TrueBlueTerrier wrote:I have not made my mind up yet which may shock some of you, but I think this agreement needs to be read a few times before I make the final call.
However the one thing that is disappointing is how many of the "yes" voters are going to vote based on either the Money or on some big "what if". The only reasonable course for me is taking everything into account that is in the agreement, and nothing else. If you think the WHOLE agreement on balance is a good one then vote YES - If you think that the downsides outweigh the good ones then Vote NO.
There is in my opinion absolutely no point in voting in a bad, or even a good agreement, on the premise of what will Royal Mail do if. We should all vote on the agreement itself and then deal with the consequences after. Voting intentions based on fear is a short road to heartache and disappointment.
But don't you agree that a lot of the 'no' voters are basing their votes on the very worst case scenarios happening? I personally don't see any reason why RM would be in financial trouble or have problems fulfilling the USO whilst this deal lasts.
It can't just suddenly say the company is worthless or struggling as it did with colleague shares because it's listed on the stock exchange and officially worth billions.
IMO RM moved to 5 years for a reason - not because there are get out clauses (which are perfectly standard stuff for this type of thing) but because there's no reason to think the next 5 years will hold any real issues with regards to the USO and profitability.
The pay rise is good, but let's be clear we will be largely paying for it ourselves in increased efficiency. That doesn't bother me, I'd rather have more money and do a bit more if I have the time to do it. It's the ones who struggle with the work who are going to be targeted, part of me says that should have been done long ago because with P&L now standard there are too many people not pulling their weight.
Yes there are plenty of what ifs and maybes, but I don't think the CWU could have got a better deal under the circumstances. Maybe if we'd walked in November a few things would have improved but I doubt much would have.
The agreement after this one in 2019? Now that one is going to be interesting because I don't see a 6 day USO still existing past the next 5-10 years.
.