Divsional Reps meeting with Mark Higson

[Martin Walsh]

dingo, any news on the south-west review?

BUMP

No have not heard anything so cannot give you an update. Sorry.

[hubbahubba]

dingo, any news on the south-west review?

BUMP

No have not heard anything so cannot give you an update. Sorry.

Thanks,anyway...

[dvbuk55]

There are moves afoot to dig a canal from the Bristol Channel to the Isle of Wight and cast you adrift into the Atlantic - a joint statement is expected shortly

[Danelectro]

Mail centres closed before their was an agreement on Business Transformation

So the union was slow to react or failed to influence a Labour Government and then made an agreement that closed even more mail centres.At the same time these mail centres closed UK mail and countless others sprung up and won the DSA contracts and stole the work that was ours.HQ were played like a fiddle by New Labour,and because of that tens of thousands lost their jobs and whats left has to put up with the farce that is BT2010 and all because of a European directive that apparently couldn't be challenged?

Anyway that was then,meantime its going to take a lot more radical change than the 20 faces of Bob Gibson getting angry in a LTB to keep this union strong in the workplace....

[thebiggestman]

I'm glad to see you're calm and focused, well on the self appreciation society at least. What haven't you put right? And now the mail centre is staying open for a couple of more weeks and that's all down to you again and nothing to do with holding the local party line. Well the next time London and the Union is in trouble let's see how quick this bastion of strenghth at the Mount walk out and lead the charge - they cant even agree with themselves on policy. With what's gone on you've got about as much respect as a bacon bigel in a synagogue a union is only as strong as it's strongest members and like sampson your hair has been cut off. Good luck

[Martin Walsh]

I'm glad to see you're calm and focused, well on the self appreciation society at least. What haven't you put right? And now the mail centre is staying open for a couple of more weeks and that's all down to you again and nothing to do with holding the local party line. Well the next time London and the Union is in trouble let's see how quick this bastion of strenghth at the Mount walk out and lead the charge - they cant even agree with themselves on policy. With what's gone on you've got about as much respect as a bacon bigel in a synagogue a union is only as strong as it's strongest members and like sampson your hair has been cut off. Good luck

if you knew me You would know I have no ego at all just a passion to do the best I can to help the members I reprsent. If you were a rep you would also know you cant please the members all the time as we could not keep East London open ,mbut what we did was we told you the truth and yes we got a bit of stick but hey that's also part of the job, too many reps tell the members what they want to hear knowing they cannot achieve it and then blame someone else.

I wish you well if you are going to Romford , we are actually on our way to a meeting there on East London.

[flyingsam]

I think this is going to be an interesting thread this one ( poss battle cry to rally the troops )

Well it's definitely going to need a compelling reason to command support and tbh it is really too late for those who have already suffered the delivery revisions whilst the Area and Div reps stand on the sidelines and ignore the problems and leave the members to try to salvage some semblence of a working system. Weight off the shoulder, H&S a priority? - my arse.

Its hard work in our office to get people to take meal breaks.We are a small office,and have just agreed(after myself and others trying for years) to come in at our start time,not free early time,that has lost RM 50 hours a week in goodwill time.its a shame that only 5 or 6 of us take our 40mins meal relief,the rest are giving 35-40 hours away for nothing, and when we cut off the DOM uses the other people to say they can you it,you must do it.The DOM has got his head in the sand,we have told him many times he needs to grow some balls and tell his DSM we need more hours in the unit.Yep you got it,head still in sand,and still a unic.The DSM just lets him get on with bullying us to lapse.More CWU help on this would be great,as I am sure this goes on in most offices.PLEASE TELL ME WHY DO PEOPLE WORK,GIVE THEIR OWN TIME FOR A COMPANY THAT COULD NOT GIVE A SHITE ABOUT THEM ??. CRAZZZZZY Jupiters cock,what is wrong with people.

[dvbuk55]

I think this is going to be an interesting thread this one ( poss battle cry to rally the troops )

Well it's definitely going to need a compelling reason to command support and tbh it is really too late for those who have already suffered the delivery revisions whilst the Area and Div reps stand on the sidelines and ignore the problems and leave the members to try to salvage some semblence of a working system. Weight off the shoulder, H&S a priority? - my arse.

Its hard work in our office to get people to take meal breaks.We are a small office,and have just agreed(after myself and others trying for years) to come in at our start time,not free early time,that has lost RM 50 hours a week in goodwill time.its a shame that only 5 or 6 of us take our 40mins meal relief,the rest are giving 35-40 hours away for nothing, and when we cut off the DOM uses the other people to say they can you it,you must do it.The DOM has got his head in the sand,we have told him many times he needs to grow some balls and tell his DSM we need more hours in the unit.Yep you got it,head still in sand,and still a unic.The DSM just lets him get on with bullying us to lapse.More CWU help on this would be great,as I am sure this goes on in most offices.PLEASE TELL ME WHY DO PEOPLE WORK,GIVE THEIR OWN TIME FOR A COMPANY THAT COULD NOT GIVE A SHITE ABOUT THEM ??. CRAZZZZZY Jupiters cock,what is wrong with people.

I suppose it is because they feel threatened and don't feel that there is much support for their plight. These situations have gone on almost as long as BT2010 has been in existence and the sum total of union intervention is....................................

[thebiggestman]

I do know you and know you care more about biscuits than the members. And I don't want you to please me all the time just accept that the senior union did not do enough to shape the mail centre closure moreover negotiated the decline of stronger offices. Surely their job is to protect what is ultimately the best terms for members not how much productivity Royal Mail can get. Logistics, size and demographics determins the best mail centre site not politics and tactics. And the ultimate point is that London's union strength is in decline and you should be concerned.

[Budfrog]

Surely their job is to protect what is ultimately the best terms for members not how much productivity Royal Mail can get.

It's a balancing act and whilst I agree with most of what you say (biscuits aside) Royal Mail needs to remain profitable and competitive for the future security and earnings of it's employees. I believe the majority of staff have accepted modernisation, rationalisation and mechanisation but planning needs to be accomplished by competent people and agreed with staff and CWU. What we have at the moment is a Union that appears to have rolled over to have it's tummy tickled and an a overbearing management failing to honour agreements and using tactics that amount to B&H in many areas.

[BoltonPostie]

I have a very serious question about these meetings between Reps and Higson.

Was there any cake and who provided the sandwiches?
Who got to negotiate in the big swivelly chair?
Set of feckin wasters.

[fishtank]

All our duties are a minimum of 4 hours in our office. So if we have to do them I think so should everyone else seeing as we are all paid the same wage. Or is this another one of those North - South divides?

I'm not aware of any offices that have gone live with a DM revision with less than 4hrs first to last letter.
Certainly not in our area or any neighbouring.
We did scope out a 3.30hr,4.10hr and 4.30hr resource model for the office but the price to pay in terms of FT/PT ratio was way too high under 4 hrs so we went with the 4.10hr option.

To be honest i can't see how it could be sustainable, especially with an already high full-time ratio and attendance patterns like the 4 day week and the 9 day fortnight.
It would leave you with far too much indoor time which the IWT would crucify.
If offices are moaning that they want less than 4hr spans perhaps the union should be explaining the reality of the situation to these members rather than spitting the dummy out and trying to appease them.
Less than 4hr spans = Part Time hours....simple.

Of course you have other areas that have gone too far in the other direction in order to protect full-time jobs with ridiculous spans of 4.45-5.30hrs......just as stupid and just as unsustainable in the long run although it's no coincidence that those who pushed for these monster deliveries are the people least likely to be doing them.

[hans solo]

so whats the outcome of the div reps meeting
or are we to wait till rome burns yet again
tell your people
communications you are having a laugh