Poll : Are we all ready for a National Strike?

[ernieshoe]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Good point.

[Post69]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Exactly my point! We all in our lives are going to need arrangements for the unexpected but having children is normally not unexpected but the amount of time I've heard family friendly and need to get home for the kids in the same sentence! my fear is its just getting hi-jacked by these people!

[ernieshoe]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Exactly my point! We all in our lives are going to need arrangements for the unexpected but having children is normally not unexpected but the amount of time I've heard family friendly and need to get home for the kids in the same sentence! my fear is its just getting hi-jacked by these people!

Another selfish postman pops up.

It's not fair BLAH BLAH BLAH

[Ricardo44]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Exactly my point! We all in our lives are going to need arrangements for the unexpected but having children is normally not unexpected but the amount of time I've heard family friendly and need to get home for the kids in the same sentence! my fear is its just getting hi-jacked by these people!

Well said..

Its always the same few selfish people whingeing and bleating about their kids and expecting preferential treatment...

You couldn't make it up..

[Lounge Lizard]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Exactly my point! We all in our lives are going to need arrangements for the unexpected but having children is normally not unexpected but the amount of time I've heard family friendly and need to get home for the kids in the same sentence! my fear is its just getting hi-jacked by these people!

Another selfish postman pops up.

It's not fair BLAH BLAH BLAH

Ernie,
So "for people with kids to pick up from school concessions should be made - but otherwise tough titties" is fair but for "family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother" is "Another selfish postman pops up"
Is Wise your second name or are you really attempting to be serious ?

[daveyeff]

new starters on less money for 3 years. pension different for everyone who joined after 2008. (executive action by them). I suppose you also think its ok to rob people of thousands and thousands of pounds by raping their pensions as well. oh and they ALWAYS never mention the fact that they are raking in a BILLION quid a year from D2D. All money they say is not there. but its strange how they find this money when strikes are mentioned or imposed. (2010 superdeal)

It's called negotiation DaveyLad.

They could always get others to deliver Door to Doors and not you!

You failed to mention my other points - strange that !

your other points,...well lets look shall we!!...starting with your second point. we should accept later starts. people with kids should have concessions made for them. if you haven't got kids tough titties!!...what a totally selfish point. a lot of people started this job because of the early finish, lifestyle and other commitments were able to be upheld because of this. now because the jobs changed only people with kids should get an early finish!! WOW..... your first point is totally 100% WRONG. bringing in 6 hour deliveries will NOT save jobs it will cause job LOSSES!!. where do you think that extra work will come from ernie?... i'll give you a clue. not indoor work!! 2 years ago Mark Baulch was at our office and it was him who told us about RMs hidden agenda on 6 hr deliveries. other duties will be carved up to achieve this. i.e. lets say you have an office where all walks are 4hrs long. you have duty A. B. & C. they will take 2 hrs work from duty B. and add that to duty A. and the other 2 hrs will be put on to duty C. giving both duties 6 hrs work. duty B. will be made redundant. that's 1 in 3 jobs will go. now the figure he actually gave was this:- RM currently have 68000 walks up and down the country. they want that reduced to 43000. that's 25000 jobs to go ernie....NOT SAVED!!. And these redundancies are not being picked on a seniority basis either!! it could be you, me, anybody who's duty is carved up. now you tell me if you or Mr S.O.B think that this is not worth striking over then fair enough...I wish you well in your redundancy. its an inevitable outcome that ONLY strike action will stop. vote for it lads and lasses its the only way to stop their rot.

[daveyeff]

oh, and just to add insult to injury, RM also want the MTSF changed in their favour. so people who think that redundancy is a preferable option, then think again. they want it changed so redundancy packages are not in excess of 30 weeks pay. or about 13 grand. for F/T. obviously less for P/T.

[hampshireman]

There is no shame in fear but to attempt to transfer that fear to others is pretty despicable. There are highly paid people whose job it is to keep Royal Mail going, a major part of that job is to ensure that the workforce is engaged, committed and productive.

That obviously isn't the case in royal mail and if the staff (not the union) vote for industrial action the blame for that lies squarely at the feet of business and its failure to treat its staff with respect. If the business suffers due to industrial confrontation only someone with no idea of cause, effect and responsibility would blame the staff. This politically driven illiterate ideology that strikes are the fault of the union and its members completely removes any responsibility from the employer to maintain good industrial relations. Do engaged, committed and productive staff vote to strike?

Bury your heads in the sand if you wish but industrial action will only come about if union members dictated to by their bully boys masters vote for it. Whatever your beef is with management throwing a hissy fit and downing tools is not the way to deal with things.

The coal industry like many of our industries were decimated by the politically driven actions of militant trade union leaders who succeeded only in putting thousands of their members out of work. Union leaders today are raking in 6 figure salaries so the notion they are representing you is utter piffle.

Explain wild cat strikes happening all over the country. These are not union driven but anger from staff who have simply had enough of being bullied. And also SOB what is your solution?

He has none wonder why

If you don't like your job then maybe you should seek alternative employment. Oh wait...a lot of you have never worked anywhere else and would be like fish out of water working in any other company that actually expects you to work your full paid hours.

Just like Corbyn has never had a proper job...

Would not normally respond to this .

I have worked at a very high level (one that you could never reach).

I choose to work for RM. I might not like some of the elements.

It also provides a job that pays the bills.

I have much less stress.

My lovely wife has much less stress (because I am not away all the time)

Working for RM used to be enjoyable . Sadly not so much now.

[ernieshoe]

I have a family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother. FF isn't just for kids, its for any family commitment.

Exactly my point! We all in our lives are going to need arrangements for the unexpected but having children is normally not unexpected but the amount of time I've heard family friendly and need to get home for the kids in the same sentence! my fear is its just getting hi-jacked by these people!

Another selfish postman pops up.

It's not fair BLAH BLAH BLAH

Ernie,
So "for people with kids to pick up from school concessions should be made - but otherwise tough titties" is fair but for "family friendly arrangement because I am a carer for my elderly mother" is "Another selfish postman pops up"
Is Wise your second name or are you really attempting to be serious ?

you need to read the thread properly

[ernieshoe]

new starters on less money for 3 years. pension different for everyone who joined after 2008. (executive action by them). I suppose you also think its ok to rob people of thousands and thousands of pounds by raping their pensions as well. oh and they ALWAYS never mention the fact that they are raking in a BILLION quid a year from D2D. All money they say is not there. but its strange how they find this money when strikes are mentioned or imposed. (2010 superdeal)

It's called negotiation DaveyLad.

They could always get others to deliver Door to Doors and not you!

You failed to mention my other points - strange that !

your other points,...well lets look shall we!!...starting with your second point. we should accept later starts. people with kids should have concessions made for them. if you haven't got kids tough titties!!...what a totally selfish point. a lot of people started this job because of the early finish, lifestyle and other commitments were able to be upheld because of this. now because the jobs changed only people with kids should get an early finish!! WOW..... your first point is totally 100% WRONG. bringing in 6 hour deliveries will NOT save jobs it will cause job LOSSES!!. where do you think that extra work will come from ernie?... i'll give you a clue. not indoor work!! 2 years ago Mark Baulch was at our office and it was him who told us about RMs hidden agenda on 6 hr deliveries. other duties will be carved up to achieve this. i.e. lets say you have an office where all walks are 4hrs long. you have duty A. B. & C. they will take 2 hrs work from duty B. and add that to duty A. and the other 2 hrs will be put on to duty C. giving both duties 6 hrs work. duty B. will be made redundant. that's 1 in 3 jobs will go. now the figure he actually gave was this:- RM currently have 68000 walks up and down the country. they want that reduced to 43000. that's 25000 jobs to go ernie....NOT SAVED!!. And these redundancies are not being picked on a seniority basis either!! it could be you, me, anybody who's duty is carved up. now you tell me if you or Mr S.O.B think that this is not worth striking over then fair enough...I wish you well in your redundancy. its an inevitable outcome that ONLY strike action will stop. vote for it lads and lasses its the only way to stop their rot.

Good post.
To be honest I'm playing Devils Advocate to get some different views.
I've finally got some.
My honest opinion.
I do think change is inevitable and technology will bring about very little indoor work at all.
The job will become so much less labour intensive; and for the next 20 years at least manpower will be delivering.
Do you not think that the Union should accept this and work on getting good redundancy terms, a fair sickness and performance plan ?
Strike action can result in better terms but if you think it will save jobs then I disagree - technology will come faster than it has and it will result in big job losses.
Also I feel Monday - Friday deliveries will come soon - saturdays will be ditched - more job losses.
Technology also results in fewer mailings.
Royal Mail will be as near as damn it a parcels company with vastly reduced staffing.
FYI I would strike but for different reasons other than the inevitable.

[wookie]

I don't think Saturdays will be ditched. The opposite may happen, Sundays become a delivery day in the future. As people want their parcels 7 days a week.

[postslippete]

The idea of ditching Saturdays (I wish) and Tuesdays because they are lighter days will not happen. What will most likely happen is that RM will want less staff working on that day and to maximise their efficiency instead i.e. have staff to perhaps deliver two duties

[30+YEARMAN]

I don't think Saturdays will be ditched. The opposite may happen, Sundays become a delivery day in the future. As people want their parcels 7 days a week.

Yes, But that would cost money' extra diesel, lighting ,heating etc and we all know how much RM hate to spend money.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Do you not think that the Union should accept this and work on getting good redundancy terms, a fair sickness and performance plan ?

Strike action can result in better terms but if you think it will save jobs then I disagree - technology will come faster than it has and it will result in big job losses.

Ummm. Frankly, these 2 lines surprised me.

Strike Action isn't to save jobs, the CWU know one wave will have an impact, they are trying to mitigate them. Shorter week means less delivery time outside than RM plan, it also will help mitigate musculoskeletal disorders.

They are not asking us to strike over technology again that is inevitable, and hopefully, will make the job better.

We won't be striking to improve our T&Cs, well be striking to either protect them or at least lessen the damages. If we aren't willing to get a good ballot result then welcome to 3 days no sick pay, monthly pay with minimal assistance, loss of all legacy payments including bonuses which were won under RMs own rules and agreements. Loss of a pension in retirement. Letting RM have a two-tier workforce where new starters (and recent starters) are on worse pensions instead of us all on the same, where they only get 80% of the pay we do for 3 - 5 years instead of 90% for 1 year.

[daveyeff]

strike action may not prevent job losses, but could postpone the inevitable. yes I do think the union should work on better redundancy terms, but also much better pay and conditions as well, because being outside for 6 hrs (possibly longer) when its pissing down with rain/sleet/snow and in summer scorching hot, the effects on peoples health will be well compromised. I won't be doing them, nor will many blokes my age or thereabouts. but the workforce who are will be a lot smaller so the wages should be much MUCH better if this is what is expected of them year in year out. it will have to be a younger healthier workforce to endure doing that for years. but to sit back and do nothing and let RM walk all over us is NOT an option. we HAVE to fight.