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It’s a controversial subject that I’d normally shy away from but with recent developments in the history of the 497 year old company now might be the time to broach it.
I’ve been proud to work for the Royal Mail for nearly 26 years, I’ve also seen many changes in that time, some good, some not so good. I’ve also been a life long member of the CWU and it’s predecessor the UCW under the leadership of the Labour MP Alan Johnson.
There’s been many calls recently in the press and on various social media sites for Unions to be banned and that every striker should be unceremoniously sacked. People have also called postmen and women lazy and that they’re ungrateful, especially as they’ve been given shares in the Royal Mail for free. They say that they should just shut up and be grateful that they’ve got a job to moan about. We’ve heard that one before. Back in 2007 Alan Leighton and Adam Crozier dream up a scheme to give staff a “share in the company”. Not real dividend paying shares but a financial stake that could be cashed in at a later date.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 33588.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Those shares were due to mature in 2012 but Royal Mail announced the company hadn’t made any money and that they were therefore effectively worthless. Coincidentally, Royal Mail made HUGE investments that year. Mail centres were kitted out with the latest mail sorting machines. THOUSANDS of vans were procured for the postal staff to use instead of using mini buses. Royal Mail investment forecasters knew full well that the year the “phantom shares” would become payable that they’d not have to honour them. To date they still haven’t been paid.
I’m sure postmen and women are thankful every day that they have a job that they can moan about. Postal workers also care deeply for their customers. Posties who do a regular route regularly often look in on their frailer customers especially in colder weather. They’ve even been known to pick up a bottle of milk or a newspaper for an infirm customer who is housebound or even bed bound. Posties who have a good relationship with their customers even know when they have a packet for their house that they can’t deliver. If they know where their workplace is they’re able drop it there instead, FREE OF CHARGE. The postal service is so big that it can never be perfect but the people who work in it strive to make it better.
So what’s all the “moaning” about now. Well, it’s certainly got nothing to do with privatisation like SkyNews and the BBC would have us believe. That’s already happened, the CWU can’t reverse it. They can register their displeasure at it but certainly can’t change it. The recent strike ballot was more to do with pensions, pay and their terms and conditions that will inevitably change now partial privatisation has taken place. Royal Mail took a 13 year pension holiday in which they contributed nothing towards the pensions in which they were obliged to do. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/87061/ ... sion-break" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; That in part contributed hugely towards the huge pension deficit that we now find ourselves in. When I was “sold” my pension by the Royal Mail I was assured that my contributions would be matched by theirs, good deal I though. Little did I know that they had no intention of sticking to their part of the deal. I could have taken a private one out instead.
Moya Greene, Royal Mail’s Chief Exec says Royal Mail needs protection from strikes. Well she would wouldn’t she! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... reene.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; But why would she? If the Union was truly neutralised, their powers diminished, then what effect would that have on the hard working staff? The pension problem certainly wouldn’t be sorted. Staff pay wouldn’t keep up with inflation, sackings and mass redundancies will become commonplace. Royal Mail has already warned of job losses. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... on.html?fb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Terms and conditions will also deteriorate. So it’s easy to see why she wants “protection” from the workforce. She obviously wants to ruthlessly push through unpopular policies and lay off thousands of people with total impunity. It’s impossible to generate dividends and share price growth for stock holders when you have to care for and consider a workforce.
So what exactly does a Union do? Over 150 thousand people work for the Royal Mail. It’s obviously not practical to line up one by one to beg for a pay rise. If it was up to the employer we would never get a pay rise. That’s where the union steps in, even people who aren’t in the Union who choose to work through the strikes benefit from our endeavours. The CWU also campaigns for better working conditions for staff, flexible working hours, better maternity/paternity rights as well as better health and safety in the workplaces.
People who don’t have a union, those who work for small companies, maybe in shops and small manufacturing businesses, the VERY PEOPLE WHO THINK I AND MY COLLEAGUES SHOULD BE SACKED benefit from me paying into my union. Unions campaign for better rights for ALL WORKERS. They campaign and lobby MP’s and lawmakers to improve conditions in the nations workplaces. The nations Minimum Wage although not perfect is a good example of this. Better health and safety has filtered through to the nations sweat shops. More people get better holiday pay and sick pay than ever before. Employees have better rights against dismissal now. More can be done in these areas but the Union that I contribute to and others like them are working hard to raise the standard of living for those who don’t have a voice and who can’t fight for themselves. It’s not just for the future of the posties that I’m backing this strike action but the future of us all. If our unions are silenced then what future do we have left? Diminishing wages, seasonal work, sacked on a whim?
Always remember, hard working people don’t choose to go on strike lightly, it’s always as a last resort.
