Hi there, here is latest bulletin 16 November 2016... as always any feedback is welcomed whether positive or negative!
LET'S COMPARE NOTES
Yes, while we are still waiting for Bulletin number 2 over the pensions issue, (apparently it's due soon!!) we've started discussing among ourselves. Of course, if RM thinks it can get away with cutting its contributions from 17.1% to 10%, it won't hesitate. And they will go ahead and end our defined benefit scheme too - which is already degraded to "career average". So this fight can't be postponed to 2018 - we need to answer this threat now!
A STRONG FIGHT WITH STRONG LEADERS?
But it seems that the more militant union officials who wrote "Bulletin No 1, want to take a lesson from 2008, when RM "delinked" pension negotiations (with the union's agreement) from the pay negotiations. RM then got away with putting us into the career average scheme and ending the defined benefit scheme for new starters.
But was it the fact of "delinking", or the fact of a weak-kneed leadership who also sold out the fight against the 2008 pay deal?
IT'S ALL OF OUR FUTURES AT STAKE
Apparently, the reasoning this time is that quite a few of us (30%?) are now in the poorer, defined contribution (DC) scheme, (which doesn't guarantee what your pension payment will be) and therefore they think we wouldn't join in a fight against ending the DB pension scheme. But what if the fight is to have a better scheme for all? And a fight without delay to stop all the other nonsense RM is trying on us?!
ENDS DON'T MEET ON PART-TIME
We hear rumours that RM will (finally?) recruit some more postal workers after Xmas… But the problem is that apparently these are going to be part-time jobs?! This is exactly what they're already doing in EC! And it's totally out of order!
Of course, RM would like to get us all into PT... and then throw some OT at us now and then, to try to get the work finished. In fact it already does that!
BRING THEM ON PERM!
We see in the news, that RM is opening 9 temporary parcel-processing centres this year - where 3,300 Xmas casuals are expected to work. Wouldn't it make sense to get as many of these casuals to give a permanent hand all year round (including on ever- struggling deliveries!)? But once again, "sense" and "RM" are like "water" and "oil"…
THEY'RE OUR NEEDY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
As for here at HMP - well we hear that there's a kind of a dispute over Xmas pressure SA. Actually we can't really understand it. Why can't we just have the usual arrangement - which is what (almost!) works? What seems to be happening is that management is trying to play us off against the extremely hard-up Xmas casuals (coming 5 December), and that's just not acceptable. Nobody should lose out. Neither us, nor the casuals.
DOCTOR WHO?
Two weeks ago, one of our mates got hurt on duty: the automatic door by the platform struck his shoulder… but Doctor Etcetera thought it wise to argue against putting it in the book, playing on words and saying it was an incident and not an accident, etcetera… Well, we hope our mate got to see a real doctor, and told the fake doctor where to go jump!
OLD TRICK
Actually we have been warned about this by the union Branch; managers trying to argue that something is not an accident and therefore shouldn't be reported - so that their Health and Safety statistics look better than they really are.
TRUMPED?
We know Xmas is here - because managers have suddenly changed the PBR foreign without telling anybody! Switzerland has disappeared into thin air! And now the USA has appeared - as a priority! Is this HMP bosses' deciding to Trump the mail?
WITH A FLASHLIGHT
We all find the dark afternoons a bit miserable - but spare a thought for the delivery postmen and women. Back in the day it wasn't a problem because we'd be well-finished by 4pm. But now our deliveries in many DOs are going on well into the night! To be honest, they need to equip us with headlamps for our trolleys and flashlights to light our way...
A CWU-RM JUNKETT
Worse, we see in the Voice that RM and the CWU are partnering up over bombarding us with more Door 2 Dustbin deliveries - with these new trials being carried out in Reading. Yes 2nd hand car salesman Bob Gibson's legacy is being continued by even more full-time CWU-ers who are in cahoots to bump up RM's profit margin. It stinks. But not only that, it also gives us broken feet and broken backs. And that's why we should junk the junk.
LOST CHILD
Romec cleaners thought the Pat-ethic Elephant had definitely adopted two baby elephants. Only it seems he is as good at parenting as he is at managing… So one of his babies fled! The question is now, how long the second one will last?
[Oh and by the way, that amorous elephant in the last bulletin wasn't meant to be a cartoon of Donald Trump...]
WHO IS THE PROBLEM?
Seriously though, you have to wonder why it is that his fellow Romec manager first, and now a new supervisor, both felt the need to resign. And what is this incompetent going to do about the vacancies - it's a lot more than 2 to be filled - at least 5 of us have left and then there's the extra work represented by the 350 casuals. We need at least 8 more permanent staff.
PS: We must say thanks to RM for the Xmas stamps - no more, no less - one thing’s unchanging: their “generosity”!
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