mount pleasant workers fight bulletin 4/6/14

[anna]

hello, here's the latest WF Mount Pleasant bulletin

VOTE NO!
The CWU leaders representing Post Office Limited workers persist in claiming they’ve negotiated a“first class deal” and of course, recommend a “yes” vote. But that makes what they call “members’ effort and patience” - 15 days strike in all - a waste. Let’s tell the truth for once. The Crown Post Offices which mates were defending by their strike are to be franchised out now - and in the end jobs will be cut and conditions degraded. The pay deal isn’t straightforward, but with strings attached. It even includes a bribe for voting yes! First class deal? It’s got no class at all!

IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP AFTER THE BEHEADING
Yes, to be franchised, Post Offices are meant to go through a round of “efficiencies” and cuts. And after that many cuts, PO bosses will end up, as they always do, cutting off the head of the service - and will find themselves unable to stitch it back together again...

WE DIDN’T VOTE FOR THIS EITHER...
So RM made headlines by announcing it would bring in Sunday deliveries. They say it’s to keep up with the competition. But then said it would be just for packets, ordered online, from certain companies - and only within the M25. From here, it looks like it’s the other way round - that the “competition” has some way to go to keep up with Royal Mail!

OUR FAMILY&FRIENDS TIME
All this talk of Sunday work ... But it’s an anti-social no-no, even if you get a day in lieu. And just because we used to do it (feels like a long time ago) doesn’t mean we should do it again...

THE NEXT STEP...
On top of it, when you look at what they did to our Saturdays - stealing half of our weekend and then turning Saturday into a flat rate day, you can be sure that after a little while, Sundays will suffer the same treatment...

WHO’S IN CHARGE?
For once, on packets, Manager Number 1 wasn’t on our backs... We cheered up. But not for long. Because Manager Number 2 and Manager Number 3, and even Manager Number 4 were sent in to replace him - and all at the same time!
And while they were deciding who was going to be “in charge” (take your pick!), they kept getting in our way and disrupting the work they were meant to be organising. Of course. Next time, if there is a next time, we’ll just go and have a cup of tea while they make up their minds.
THEY’RE PROVOKING US...
One of our Romec mates was sacked and one is suspended - accused of going home early when the job was done - and what’s more this was at the weekend. Well we demand the right to go when we’ve finished our work. This is perfectly reasonable. Once an area is cleaned there’s nothing more to do with it. Our mates must be reinstated!!

ANNT PHOTOGRAPHER?
We couldn’t believe our eyes the other morning when we saw a Romec manageress squatting at the front door with a small camera. She took a photo of the tiny ledge in the doorway. To “prove” that there was a speck of dust on it? And then what? Discipline a cleaner? This is mad. No other word for it. Does Romec expect its managers to behave in this insane fashion to “win” their place in a future slimmed-down business? Or is this little boss just off her rocker? Whatever the rhyme or the reason, it’s got to stop.

SHERLOCK IS ON THEIR CASE!
Ok, we can take retaliatory action: armed with cameras, we can photograph all these rogues who’re harassing us ... and then decide what to do with this “evidence”...

SNAP-HAPPY VERSUS SNAP-SAD
But then it occurs to us: isn’t taking photos inside RM contravening the “Official Secrets Act”? Probably not. RM’s Courier takes pictures inside all the time - of happy workers with friendly managers. Not quite the same thing, though, is it?

CHEAP SERVICE=EXPENSIVE SERVICE
Unfortunately, the ATMs in the spanking new PO on the corner certainly were not replaced with spanking new ones. The cheapskate bosses (who decides?) just re-used the old, causing us big problems as a result : someone managed to attach one of those cloning devices and nick credit card numbers! Not funny.

LET’S ORGANISE A FIGHT BACK!?
The high tech new CWU website has an item from a government statistical bulletin which says that workers who belong to a union are £4,000 a year better-off than non-unionised workers... Billy Hayes adds: yes, “the only way to tackle the cost of living crisis is to organise!” The question we have for Billy is “organise what?” Has he any idea?

[SpacePhoenix]

Sunday working will happen within a year, two years tops nationwide. If RM doesn't it risks loosing big customers like Amazon and if it looses big customers, it'll cut RM's revenue and then they'll be looking to axe jobs. Do the people against Sunday working want to risk their own jobs? In DOs it might give part timers to get over the course of a week full-time hours.

[tpost]

Sunday working will happen within a year, two years tops nationwide. If RM doesn't it risks loosing big customers like Amazon and if it looses big customers, it'll cut RM's revenue and then they'll be looking to axe jobs. Do the people against Sunday working want to risk their own jobs? In DOs it might give part timers to get over the course of a week full-time hours.

I spoke to an ex parcelforce owner driver this week.He is now working for hermes thursday to monday. He said hermes have won two large contracts to deliver packets on the weekends. RM have to up their game to compete whether we like it or not.

[baldrick]

And Hermes is tracked. You can work out what day they are going to deliver on, they make three attempts to deliver before returning parcel to sender. And they are cheaper than Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

[johnyo]

I am a parcelforce 7.5t delivery & collection driver, it's true DPD came from nowhere & severely kicked our Arses, roughly 3 years ago we started haemorrhaging collections, old customers that had been with us for 15 years plus.. every bulk route & van route was hit. When I mentioned this to local management the old attitude prevailed they will come back!!they never did !! Arrogance or colossal stupidity ???? Every Parcelforce director & senior manager need to be made redundant !!
We are just implementing SMS delivery notification again 2 years behind the competition !!!
The main reason we are implementing SMS delivery the bulletin informed me was because customers are demanding it & we can't compete for new contracts !! Unbelievable isn't it!! clueless clowns at the top who can't run a bath !!!
How can we compete ?? A start would be merging the 2 companies back to 1, it's a complete no brainer having 2 sets of directors 2 sets of vehicles 2 depots ect ect, when essentially the 2 companies are encroaching on each overs work PARCELS