Post Offices refuse to sort mail in first industrial action

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Postal deliveries are facing more upheaval after Britain’s network of post offices announced their first industrial action for over a century.

Sub-postmasters are to stop separating out the post into first and second class mail bags in a row over a £2 million bill.
There are fears that the stoppage could seriously disrupt mail supplies, coming as postal workers are being balloted over a proposed boycott of business mail.

George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters says in the letter, which is being sent on Tuesday to more than 11,000 post offices, to “stop segregating mail with immediate effect”.

In the letter, sub-headlined “Enough is Enough”, Mr Thomson said: “We have to make sure that POL [Post Office Limited] is made to listen to the genuine outrage which subpostmasters feel about these direct attacks on our livelihoods.

“We therefore urge you to stop segregating mail with immediate effect until POL is prepared to pay you for doing it.” The threat is the first the industrial action planned by the federation since it was founded 116 years ago.

Mr Thomson urged sub-postmasters to stop sealing or labelling mail bags, insisting that the Post Office was not listening to its concerns.
The action has been called after Post Office Limited decided to cut back on how much it pays to post offices to sort mail which is handed over the counter.

Mr Thomson complained the action was “mean-spirited and misguided decision” and that so far its members had lost out on £2.2million in pay for segregating mail since the beginning of November and the end of March, and had seen payments cut in other areas.

According to a copy of the letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, he added: “The NFSP is and always has been a moderate, reasonable organisation representing self-employed business people.

“We have always sought to resolve difficulties through constructive dialogue, but are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain this approach when POL are not prepared to listen.

“I never imagined we would find ourselves in a situation where any form of action would be necessary.

“But these latest cuts and POL’s ongoing disregard for the wellbeing of subpostmasters and our network have left us with no alternative. By standing together, we can hit POL where it hurts, and make them wake up to the fact that subpostmasters can’t take any more pain.

“We won’t tolerate being the easy option for cuts, while POL’s central costs continue to grow and POL managers’ bonuses become ever fatter.”

Labour warned that the industrial action could mean that letters and parcels take longer to be delivered.

He said: “At the time when Royal Mail and Post Office Limited are going through a major transformation this has the potential to affect deliveries, and this is the last thing that Royal Mail or Post Office Limited needs.”

A Post Office Limited spokesman said that the issue related to a trial which started in 2012 and ran to the end of March. In all 7,000 out of the branch network’s 11,800 post offices were affected.

He said: “The aim was to improve mail segregation. We are now in discussions with the NFSP following representations asking us to continue the trial. Those discussions are ongoing. It is difficult to comment further not having seen the letter.”

“The NFSP [federation] believes that if POL chooses to withdraw from an agreement to pay subpostmasters for undertaking mails segregation, subpostmasters should withdraw from segregating mail until POL reintroduces the payment.

[PhilthyPhil]

Most of them don't segregate it anyway

[UnhappyGremlin]

They do, well did, in my area.
It's about time the federation took some action. Though it may very well be late.
RM group is in for a summer, and maybe a winter too, of discontent.

[Lounge Lizard]

Most of them don't segregate it anyway

Like some Mail Centres ?

[the deliverer]

Sounds similar in attitude to Royal Mail when they took away the payment system for D2Ds and replaced it with a lump sum for unlimited number of items.

[subbie]

Any of you mail centre guys notice any difference yet by this action?

Subbie

[pokos27]

its all leading to tnt and giving you all zero hour contracts

[Pat Ostman]

Sounds similar in attitude to Royal Mail when they took away the payment system for D2Ds and replaced it with a lump sum for unlimited number of items.

I agree although perhaps the CWU deserve some credit getting anything. is it so hard to believe that RM wanted to scap the old payment and replace it with nothing?

I can believe it.

[UnhappyGremlin]

They have apparently received emails/ops flashes telling them they are in breach of contract and that they should start segregation of mail at once, or else. Typical RM bullying strategy.

[subbie]

Strange, I've received didily squat from POL over this matter by way of communications.

I feel left out.

Maybe POL are only targeting NFSP members?

subbie

[somerset]

As i am a collection driver , all the ones who work in the supermarkets ( Co-op , etc ) have been told to carry on as normal . The ones who run there own post Offices have been told by there union not to tie up or label. Now i hear that RM are going to fine POL £6 million for breaking the rules ! Same as when we Red Cross there collections .

[subbie]

Hmmm

I wonder if POL will simply pass these fines onto Postmasters, or sue the Union that is organising unofficial industrial action?

Mind you with that Union being wholly dependent on money supplied to it by POL, it would be like sueing yourself

Of course POL could just withdraw their funding and that Union would collapse like a paper bag.

Subbie

[UnhappyGremlin]

If they are in dispute, why would they pay the fine? (Assuming it is a reality, which remains to be proven).
Those working in crown or supermarkets are paid in an entirely different manner as far as I'm aware, and are not business owners, and therefore have not lost any money due the recent decision of POL to remove approx. £28 per month for segregating the mail, as they are salaried employees. So should continue to segregate mail. This is also not the only monies taken from PO's, one I spoke to has said they will be £5000 down this year on last, and it is nowhere near the first time money/payments have been cut, and each time it has been very severe. I have every sympathy with them.
I look at it this way, if RM(and with privatisation looming, it may become a reality) decide to stop paying delivery supplement, costing FT staff approx. £1000 per year, would we not take action? I support the ban, and it may also be helpful to our Union's aims of blocking privatisation. Though I think it is unstoppable at this point.

[Lounge Lizard]

If they are in dispute, why would they pay the fine? (Assuming it is a reality, which remains to be proven).
Those working in crown or supermarkets are paid in an entirely different manner as far as I'm aware, and are not business owners, and therefore have not lost any money due the recent decision of POL to remove approx. £28 per month for segregating the mail, as they are salaried employees. So should continue to segregate mail. This is also not the only monies taken from PO's, one I spoke to has said they will be £5000 down this year on last, and it is nowhere near the first time money/payments have been cut, and each time it has been very severe. I have every sympathy with them.
I look at it this way, if RM(and with privatisation looming, it may become a reality) decide to stop paying delivery supplement, costing FT staff approx. £1000 per year, would we not take action? I support the ban, and it may also be helpful to our Union's aims of blocking privatisation. Though I think it is unstoppable at this point.

Those working in crown offices are indeed paid in an entirely different manner and therefore will not have lost any money due the recent decision of POL.
But presumably WHSmiths and supermarkets like the Co-op will now be paid less but are unlikely to pass this on in reduced wages.

[UnhappyGremlin]

If they are in dispute, why would they pay the fine? (Assuming it is a reality, which remains to be proven).
Those working in crown or supermarkets are paid in an entirely different manner as far as I'm aware, and are not business owners, and therefore have not lost any money due the recent decision of POL to remove approx. £28 per month for segregating the mail, as they are salaried employees. So should continue to segregate mail. This is also not the only monies taken from PO's, one I spoke to has said they will be £5000 down this year on last, and it is nowhere near the first time money/payments have been cut, and each time it has been very severe. I have every sympathy with them.
I look at it this way, if RM(and with privatisation looming, it may become a reality) decide to stop paying delivery supplement, costing FT staff approx. £1000 per year, would we not take action? I support the ban, and it may also be helpful to our Union's aims of blocking privatisation. Though I think it is unstoppable at this point.

Those working in crown offices are indeed paid in an entirely different manner and therefore will not have lost any money due the recent decision of POL.
But presumably WHSmiths and supermarkets like the Co-op will now be paid less but are unlikely to pass this on in reduced wages.

No I don't think so. It is unlikely that they, that's WHSmiths/supermarkets etc., would have been in receipt of this pay in the first place. I expect they would have similar contracts to Crown offices, just on considerably less money, segregation of mail will be part of the contract with no money paid for doing it. Staff probably on minimum wage etc(less than £7ph I believe), and they are the ones that end up doing it, the bosses at the top see more money in.
I was told by a subpostmaster yesterday that the starting pay for staff in crown offices is £11.12ph, whether true or not I don't know, and this is the real reason that they want to close crowns and move them into 3rd party retailers, it's massively cheaper.
If you think about it, a 3rd party retailer will have lower costs than any PO or crown office, as the heating/lights etc. are already on, just horizon screens/computers to pay extra electric for, so they just see it as an extra service for customers and another income for them.