Please Don't Strike Prior to Christmas

[Trends Guild]

I am a small mail-order business owner, who has come here because I have *no* other way of expressing my thoughts at my treatment. There is *nobody* I can complain to, *nobody* I can turn to. I am desperate.

After 10 years as a single parent on Income Support, I started this business 9 years ago with no working capital. This is the first year I might have turned a profit. I have a husband who can no longer find manual unskilled work because those jobs are mostly done by Eastern Europeans (that *your* Union supports), and we have 5 children.
Please do *not* treat your customers with such contempt. You and I have a symbiotic relatiionship - we need one another.
*if* there was *any* other service we could use, we would have left in droves and some of you would have lost your jobs as a result of that alone. Of course there *is* no other service, so you can safely renege on your part of the bargain and leave all of us high and dry.

Please get back to work and earn your crust, the same as the rest of us. When the competition is introduced (and it *will* be, whatever you do), you can all apply for jobs there - we won't need less postmen. Stop being bothered about petty crap like afternoon deliveries - the customers (i.e.*us*) won't like it and we will complain anyway. Pay cuts..well I've just had to take a 60% pay cuit due to loss of business through the strike. Not to mention how many parcels were lost (and replaced at our expense) during the last two strikes when they employed casuals.

Oh yeah...and if you think your Union leaders are acting in your interest, find out how many fraternise with the enemy when you are looking the other way. How many are getting paid, using their expenses for this, and have their snouts in the trough while you think you are supporting a great cause - they are in it for what they can get, just as the bosses are - if you doubt that, think about who will be sacked when they have to slim the business down. Only rely on yourself, trust your own judgment, take care of your own interests - that is all that matters, whether anyone else says otherwise or not.

Out of my own self-interest, I appeal to you all not to strike prior to Christmas - there are many many small businesses like mine that grew from the desperation not being able to get 'proper' jobs. Many of us are sick, uneployable, or parents who cannot afford childcare. Many of us only make the business pay due to Christmas business.
RM *will be privatised regardless of what you or I think or want or do. Sometimes you just have to accept the inevitable, just as I might have to. That's life. You can either go with the flow and have a chance of surviving, or fight every step of the way and sink instead.

Thank you for listening.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

I've got no sympathy. I might have had if you hadn't started laying the law down in your first few posts. I've got no problem with Easter Europeans. The Poles who live near me are very good neighbours. I'd rather have them than you living near me.

[vigilante]

I am a small mail-order business owner, who has come here because I have *no* other way of expressing my thoughts at my treatment. There is *nobody* I can complain to, *nobody* I can turn to. I am desperate.

After 10 years as a single parent on Income Support, I started this business 9 years ago with no working capital. This is the first year I might have turned a profit. I have a husband who can no longer find manual unskilled work because those jobs are mostly done by Eastern Europeans (that *your* Union supports), and we have 5 children.
Please do *not* treat your customers with such contempt. You and I have a symbiotic relatiionship - we need one another.
*if* there was *any* other service we could use, we would have left in droves and some of you would have lost your jobs as a result of that alone. Of course there *is* no other service, so you can safely renege on your part of the bargain and leave all of us high and dry.

Please get back to work and earn your crust, the same as the rest of us. When the competition is introduced (and it *will* be, whatever you do), you can all apply for jobs there - we won't need less postmen. Stop being bothered about petty crap like afternoon deliveries - the customers (i.e.*us*) won't like it and we will complain anyway. Pay cuts..well I've just had to take a 60% pay cuit due to loss of business through the strike. Not to mention how many parcels were lost (and replaced at our expense) during the last two strikes when they employed casuals.

Oh yeah...and if you think your Union leaders are acting in your interest, find out how many fraternise with the enemy when you are looking the other way. How many are getting paid, using their expenses for this, and have their snouts in the trough while you think you are supporting a great cause - they are in it for what they can get, just as the bosses are - if you doubt that, think about who will be sacked when they have to slim the business down. Only rely on yourself, trust your own judgment, take care of your own interests - that is all that matters, whether anyone else says otherwise or not.

Out of my own self-interest, I appeal to you all not to strike prior to Christmas - there are many many small businesses like mine that grew from the desperation not being able to get 'proper' jobs. Many of us are sick, uneployable, or parents who cannot afford childcare. Many of us only make the business pay due to Christmas business.
RM *will be privatised regardless of what you or I think or want or do. Sometimes you just have to accept the inevitable, just as I might have to. That's life. You can either go with the flow and have a chance of surviving, or fight every step of the way and sink instead.

Thank you for listening.

I THINK YOU NEED TO STUDY WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY FIGHTING AGAINST INSTEAD OF THINKING LIKE THE REST OF THE PUBLIC IT'S ABOUT PAY ETC.
ANNUALISED HOURS FOR ONE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK EXTRA HOURS FOR A FIRM AT XMAS AND NOT GET PAID FOR IT??
AFTER PAYING INTO A PENSION FOR YEARS AND YEARS WOULD YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF LOSING THOUSANDS , PAY IN MORE AND HAVE TO WORK LONGER??
EXCEPT PROPOSALS THAT WOULD EFFECTIVELY GIVE A GENEROUS PAY CUT???
WORK EXTRA FOR PEOPLE ON THE SICK FOR NOTHING???
WANT ME TO GO ON????? IVE GOT PLENTY MORE.

TAKE SOME TIME AND SEE WHAT WE ARE FIGHTY FOR---------BASICALLY YOUR SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!

[Turpin]

Sounds Like A Mnager To Me SPIN SPIN SPIN If some one was steling your pension and wanted you to be that flexible that on most part you would snap for such a low pay then you may just feel as we feel. Ironically everybody tells us what such a bad service it is and yet you kick off when you have no service. True enough competition is here but it is us boys and girls that trepse to your buisness 6 days aweek with your mail, its us that hold the key to the final mile. Yet the competition has the write to put in to deliver it yet they wish not to says something doesnt it...Regards Turpin You defend your way of life and we will defend ours...

[pickaname]

"Many of us are sick, uneployable, or parents who cannot afford childcare"

So we have to bail you out by taking a HUGE walloping.

No thanks...

[POSTMAN]

Crock of Shite!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Crock of Shite!

I thought I had seen the same script on the Plasmas

[Edward Hunter]

We are fighting not to take a huge wage decrease. Nearly £1000 a year on D2D payments alone! No overtime at all so covering sick and colleagues on A/L for nothing, Not to mention the pension. Action like this is not taken lightly, try getting the facts behind this dispute, we would have accepted 2.5% straight away.Have a word with the PM he doesnt care about your business, with 5 kids you`d probably better off on income support anyway. Work for a living and this "tory" government wants to shaft you

[venger]

I won't go on strike at christmas.....................If we get a fair deal.

I'm sorry, but your points are just as selfish as the rest of the illinformed muppets who've joined the forum in the last few days.
If you are a legitimate business, then go write a letter to Adam Crozier or Alan Leighton. Express your views to them.

Whils't we're on the old sob story thing.
I'm a poor postman. I have to work more hours than I'm paid for. It seems the harder I work, the more work I'm expected to do for no extra money. I've lost 4 days pay. I'm constantly told I'll get my mail drop boxes, but I'm still waiting 18 months on.
I've had my hours changed on a saturday by 45 mins.
I'm continualy told that we are hitting our targets, but when asked when we'll get our bonus we're told that we can't get a bonus untill we accept the new deal.

I could go on, but you don't give a s**t about us posties.

[Stormproof]

You're a single parent and your husband can't get a job??

[Lounge Lizard]

"and we have five children" - a bit extravagent that. I can just survive on a postman's pay with one child, no chance with five.

[evilc]

I am a small mail-order business owner, who has come here because I have *no* other way of expressing my thoughts at my treatment. There is *nobody* I can complain to, *nobody* I can turn to. I am desperate.

After 10 years as a single parent on Income Support, I started this business 9 years ago with no working capital. This is the first year I might have turned a profit. I have a husband who can no longer find manual unskilled work because those jobs are mostly done by Eastern Europeans (that *your* Union supports), and we have 5 children.
Please do *not* treat your customers with such contempt. You and I have a symbiotic relatiionship - we need one another.
*if* there was *any* other service we could use, we would have left in droves and some of you would have lost your jobs as a result of that alone. Of course there *is* no other service, so you can safely renege on your part of the bargain and leave all of us high and dry.

Please get back to work and earn your crust, the same as the rest of us. When the competition is introduced (and it *will* be, whatever you do), you can all apply for jobs there - we won't need less postmen. Stop being bothered about petty crap like afternoon deliveries - the customers (i.e.*us*) won't like it and we will complain anyway. Pay cuts..well I've just had to take a 60% pay cuit due to loss of business through the strike. Not to mention how many parcels were lost (and replaced at our expense) during the last two strikes when they employed casuals.

Oh yeah...and if you think your Union leaders are acting in your interest, find out how many fraternise with the enemy when you are looking the other way. How many are getting paid, using their expenses for this, and have their snouts in the trough while you think you are supporting a great cause - they are in it for what they can get, just as the bosses are - if you doubt that, think about who will be sacked when they have to slim the business down. Only rely on yourself, trust your own judgment, take care of your own interests - that is all that matters, whether anyone else says otherwise or not.

Out of my own self-interest, I appeal to you all not to strike prior to Christmas - there are many many small businesses like mine that grew from the desperation not being able to get 'proper' jobs. Many of us are sick, uneployable, or parents who cannot afford childcare. Many of us only make the business pay due to Christmas business.
RM *will be privatised regardless of what you or I think or want or do. Sometimes you just have to accept the inevitable, just as I might have to. That's life. You can either go with the flow and have a chance of surviving, or fight every step of the way and sink instead.

Thank you for listening.

LIke IWW I had considered having sympathy until I read all your post, unfotunately like a lot of other selfish people in this country you are only interested in your own needs, when you research what the strike is about then and only then can you try and ask us not to strike.

[Opti]

LIke IWW I had considered having sympathy until I read all your post, unfotunately like a lot of other selfish people in this country you are only interested in your own needs

So in short, we are all knackered until you get what you want, and we are the selfish ones.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[evilc]

LIke IWW I had considered having sympathy until I read all your post, unfotunately like a lot of other selfish people in this country you are only interested in your own needs

So in short, we are all knackered until you get what you want, and we are the selfish ones.

Thanks for clearing that up.

If you read all my comment instead of just pasting the bit you think validates your point, I will state it again for you. Research the reason behind the strikes then if you feel the need to come back and criticise us then we obviously cannot please you whatever we do.

[Opti]

LIke IWW I had considered having sympathy until I read all your post, unfotunately like a lot of other selfish people in this country you are only interested in your own needs

So in short, we are all knackered until you get what you want, and we are the selfish ones.

Thanks for clearing that up.

If you read all my comment instead of just pasting the bit you think validates your point, I will state it again for you. Research the reason behind the strikes then if you feel the need to come back and criticise us then we obviously cannot please you whatever we do.

Fair enough, but a few points.

What the post workers are doing may be for the greater long term good, I dunno, but I can see some businesses going to the wall if this is dragged out for months.

My job/hours/earnings have changed regularly over the years, and I work for myself. Sometimes it's a load of shizzle but that is'nt your problem, it's mine, and that is why you are not suffering as a result, or in fact even having to hear about it until now.

I have been in jobs I didn't enjoy, s**t management etc, I left. If being a postie is a load of turd and the management are crap then leave. They will either replace you or realise their error. I can't be a hostage.

Seriously if further strikes are planned then I would strongly consider keeping a service open to businesses. We have to migrate whether we agree with the postworkers or not, then your problems worsen.