Any progress ?

comeracing · Post by **comeracing** » 21 Feb 2017, 17:26

Regarding the 35 hour week and the other bits n bobs,are the union and royal mail in negotiations or are they all on annual leave,anybody out there

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 21 Feb 2017, 17:34

strike over pensions by what dingo's saying

chickenwittle · Post by **chickenwittle** » 21 Feb 2017, 18:38

Surely work to rule and overtime ban should be tried before resorting to strike action .

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 21 Feb 2017, 18:50

chickenwittle wrote:Surely work to rule and overtime ban should be tried before resorting to strike action .

well I would most definitely agree with an overtime ban, but the union seem reluctant to use this as an option for industrial action. don't know why. its not as if its been tried and failed in the past.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 21 Feb 2017, 18:57

chickenwittle wrote:Surely work to rule and overtime ban should be tried before resorting to strike action.

In a mixed contract workforce, an overtime ban has a greater effect on those on the lowest hours, and hardly any on full time. It also isolates people and they come under extreme pressure from management.

In essence, a work to rule (without overtime ban) has the same problems, people are isolated and as soon as they break the rules, however minor, they are suspended to try and scare others back to working normally.

So a work to rule can cost someone their job on a relatively minor point (such as overweight bags, leaving early, not taking a break, failing doorstep scan etc) and an overtime ban hits lower earners disproportionately.

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 21 Feb 2017, 19:17

it wouldn't hit lower earners as much as a strike would though.

jetblack · Post by **jetblack** » 21 Feb 2017, 19:29

daveyeff wrote:it wouldn't hit lower earners as much as a strike would though.

That would hit us all though.

postslippete · Post by **postslippete** » 21 Feb 2017, 19:58

Its been mentioned on another thread before - but a work to rule and overtime ban is never going to work. There is no point dipping your toe in the water and being frightened of getting wet. You have to be prepared to go in and make a bl**dy big splash!

Because the only thing that will bring the Royal Mail back to the drawing board and give us infinitely better terms and conditions of future employment is an all-out strike. Why? Because it shows our intent and the threat of wholly withdrawing our labour is the only way of doing this. Royal Mail don't want us to strike. It affects their profits and sustainability as a company. A company that is often full of bull and jumps on the bandwagon whenever necessary. I don't know, maybe its just a coincidence that when Marks & Sparks announce that they are changing their pension scheme that Royal Mail decides a few months later, hey, thats a good idea, we can do that as well!

And on the subject of 35 hour week as per CWU. I can't possibly envisage how this is the answer because I cannot honestly see Royal Mail accepting the conditions whereby it pays its staff 39 hours pay for working 35! The very idea of this suggests to me that it is more likely that Royal Mail will perhaps some way meet the CWU halfway in their proposals - and for what - later scheduled start and finish times? No chance!! We may not have control over our workloads but we do at least have control over the hours that we work every week. Those that don't want any control over them may as well decide to have an overtime ban and believe me that won't be difficult once the changes have kicked in the way Royal Mail want. Anyone volunteers for extra loops after 5pm anyone??

Finally, trade union history proves that the threat of a strike is often enough for them (98% success rate) to stall their radical plans and negotiate properly and fairly with Unions. If only staff at Royal Mail stood up for themselves as a unit instead of doing their own thing when it suits them, but then again, I may as well go and talk to that wall over there. I would probably get more sense.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 21 Feb 2017, 20:04

35hr weeks will never happen (at least in MCs anyway), we often struggle to clear most days on most shifts, RM would either have to put in a lot more overtime or give everyone 4-5hrs compulsory SA

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 21 Feb 2017, 20:43

The very notion of industrial action has unsettled investors and has been reflected in the share price, RM will be very guarded with not rocking the boat over pensions.

telithowitis · Post by **telithowitis** » 21 Feb 2017, 21:37

I reckon everyone working to time/no overtime/ day off working on Wednesdays would be the least impact financially on both full and part timers initially and as we all know would cause chaos, and may Cause a back down?

postiel · Post by **postiel** » 22 Feb 2017, 14:37

In the past at least 20% of our office ignored the strikes.
If the same people ignored the overtime ban (more than likely) they could more than mop up
all of the work.

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 22 Feb 2017, 18:44

postiel wrote:In the past at least 20% of our office ignored the strikes.

Post by **Lincox** » 23 Feb 2017, 15:20

20% is that all.
In the SPDO that I worked in we had a staff of ten, and guess what, I was the only one on strike, so 90% continued to work. Furthermore when I returned the following day, none of the mail on my frame had been delivered despite the fact that on strike day most of them finished early.