strike breakers

johno47 · Post by **johno47** » 20 May 2007, 12:22

Hertfordshirehog, i dont know the facts about your situation but at our office people who are not in the union tend to stick together with everybody else in times of dispute, but from what your saying the people came out of the union because of the rep not the CWU which i find a bit strange, thats like cutting your right hand off for the sake of it, ive heard people say in the past " i dont know what im paying union subs for im coming out of the union " you usualy find that some people just dont want to pay the subs but want the benefit everybody else gets, and then theres the argument that some use that they cant afford to go on strike and DirtyHarrys right none of us can but hes correct that if we loose this vote then the vast majority can kiss goodbye to their jobs and rights because RM will walk all over us, they will never negotiate with the union again, they will be a spent force and we will all pay a big price, but for me a scab is someone who crosses a picket line after a democratic vote has decided that we go out on strike, and while we are outside trying to save everybodys jobs and rights they are inside helping management get the job done so as to prolong a dispute thus causing further hardship for people on the picket line, and when the dispute is over those people that went into work will still get the same benefits as the people who were on the picket line, im sorry but i dont have time for people like that.... UNITY IS STRENGTH.

Post by **dman** » 20 May 2007, 12:33

well said johno47 i agree with everything that you said then

i know of several people in the union who are voting no because their department isnt included in the pay deal

and they blame the union for this and not royal mail

i have tried talking to them but they just dont want to know and are willing to blame the union for this, and for intelligent people i must admit i was struck dumb at their attitudes and their unwillingness to investigate what is really happening

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 20 May 2007, 13:50

A sign of the times in which we live , dman. The selfishness that now permeates throughout society, even among
members of trades unions , an unwillingness to view the bigger picture , and a complete inability to recognise danger when it grasps
one about the throat , and a reluctance to stand up to that danger and fight for what is right.

Thankfully though , for now at least , such creatures are in a minority.

Post by **POSTMAN** » 20 May 2007, 13:55

BOB wrote:HI
I AM FAIRLY NEW TO THE JOB AND AM WORRIED ABOUT MY POSITION WITH THE STRIKE LOMMING ,I AM NOT IN THE UNION SHOULD I STAY AT HOME IF THERE IS A STRIKE OR WOULD THAT BE ABCENTE WITHOT LEAVE AS A NON UNION MEMBER?

DirtyHarry wrote:You've nothing to worry about, mate. Tomorrow, get your rep to get you a form to join us , and whatever else
you do , STICK WITH YOUR MATES !

Good luck.

Don't panic i was out on strike bout a couple of months into the job with no comebacks so don't worry.
Do what Harry says asap,but in the mean time your Dom ect wont know you're not in the union.

yorkie · Post by **yorkie** » 20 May 2007, 16:23

strike breakers SPINELESS BA......S
PEOPLE WHO SCAB THIS STRIKE IF THERE IS ONE HOPE THEY HAVE MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS .
WHEN YOU ARE A SCAB YOU ARE LIKE A LEPPER SO DONT BE A SCAB BE A MAN/WOMEN AND STAND ALONGSIDE MAJORITY OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ON THE GATE!!!!

Post by **Carnoustie** » 20 May 2007, 17:41

johno47 wrote:Hertfordshirehog, i dont know the facts about your situation but at our office people who are not in the union tend to stick together with everybody else in times of dispute, but from what your saying the people came out of the union because of the rep not the CWU which i find a bit strange.....

Don't you see why they really came out of the union ? A union's strength depends on everybody respecting the result of a vote, and abiding by the outcome, whether they agree with that outcome or not. Having a go at union members who cross a picket line after a vote in favour of a strike is perfectly justified, because they are undermining the one thing we have got going for us, which is strength in numbers. I don't know if the upcoming vote will be a Yes or a No, but I understand the vital importance of securing a massive Yes, and everyone uniting behind the strike vote if we can get that thumping majority. But if you truly believe in the democratic principles that underpin a union, then a rep who blatantly goes against the will of the majority undermines trust in the CWU and sets an example that it's OK to stick two fingers up to your workmates. THAT was why people saw no point in staying in the union, and came out. He violated the principle that, when there's a vote taken, whether you agree with the result or not, you stick together, and abide by the decision.

I still don't think it's fair, if there is a strike, to label non-union members who come in to work as strike breakers. They are in an awkward position, even if it is one entirely of their own making. They could be dismissed much more readily by RM, so would have to go in. For UNION MEMBERS who cross a picket line, it's a justified comment.

J · Post by J » 20 May 2007, 18:18

Right, probably gonna get shot with s**t fopr this but here goes.

Anyone who 'strike breakers' is doing an unjustice to the cause of why we have went out on strike in the first place. Non-members should be snapping up union forms by now and rightly or wrongly wether they believe the union have done wrong, at the end of the day when we do go out and they ain't a member, manager turns round and checks with HRSC in sheffied (or pay unit) and sees 'Joe Bloggs of A Delivery office ain't a member' that manager can then query why that non member went out on strike for when they did not receive a ballot paper. They then take 'Joe Bloggs' down the conduct code. 'Joe Bloggs' then wants to join union but can't be represented on the case he's being done for. See where I'm coming from on this??

Also, if we have non-members, remind them or the 'strike breakers' that they are of a minority and at the end of the day, if they join the union they are strengthening the collective bargaining rights for the rest of the workforce.

OK, say you ain't a member or you 'scab', so this means you are prepared to bow down for 'Uncle Alan' and let him walk all over you and treat you like something on the bottom of his shoes. Are non-members and 'strike breakers' prepared to spend the rest of their days in RM like that??

Just remember, RM say there is no money and 2.5% is final - but yet they install Â£6000 plasma units in EVERY location in the country, apparently at a running cost at the mo of Â£16m.

They say there is no money - but they are willing to chuck EVR's at POL staff, way over and above what MTSF should offer and gagging clauses etc....

Look, I have rambled here, but to improve our terms and conditions and you ain't a member, then be one. You will only strenthen the cause for your colleagues.

IF YOU THOUGHT THE WAY FORWARD WAS BAD, WAIT UNTIL LEIGHTON GETS AWAY WITH THIS ONE!!!

JOIN THE CWU HERE IF YOU CANNOT FIND A REP IN YOUR OFFICE!!!!

VOTE YES AND LETS SHOW THESE PEOPLE WE WILL NOT BE TREAT LIKE DIRT!!!!!

shelanda · Post by **shelanda** » 20 May 2007, 18:44

Hi Bob
Agree whole heartedly with DH join, you hear moans and groans about the union but I can hand on heart say without it conditions for us would be a lot grimmer. My answer to posties that moan, is the Union is only as good as it's members at the end of the day it is us that lets them down COLLECTIVELY we are GREAT. we have proved it before and we will again.

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 20 May 2007, 19:00

Well said, shelanda.

Post by **Carnoustie** » 20 May 2007, 19:29

J wrote:Also, if we have non-members, remind them or the 'strike breakers' that they are of a minority and at the end of the day, if they join the union they are strengthening the collective bargaining rights for the rest of the workforce.

A very powerful argument, J.

I will speak to two of the guys that I know for certain left the union tomorrow and try to persuade them that if they don't want to rejoin the union for their own sakes, they should do it for everyone's sake. Hell, this is the time to stand together and put past issues aside.

I must say that this forum is a weapon for all us posties, because when we get fed bullsh!t locally, we can make a post in here and get a flavour of what's going on elsewhere in the country and get support. I'll give 'em the site address too, so they can read the threads and know the strength of feeling against this crap pay deal

side_door · Post by **side_door** » 20 May 2007, 20:36

Rm cannot do a separate deal for non-union workers -- this is enshrined in Industrial relations law. Under the rules for collective bargaining, the pay and conditions negotiated by the majority representatives of the workers (in this case the CWU) are binding on all workers -- even non-union.

However, there are ways around this. One is say, that certain workers have significantly different duties and therefore have need of differing levels of pay and conditions. This might be said to apply with bag carriers. The CWU ruled out 5 hour walks at the time of SDD and yet bag carriers are employed to deliver mail (only) for five hours a day.

Negotiations at the local level would apply terms and conditions for that locale only. So a postman in London would have different pay and conditions to one in say Manchester or Birmingham. This is what RM has said it wants.

We need to fight for National Agreements and ensure that all postal workers are covered under them. The single worst decision this union ever made (I wasn't here for it) was to allow the workforce to be splilt into full-time and AG workers. This allows them, with the duties at least, to play one set off against the other. With the advent of bag carriers and new technologies RM will seek to introduce new divisions and new categories to more effectively divide and conquer the workforce.

As for strike breakers it is an extremely unfair and unpalatable fact of life post-Thatcher that we will be fighting not only for our own rights but their's as well. The only thing we can do at this point is to have the arguments with them about why they should pull their own weight when it comes to action. What we do during and after the strike is point out to them what they are, and how they are damaging their own long-term interests. Unfortunately, under the law, we cannot do more than that. If we can, I would be very pleased to learn what that is.

Big Daz · Post by **Big Daz** » 20 May 2007, 20:37

Ive got a non mbr signed up last week dosent want to be the only one coming in! Never been in a union in his life!

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 20 May 2007, 20:54

Well done Daz , it's never been so important not to be a virgin as regards being a member of a union. What with
employers aggressive obssession with market economies , market forces, and market rates , the one and only safeguard for a working
man/woman is the protection being a member of a Trade Union can provide in this day and age.

To think I can say that in the 21st Century !

marky · Post by **marky** » 20 May 2007, 21:24

Hertfordshirehog.
At the end of the day, if your not in the union then are u in royal mails pocket, yes sir no sir three bags full sir its these type of people that give rm hope to try and smash the union if we all where to stand together rm would cave in after the first day of any strike,its the strike breakers that keep rm going.
SO IF A NON UNION MEMBER IS WILLING TO HELP RM DURING A STRIKE! YES HE OR SHE ARE FUC*ING SCAB BAS*ARDS.
I HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION

johno47 · Post by **johno47** » 20 May 2007, 23:01

Hertfordshirehog, you are talking about the actions of a union rep, not the CWU, any unofficial action cannot be condoned by them, also any office rep that takes staff out on an unofficial strike can be in serious trouble with RM they can take him to court and claim damages against him as an individual, if hes that bad you dont put him up at the next union election.
And as for lablling non union members as strike breakers, it doesnt matter to me if they are in the union or not, if they cross that picket line they are strike breakers, whether they are non union members, managers, casuals or people working for another company, anyone who goes into work while people are outside suffering financial hardship to stand up for what is right are in my opinion strike breakers...UNITY IS STRENGTH.

ROYALMAILCHAT

strike breakers

Re: STRIKE