Other people's livlihoods are at stake too

[Opti]

We could just complain but that would get us as far as it is getting you.

I'm sorry for your troubles but we aren't losing wages for nothing. It's not a game and we would all rather be at work. It is NOT our choice.

Well I hope you get your own way then.

Unless that means you knock off when you are finished with a round but expect to get paid for a full shift, pull 25k pa and refuse to be at all flexible.

I hope you go bust. We'll still pay your taxes for you. Just like now really.

Alienating the customer....Genius.

Get your taxes paid. We have to, and so should you.

WTF are you talking about?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Small business?

[Opti]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

Do you think we earn 25K a year?

[Spedley]

I'd love to make £25k pa but I manage less than half that before tax.

I do the job required of me but soon that will change and I will never complete a days work. All I will get is stress and job dissatisfaction which is the opposite of why I started as a postman.

I was self employed for many years but decided that it wasn't worth the long hours and the feeling there is always something you haven't finished.
I'm not saying that we should have an easy life but I am saying that nobody should change the jobs of 160,000 people without any discussion about it.

[Opti]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

Do you think we earn 25K a year?

No but I heard that you were pissed off that your earnings were under the average, which is apparently 25k (though I struggle to believe this).

Anyway, back to tax, what are you on about?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

Do you think we earn 25K a year?

No but I heard that you were pissed off that your earnings were under the average, which is apparently 25k (though I struggle to believe this).

Anyway, back to tax, what are you on about?

I hear lots of small businessmen fiddle their tax returns. (though I struggle to believe this).

[Opti]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

Do you think we earn 25K a year?

No but I heard that you were pissed off that your earnings were under the average, which is apparently 25k (though I struggle to believe this).

Anyway, back to tax, what are you on about?

I hear lots of small businessmen fiddle their tax returns. (though I struggle to believe this).

Small businesses which handle cash take the piss out of the tax, generally, to be fair.

My business is all account work, almost exclusively paid for by cheque/card, impossible to fiddle unfortunately.

Nobody should have to be as pissed off as the posties obviously are in their work, but I just want you to understand how much some are suffering as a result of the striking.

I guess there is no easy answer.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Small business?

Yeah, what, you think I don't pay tax?

Do you think we earn 25K a year?

No but I heard that you were pissed off that your earnings were under the average, which is apparently 25k (though I struggle to believe this).

Anyway, back to tax, what are you on about?

I hear lots of small businessmen fiddle their tax returns. (though I struggle to believe this).

Small businesses which handle cash take the piss out of the tax, generally, to be fair.

My business is all account work, almost exclusively paid for by cheque/card, impossible to fiddle unfortunately, for the last 2 years I have had to take out secured loans to pay my tax bill.

Nobody should have to be as pissed off as the posties obviously are in their work, but I just want you to understand how much some are suffering as a result of the striking.

I guess there is no easy answer.

There was and Adam Crozier refused to negotiate a pay deal at the start of this. They made the offer and said it was the only one on offer. We democratically voted against it and they said they would not budge,. In a way they forced us to strike.

When they did come back to the table we stopped our IA and entered talks in good faith. We were just about to reach an agreement acceptable to all sides when Alan Leighton tables another "only deal on the table" offer, which was worse than the original, and walked away. We started this new strike and now both sides are closer to getting a deal.

If AL and AC had negotiated in good faith we would not be at this point and no one would have had to suffer posties, public and customers alike.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Nobody should have to be as pissed off as the posties obviously are in their work, but I just want you to understand how much some are suffering as a result of the striking.

I guess there is no easy answer.

It stands to reason some will suffer as a result of these strikes, but you should put the blame where it lies. We're not the ones putting delivery times back, thereby delaying your mail. Abandoning Sunday collections wasn't our idea either. Stealing from our pension fund was a RM idea backed by the Government. No one asked us about it. All you have to do is look around this messageboard to see what Crozier and his accomplice want to inflict on us and the public and you will then see exactly who is responsible for the situation.

[Opti]

Nobody should have to be as pissed off as the posties obviously are in their work, but I just want you to understand how much some are suffering as a result of the striking.

I guess there is no easy answer.

It stands to reason some will suffer as a result of these strikes, but you should put the blame where it lies. We're not the ones putting delivery times back, thereby delaying your mail. Abandoning Sunday collections wasn't our idea either. Stealing from our pension fund was a RM idea backed by the Government. No one asked us about it. All you have to do is look around this messageboard to see what Crozier and his accomplice want to inflict on us and the public and you will then see exactly who is responsible for the situation.

It doesn't matter where *I* put the blame though. I am still f*cked over by this action.

Maybe you should all go on strike indefinitely, get it sorted as quickly as possible, then business as usual.

[venger]

Funniest thing I've read all day on here "Postmen earn 25k a year" That's friggin' hillarious.

I know customers are being affected by the strikes. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!

Again it's a case of I'm affected so it's all your (Postmen) fault. As long as I get paid, screw everyone else.
Maybe if you worked for royal mail you'd understand our predicament.
I've worked in the business over 11 years and I've seen it go from a great place to work with good career opportunities, to a place that's falling apart at the seams.

[moon71]

I earned £30,000. Did 10hrs Sunday, 18 hrs M-F an some sats too, cracked 100hrs each wk for xmas that equates to very little life. One delivery guy got the record at £38,000. Allot of ghosting for him. Most peeps earn £18,500 though. Thos idea that all posties earn £25k is a management lie. Maybe they average out the entire RM workforce, including the £300k+ an &100k+ bonus to the top two.

[Opti]

Funniest thing I've read all day on here "Postmen earn 25k a year" That's friggin' hillarious.

I don't think anyone said that.

I know customers are being affected by the strikes. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!

Yeah, I think they call it corporate terrorism.

Again it's a case of I'm affected so it's all your (Postmen) fault. As long as I get paid, screw everyone else.
Maybe if you worked for royal mail you'd understand our predicament.
I've worked in the business over 11 years and I've seen it go from a great place to work with good career opportunities, to a place that's falling apart at the seams.

We don't understand your predicament. Maybe that is one of the benefits of a group like this, we can all understand and sympathise with each other.

I don't blame postmen but I have my own problems with regard to these strikes. What can I/we do to help you/ourselves?

[venger]

Can't find the post to quote, but it has been mentioned about postmen earning 25k a year.

As for helping each other. I do my utmost to help the customer. I don't want to be on strike as it's costing me a fortune. You also have to remember that I may be a royal mail employee, but I am also a customer. I'm stuck waiting to order goods online.

The blame should be directed towards the uppermanagement and government.
I'm open to change, but the changes royal mail want to bring in are redicilous.
Customers are generaly left in the dark when it comes to the REAL reasons we are on strike. Newspapers are full of 'facts' but they don't seem to take the time to talk to the actual workforce.

I totaly understand your situation and I hope that the situation is resolved, but none of us (Posties, customers) can be selfish.
This mentality some people have of "Get back to work you skiving bastards" is disheartening.
Honestly some people have no clue. I mean some people still seem to think we have 1 bag of mail and that's it.
On average I have 6 bags per day. Total weight of around 90-100kilo. I know some people that have more than that. Also the weight goes up considerably when we have bills and SKY tv guides.

It really is a case of people having no clue as the real info isn't out there.
Listen to the radio interview with Crozier. That's why we don't have the support we need. Where was the counter argument from an actual Postman walking the streets in all weathers?

I'm sure nobody here or not here want's you to lose money, but people have to realise that this is hitting us hard too.
We can't just roll over and die and accept these changes.