talks on the national dispute

[Ossie From Preston]

Put enough money in a envelope for the union top dogs then all of a sudden the vote result will be a big NO. Its all fixed just like office votes in the past where its expected to go your way then the bombshell get dropped last minute...

[Pete22]

I am not sure overall the national ballot will provide a big yes vote.
Might be close due to parcel force and romec included as most in deliveries will vote yes as we have been the ones getting the ruff end of the stick this past two years.
The others are to the rest of us an unknown quantity.

[Cut Off King]

I am not sure overall the national ballot will provide a big yes vote.
Might be close due to parcel force and romec included as most in deliveries will vote yes as we have been the ones getting the ruff end of the stick this past two years.
The others are to the rest of us an unknown quantity.

Deliveries might vote NO because they were SHAFTED by the last deal

[fishtank]

Put enough money in a envelope for the union top dogs then all of a sudden the vote result will be a big NO.

If the voting is rigged then the independent scrutineer must also be rigged,are there any lizards involved in this story?

[Kings Norton]

If we strike then we strike till its sorted not a one day strike here and there, last time the union gave in when a Harry Potter book came out and called if off.

[RTP]

We have a handful who are harping on about buying their shares, getting their £300 and the union being useless. No sense can be talked into them and they will come into work while the rest of us fight for their terms and conditions etc.....

It's called selfishness

[L8Hatter]

some have openly said they've voted no, now I can't even begin to comprehend what's going through their minds, but its winding me up big time, now if the result goes against us or the union don't deliver this time after their last debacle who will reconsider their option of staying or leaving the union?

It's pointless and will only lose public sympathy, which will be much more useful in the future. Save your powder for the real battle in a few years time.

I'd say the onus is on anyone voting yes to explain what they are trying to achieve at this precise point in time?

[DICK43]

A senior CWU rep said to me that they would take a deal if it was five years protected and a slightly better pay rise, I`m thinking, if that`s all we are going to achieve why lose £300 quid and a days pay every week!, seriously, it would be nice to know exactly what the union is trying to achieve, there are posties out there thinking that by striking they are going to stop the privatisation, they need to save their energy for when the real battle comes in three to five years..

[Lounge Lizard]

Put enough money in a envelope for the union top dogs then all of a sudden the vote result will be a big NO.

If the voting is rigged then the independent scrutineer must also be rigged,are there any lizards involved in this story?

What are you suggesting ?

[rhino49]

some have openly said they've voted no, now I can't even begin to comprehend what's going through their minds, but its winding me up big time, now if the result goes against us or the union don't deliver this time after their last debacle who will reconsider their option of staying or leaving the union?

It's pointless and will only lose public sympathy, which will be much more useful in the future. Save your powder for the real battle in a few years time.

I'd say the onus is on anyone voting yes to explain what they are trying to achieve at this precise point in time?

We presently have more public sympathy than at any other time - don't forget that it is the public who have been continually shafted by the privatisation of public utilities and transport systems. However public sympathy will mean nothing if we lose because they will no longer matter when the shareholders come first. ANNNNNNND .. do not equate the general public with the shareholding public because it is almost in the same proportion as the number of households to local councillors (please feel free to be pedantic over this statistic)

[Brain Fury]

If there is public sympathy at the moment it's because there have been no strikes. The closer we get to Christmas the quicker that sympathy will evaporate if deliveries are interrupted. I suspect most of the public think the strike is against privatisation (I suspect a proportion of posties think the same) so they won't understand why there are strikes after it has already happened and once they find out that the CWU has turned down an 8.6% pay increase over 3 years ....

[Martin Walsh]

Those who say the CWU have balloted too late have clearly not been given the right information. The union made it clear from the Liverpool briefing in March that whilst it would love to defeat privatisation the fact was that the bill to privatise had gone through the commons by a majority and that with what has happened it was clear that the Government wanted to raise money for a give away budget ahead of the election and upwards of 4 billion raised by the sell would help.

Two other things became clearer more recently which further confirmed they were going to go to privatise Royal Mail , one was the guarantee of the first 2 years dividend to any investor first time ever prior to a sell off and then even more recently a ten year corporate tax exemption for Royal Mail under a privatised company.

The CWU has made it clear in all the meetings and comms that this fight is not about stopping privatisation and as sadly that ship was always leaving the port. It was to stop Royal Mail members ending up the way of all other privatised companies. BT , British Gas , Rail industry , London Transport , Water Board , Electricity industry privatisation's have all seen work outsourced , work franchised , work done cheaper , more agency and a two tier workforce with a lot less jobs. BT alone has lost over 100 thousand jobs since 1984.

So the dispute is about stopping the franchising of delivery routes , collection routes , a joint venture of a mail centre or delivery office , the outsourcing of the work you do remembering only half of what work is currently done is under the USO and the rest could be outsourced. At the moment there is a gulf between the CWU and Royal Mail on the protections , Royal Mail only want core services which is the USO and not all work , they want reopener clauses if profits are down etc.

On pay they can afford more , remember 10 years tax relief from corporate tax , no one knew that a couple of weeks ago except Royal Mail senior management and they still said they could not afford our pensions going forward.

I have no doubt that we will get a massive yes vote and I know senior management also think this. There will be areas as there has always been which wont support the union as we see the breakdowns after every ballot branch by branch but the majority will support the CWU and stand to fight as Royal Mail have never given the membership anything out of generosity it has always been a struggle and it has always come from the union. Contrary to what people say if the CWU had not been around in 2009 then you would be doing d2d for nothing , there would have not been a 3 year pay deal , there would not have been a £1000 , there would have been no protection of full timers. If you go back longer no paid meal reliefs , less annual leave , no pensions , no 5 day weeks , no shift payments , no tpm , no hgv or Mgv payments , no London weighting , no christmas bonus , no shorter working weeks and the job would be like TNT etc.

[Jambomatt1874]

Aslong as the union dont bottle it again and get us a decent deal for a change

[cloherty1976]

I have no doubt that we will get a massive yes vote and I know senior management also think this. There will be areas as there has always been which wont support the union as we see the breakdowns after every ballot branch by branch but the majority will support the CWU and stand to fight as Royal Mail have never given the membership anything out of generosity it has always been a struggle and it has always come from the union. Contrary to what people say if the CWU had not been around in 2009 then you would be doing d2d for nothing , there would have not been a 3 year pay deal , there would not have been a £1000 , there would have been no protection of full timers. If you go back longer no paid meal reliefs , less annual leave , no pensions , no 5 day weeks , no shift payments , no tpm , no hgv or Mgv payments , no London weighting , no christmas bonus , no shorter working weeks and the job would be like TNT etc.

I see what you say dingo but the truth is and I speak for my section out of your list we have already lost. Paid meal reliefs,hgv payments, bonus scheme,Christmas bonus, and all our Sunday premiums so a lot has already gone which you are rewarded for in basic pay. Oh yes one I forgot is weekly pay gone too. All this agreed for by the cwu.

[Martin Walsh]

But you professional drivers get a basic pay of £473 National Rate , £543.68 for outer London and £569.74 for inner compared to an OPG

who receive £393.73 national rate , £462.94 for outer London and £4.88.38 including the delivery supplement.

Yes some of your pay was consolidated but it was accepted by the membership.