Full report: Postal workers on strike in Weston-super-Mare

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.itv.com/news/west/update/201 ... uper-mare/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Postal workers have been on strike in Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater over what they claim are impossible targets set by managers.

Royal Mail says it isn't asking workers in Somerset to do more than staff elsewhere.

Our reporter, Katie Rowlett, was at the picket line.

[jack]

quote

Royal Mail says it isn't asking workers in Somerset to do more than staff elsewhere.



Sounds like a statement out of 'The Weightmans handbook of how to dig Royal Mail out of an hole'

[UnhappyGremlin]

Royal Mail says it isn't asking workers in Somerset to do more than staff elsewhere.

Which is no defence. And probably means that workloads are unmanageable in many offices, it's just that those staff in these offices are no longer willing to accept being bullied into working themselves into an early grave.

[Red Robbo]

I have noticed the disputes are only in the Bristol & District area, are the other branches of the CWU in the South West i.e. Gloucestershire better in negotiating manageable workloads ?

[fishtank]

I have noticed the disputes are only in the Bristol & District area, are the other branches of the CWU in the South West i.e. Gloucestershire better in negotiating manageable workloads ?

It's an interesting argument.
Bristol has a "reputation" for militancy and a strong branch but it's members are out on strike complaining about bullying and harassment due to unachievable workloads presumably negotiated using the agreed tools by reps and overseen by the Branch itself.

That could either mean that the reps and Branch made a balls up of it from the start or management are bullying staff into completing when the tools say they should be putting extra resources in i.e. when traffic is above model week.

In my experience it's usually more of the latter but if it is more that the revisions are a disaster then the union at local and area level has to take at least part of the blame for that.

If after 3 years the union and members are still agreeing to revisions that fall flat on their faces we've obviously learned nothing in those years.