Like many of you, I fear that the worst is yet to come and sadly we are at the point of no return as this RM 'TPO' Modernising train hurtles headlong down a hill with seemingly no brakes, a driver who has fell asleep on the dead mans handle while fumbling for the either the instruction manual or a magic wand.
Lets face it, we're F*^kd and apathy is alive and well.
We have been lied to (Colleague shares), s**t on from a great height, both by RM and the NEC of the CWU which in my opinion has behaved like an RM poodle that laid down and rolled over to have it's tummy tickled.
Five sets of door to door, 'Lapsing, Absorbing, call it what you like, it is 'servitude'! Forced UNPAID OVERTIME!
Now I know that some of you are reading this saying that you don't have to do it, work to your time etc. but how many of you have been intimidated, spoken down to, bribed, arm around the shoulder, given the the 'Give and Take' senario etc. and took it out, only for your kids to be left standing in the school playground at home time because you are still delivering on another 'lapsed walk'.?
These new revisions that 'impose' new ways of working on you are a charter for an early grave, increased sick absense or could be used as weapon to 'get people out of the job who knew the good times', allowing for naive and inexperienced younger 'droids', "yes boss, I'll do that for you boss" to take our places when we are all too ill to run around at the same pace as the Light Infantry. In other words, 'constructive dismissal', oh but wait, "The union agreed to this and these changes", I can hear senior managers say.
That may be so, but they didn't bloody well speak for me when I voted 'NO!' like a huge proportion of us.
Given what's happened, I wonder how many who voted 'YES' would now vote 'NO' if they had the chance again.
Anyway, if we, as 'posties' are to ever get some meaningful say in how mail is delivered in this country, you know, with proper 318's that are workable, proper breaks, real fair and manageable workloads, given back our dignity and powers of discretion when it comes to decisions with customer agreement (If I'm out leave it around the back in the wheelie bin etc.), free from managerial 'dictat' spouting out the propaganda like a political officer on board a Soviet Naval ship, then may be,
'There is an option that we could use as a barging tool'....A workers co-operative.
When it all finally goes pear shaped and the chair resigns and we are all threatened with being sold to an Asian cartel on £6.00 an hour, to be asset stripped and fed to the fat cats to make millions off our backs, we can all do something quite simple but would be very effecctive and I believe, have massive support from both public and business alike.
We all get together, resign on mass (Like those clubs who left the Football League, to form their own Premier League), we set up our own collection, processing and delivery hubs on a small local scale, trunking the distant stuff like we used to do with the NDN's.
Madness you say!
But wait, it IS a very real possibility to do this and would send SHOCKWAVES to Royal Mail, the Government and the CWU, by using THEIR OWN LEGISLATION which allows us (well infact anyone who wants to) to do this.
By setting up our own system (doing what we used to do anyway....is not as if we don't know what needs to be done.), on a local level at first, then linking our NDN runs together.
We could 'cherry pick' like what the other competitors do to us but we can and would under cut them.
After all, if we all said 'stuff your modernisation, your lapsing, your door to door and shitting on us, then there would be NO Posties to deliver their DSA mail. The likes of UK Mail, TNT etc. would either have to recruit massively to fulfill their obligations or use the new RM Workers Co-operative, : eg: Us.
We wouldn't be mandated to perform the USO, so hey presto! 'Saturdays OFF!' Just like Australia Post.
All that would b e left of Royal Mail would be the bare smoldering shell of a once loved and respected national treasure, the envy of the world, that was given a lethal injection by the EU and blessed by it's own controllers as they made its coffin.
Of course, this is all hypothetical, but not impossible. A bitter pill for some may be, joining a renegade break away group, stealing custom and revenue from RM and all the others, going back to early starts and finishes, giving the customer what they actually want, when they want it, for a reasonable price, because we wouldn't be tied down by rules that are for the sake of it, annoying door to door that goes straight into the recycling bin etc.
We all know that the bulk off the business is business sending out to customers, so what about access to the system for the public?
Simple 'Stop me and POST IT!'
A bit like Australia Post's 'Click and send service'. his day and age with the like of Facebook and Twitter all we have to do is update the pages, where we are and when, so as we deliver, we can collect, process and distribute when we all get back.
All sound a bit far feched? Well if I thought of it, how many others are thinking the same? And I don't mean just Royal Mail staff.
In every recession, entrepreneurs thrive. Why should that be one or two individuals when we can all have a slice of the cake, with dividends, shares and real sense of achievement in establishing 'OUR OWN BUSINESS, FOR THE BUSINESS OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE COUNTRY and not leaving all to the get rich quick fat cats who want us to slave for them to get rich off our backs while the trains derail and the ship sinks.
The debate is now open......What are your thoughts?
Madness? May be, but what we are doing now was 'madness' 20 years ago.
"Told you this would happen but you wouldn't listen...would yer?"....Who knows...
:dcfo :dcfo
:dcfo :vcfo