinates , three bags full Alan but on the quiet they are more bolshy & militant with a different twist than the CWU. The other problem with the CMA ,is they are very territorial /vindictive about the CWU .
I've seen this before in another industry, the present TSSA rep is a company man to the bone , has more faces than a town hall clock , tries to get others to fire his bullets or plays people up against the RMT . The worst case was a former TSSA rep telling one of his supervisors to leave the RMT or he'd be stuck in the same job and would never be promoted . Some managers may disagree with me , maybe my views are jaundiced .