Royal Mail / CWU Summit Meeting 17th December

[Martin Walsh]

Dvbuk there was bullying years ago. In 1994 when Royal Mail were introducing CADR revisons they bullied people and people were suspended. In 1996 the employee agenda people were bullied , clear frame policy people were bullied , delivery remuneration people were bullied , reducing second deliveries people were bullied , introducing earlier starts people were bullied , PBS revisons , DPMS revisons , the way forward people were bullied. The Sawyer report bu.ling Managment , ll the ballots and unoffical action we had over displine cases. ACAS reviews.

Take you rose tinted glasses of the pass off , we have lots of bullying by Managment in the past and some of us tackled it. maybe just because we did not have this site you did not hear but it existed and before business transformation.

[Lincox]

Dingo, I have no doubt that there has been bullying of some form or another from day one of the existence of Royal Mail. The major problem is that in this latest phase of bullying management (ie since BT2010) those in a position to do something about it, have failed miserably and allowed the situation to deteriorate and deteriorate. You stated that some individuals who have written in, have suicidal tendancies. This does not happen overnight. These managers are like they are, because this is how they are being trained and probably bullied themself to carry out THE BOARDS requirements. They know no other way. You cannot move a business forward to better things including profitability with a line of management that works on the basis of fear and retribution. Profitability will only come about by motivation, care, respect and humility and working with staff to find the best ways and means to achieve a common goal.
You castigate people on this forum that have an opinion that the CWU have left it to late. Rather than being defensive all the time, you would come across much better if you took a more positive approach to opinion, and perhaps use a little bit of humility and accept that perhaps CWU have let it,s members down in this respect, but lets all now join together and make sure that we all put up a robust campaign in our units branches and centrally to get this appalling method of managing people kicked into touch for good.

[dvbuk55]

Dvbuk there was bullying years ago. In 1994 when Royal Mail were introducing CADR revisons they bullied people and people were suspended. In 1996 the employee agenda people were bullied , clear frame policy people were bullied , delivery remuneration people were bullied , reducing second deliveries people were bullied , introducing earlier starts people were bullied , PBS revisons , DPMS revisons , the way forward people were bullied. The Sawyer report bu.ling Managment , ll the ballots and unoffical action we had over displine cases. ACAS reviews.

Take you rose tinted glasses of the pass off , we have lots of bullying by Managment in the past and some of us tackled it. maybe just because we did not have this site you did not hear but it existed and before business transformation.

There certainly wasn't the bullying on the scale it is now dingo and the union had much more clout NATIONALLY than it does now. A union member would not have been spoken to like they are now and would have gone to complain if they had been. If someone could not complete a delivery for whatever reason there wasn't a hue and cry like there is now, there was 100% full time employment and almost 100% union membership - a far cry from the mess it is now. As for rose tinted glasses dingo I believe it is more the actualite than the don quixote figure you are portraying.

[Martin Walsh]

Bullying is bullying whether it happened 10 years ago or yesterday it needs to be stopped. The point you were trying to make was there did not use to be bullying and I can tell you there was and it has happened in this industry for decades. it needs to be stopped and the union needs to make sure it is.

let's hope we can all unite on this.

[dvbuk55]

Bullying is bullying whether it happened 10 years ago or yesterday it needs to be stopped. The point you were trying to make was there did not use to be bullying and I can tell you there was and it has happened in this industry for decades. it needs to be stopped and the union needs to make sure it is.

let's hope we can all unite on this.

I am absolutely 100% behind any move to put and end to bullying and my point was that bullying in the past was a minor consideration in comparison to the corporate bullying that is endemic in Royal Mail now, heightened I believe by the ill advised BT2010 which had unachievable aims and ambitions on many different levels.

[fishtank]

However there are lots of reps at all levels including national level who try and stop bullying and do there best by the members and they are too easy a target of forums like this.

I fully support the hard work done by our good reps and branches but i do not subscribe to the idea that all should be beyond criticism in an effort to protect the decent reps.
That umbrella approach simply undermines the good work and provides a shelter for the lazy and incompetent.
The whole set up of the union's democratic structure hides the deficiencies of poor representation,the union appears to have no interest in seeking out this poor representation and improving the situation other than a few token box ticking exercises to satisfy the occasional conference motion.
I've seen lots of them come and go but i've seen very little change to the accountability of reps and branches .

After the much warranted anger directed towards Royal Mail management for allowing bullying to infest the company and run riot there is obviously an important secondary question involving the huge rise in complaints that have gone directly to HQ.

It's very plain to see that our attempts to tackle bullying and harassment by leaving it to local reps to deal with in the workplace has failed dramatically.

We need some answers to some basic questions...

1. Is the grievance procedure being used appropriately.

a) Is it being used inappropriately to deal with B&H cases that should have been progressed as far more serious cases,the default position of the B&H helpline seems to be to push members into the "less serious" grievance procedure,is this management driven?

b) Are these grievances being covered up by management or even worse by branches since the main complaint with the procedure seems to be that either cases are ignored or they go round in circles until everyone is bored or retired.

c) Is the procedure even used in a lot of cases,do members feel it's pointless and even dangerous to use?

2. Why do members prefer to contact HQ directly rather than speak to their own reps?

a) Are some of our reps unapproachable?
b) Are some of our reps too close to management?
c) Are our reps and branches skilled enough to deal with complex and sometimes very personal B&H cases?

These are some of the questions we need to be asking ourselves quite apart from forcing Royal Mail to get it's own house in order.
A silly and pointless signed reaffirmation of a members basic rights,if that's the sum total of our fight against the daily intimidation of our members is pathetic..
If they have any kind of decent representation they should already be aware of those rights.

[POSTMAN]

We also have to question our colleagues as well,union member or not,too much is happening to many especially newbies and there are too many ignoring it.
A lot of the management s**t would stop if people stuck together.

I've never know a firm to have so many wasters in my life.

[dvbuk55]

We also have to question our colleagues as well,union member or not,too much is happening to many especially newbies and there are too many ignoring it.
A lot of the management s**t would stop if people stuck together.

I've never know a firm to have so many wasters in my life.

You may be right, but then this isn't the 70s, 80s, or 90s, this is a set of circumstances that has not previously been encountered, certainly at RM. I know I keep harping on about the FT/PT ratio but I feel it is an important factor in determining the resolve of many people and really in this particular financial climate who can blame them.

I remember starting at RM, had only been an employee for a matter of weeks when a strike was called and I went out just like everyone else without a consideration of the consequences.......I don't think that would be the same today, because there are many more factors to be considered.

[fishtank]

I've never know a firm to have so many wasters in my life.

I don't think this job attracts any more wasters than any other job just like i don't believe that London members are individually any stronger or militant than any other area.
It's all in the organisation and that's down to reps at every level.

Offices don't just stick together by chance,you have to work at it and some just can't be arsed.
The only thing i will say in defence of reps struggling to organise an office is that times have changed as has employment legislation,the economic propositions outside RM are pretty bleak which obviously puts members on the back foot....and unpopular national agreements like BT2010 certainly don't help.

[LinChong]

Dingo,

Don't worry about some of the characters on this site. The point is they are characters not real people and they may be invented by union busting consultants.

HQ should take up some individual cases and spend some money on lawyers to get some criminal prosecutions. Managers are doing stuff that could send them to prison. Let's send them to prison. This will stop the bullying.

If we wait any longer there could suicides or killings. This should not happen at any place of work.

The next LTB about bullying should announce prosecutions.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If we wait any longer there could suicides or killings. This should not happen at any place of work.

Sadly suicides amongst UK posties, whatever the underlying cause, is not unknown:
The tragic case of 3 Enfield Posties http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 18&t=30551" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... de#p215108" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 'Friendly' postie found dead near Gower beauty spot
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... de#p226563" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Big turnout for funeral of popular postman
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... ide#p96547" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Postman 'killed himself after money worries

Anyone looking for advice or help then the Samaritans are only a call away as this article with CWU involvement demonstrates http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 18&t=46111" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fishtank]

Don't worry about some of the characters on this site. The point is they are characters not real people and they may be invented by union busting consultants..

You really do spoil any decent contribution you make with the tin foil hat nonsense.
It's very difficult to take you seriously.

[dvbuk55]

Dingo,Don't worry about some of the characters on this site. The point is they are characters not real people and they may be invented by union busting consultants.

Could you point out a union LC..................who knows when the information may come in handy

[Cut Off King]

When will the CWU admit that they got the BT2010 agreement wrong ?

p.s. -- support for the CWU within delivery is rock bottom !

I feel like a Lib-Dem supporter, I cannot belive the choices that the leadership has made, dispite warnings from the grass roots.

[woofwoof]

any news on this