Come on union

[big ginger]

The only time a strike is effective is during the run up to Christmas. I also blame our Union for the pension debacle. When the final salary scheme was scrapped the membership did not receive a ballot on this.

[LouBarlow]

The union only seem interested in telling me who to vote for in the general election. I'd rather they spend their time and my money sorting out more pressing matters frankly.

[Martin Walsh]

The only time a strike is effective is during the run up to Christmas. I also blame our Union for the pension debacle. When the final salary scheme was scrapped the membership did not receive a ballot on this.

This is simply not true. The membership was balloted for strike action on Pay and Mod including Pensions and pensions was decoupled from the Pay and Mod agreement. As someone who argued at the rostrum to take more strike action over pensions there was not universal support and the vast majority did not support further strike action. The membership voted in the Pay and Mod Agreement and the membership voted to support the new DB scheme which is the current one we are fighting to protect now. The union also secured that all your service up too 2008 would still be paid at final salary at the age of 60. Royal Mail had not offered that until we took strike action and this added 1.6 billion to the pension costs.

Lou the CWU are asking you to support them over the 4 pillars and against Royal Mail's attacks. The comms which are on here along with loads on Facebook about membership meetings in offices up and down the UK along with the emergency motions which have been displayed under the union page on here are all about protecting the membership.

However do you really think that what happens in Government does not have a wider impact on us ? Pensions , job security , wages , inflation , paid hoiliday entilement , NHS , care etc effect all our members and as a union we should be campaigning for a Government who looks after the millions not just the millionaires and let's just hope we see the end of May in June in more ways than one.

[ewancurze]

Strikes at any time during and after September are the only thing that will worry RM overly.That is when Christmas is looming on the horizon,that gives us another 4 Months in which to negotiate/ballot/organise.
I would say we are in a fairly strong position,we have time to put our points across and if RM really are not interested we can build the pressure slowly,show the public we are not rushing into strikes,and prepare for what could be a very difficult fight towards the end of this year.
Make no mistake,these current RM proposals are a complete game changer and all of us are going to have to stick together more than we ever have.
4 more months----the clock is ticking!

[Lounge Lizard]

For me, people should understand that when there is a ballot and the Question on the paper is "Would you take action up to and including a strike", that's not the real question.

The decision on whether to strike or not is actually taken on the day of the strike not when you are placing your "X".

The real question on the ballot paper is - Will you please vote YES to give the negotiators the strongest possible mandate. If people understood that, we'd get 90% backing every time.

I doubt a more valid or useful posting has been made on this forum but sadly too few will take notice and vote accordingly.

[enskied]

For me, people should understand that when there is a ballot and the Question on the paper is "Would you take action up to and including a strike", that's not the real question.

The decision on whether to strike or not is actually taken on the day of the strike not when you are placing your "X".

The real question on the ballot paper is - Will you please vote YES to give the negotiators the strongest possible mandate. If people understood that, we'd get 90% backing every time.

I agree TB. But and it is a big BUT. Our Union seems to like negotiating.
working conditions have spiraled downwards dramatically for the last 7 years. Right at the time the Union Bigwigs decided to talk and reason rather than act. End result is we have been screwed over while they chat. CWU is weak at the top and therefor weak at the bottom. I fear the damage has already been done.

[UnhappyGremlin]

For me, people should understand that when there is a ballot and the Question on the paper is "Would you take action up to and including a strike", that's not the real question.

The decision on whether to strike or not is actually taken on the day of the strike not when you are placing your "X".

The real question on the ballot paper is - Will you please vote YES to give the negotiators the strongest possible mandate. If people understood that, we'd get 90% backing every time.

I agree TB. But and it is a big BUT. Our Union seems to like negotiating.
working conditions have spiraled downwards dramatically for the last 7 years. Right at the time the Union Bigwigs decided to talk and reason rather than act. End result is we have been screwed over while they chat. CWU is weak at the top and therefor weak at the bottom. I fear the damage has already been done.

Of course the union negotiates. That's what they're there for.
Nothing would come of starting a meeting/discussions on pay/pensions and the future direction of the company, especially in regards of staff, and just getting up, walking out and balloting for action after 10 minutes because you don't like Royal Mails position. It would be nothing but detrimental to us. It wouldn't play well in the media either.

Talk first. And second, And third.
If, after a while, you don't get anywhere, then you ask for Industrial action. It's the last resort, always has been. Royal Mail just seem to push us there quite often (I think deliberately for the most part).

And before anyone starts with "the union don't do anything" etc., remember all members ARE the union.
And if you're not willing to take action, even minor action like voting to strike when asked to give the top brass the leverage they need, then you have no right of complaint. Apathy from the frontline is a major issue, RM know it and are relying on it. It makes their job of shafting us a lot easier.
If the bottom end of the union, i.e. frontline staff, are unwilling to support the union achieve what they need to for us all, then we've already lost, and before you know it, we'll all be on contracts akin to those of supermarket staff.
Then you really will have something to moan about, but like always, you'll blame the union for "not doing their job", whilst many staff were unwilling to give them a stick which the union top brass could use to hit RM with. The union generally beats itself, due to apathy, and RM has gotten used to just waiting for the staff to give in to their demands.
The staff then blame the union, despite the fact it is always the staff that vote in the agreements.

After privatisation, RM were always going to come for our T&C's, we all need to stand up and stop them, together.
They'll be back every time for more, nothing will stop that. They'll always want more for less.

I think it's time people accepted that when it comes to negotiations, it's 2 way.
We don't get everything we want, but neither do RM. They compromise.
Though I do think the union has done a little bit too much of giving up to get, and RM not enough.
But I'm sure some top brass would say it's the best they could do as they didn't have the full and complete backing of the frontline.

Now is the time to go to war. RM fired warning shots in the last two rounds of talks. Their stance isn't unexpected.
It's time to retaliate. But to do that, we need to give the top brass the full backing of us all. And if it comes to a strike ballot, vote yes.

[steve1873]

For me, people should understand that when there is a ballot and the Question on the paper is "Would you take action up to and including a strike", that's not the real question.

The decision on whether to strike or not is actually taken on the day of the strike not when you are placing your "X".

The real question on the ballot paper is - Will you please vote YES to give the negotiators the strongest possible mandate. If people understood that, we'd get 90% backing every time.

This is very true, and needs to be communicated to every unit.

[Darren Bent]

I would arrange strike the week after Thank giving week if I was Union top dog. Assuming there is a need to call for one.

[PHARRY]

Strike while the irons hot ,the last thing Royal Mail will want to be hearing now with a general election looming is the threat of strike action . It should focus their minds on the important issues that matter to us .

Are you a aggitater ultra left wing commie

Your trolling is getting obvious. Please desist as it causes too many problems.

Just expressing my opinion or isn't that allowed anymore nothing personal to chicken wittle

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Opinions are fine but just keep them respectful and non-inflammatory. Still, hope you aren't taking D2Ds home with you as expressed in one opinion.