09/05/2018 Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[jimallen]

Hi there, here's the bulletin of the 9th of May. You'll find attached the entire bulletin. Comments welcome!

CALLING A CUT A CUT
Yes, we finally got our back-pay last week - and
about time! RM held on to it for over a year, so what
about getting the interest they made while it was in
their bank?! As for what RM calls a pay "increase",
some of us might say it's better than nothing, but
with inflation hitting a high of 4.1% last year (RPI),
let's agree to call it what it really is: a cut in real pay!

THIS ISN'T OUR 3-1-8!
But other than making ends meet, what's also in our
minds is what RM has in store for us as regards our
T&Cs - and it doesn't look good! We know they're
preparing for the big re-sign and want to implement
all those bits and pieces that the RM/CWU nonagreement
left hanging off their so-called "4 Pillars":
like "work efficiencies", "improving attendance",
"flexible duties" and all the rest of the screw
turnings… We'd better prepare to resist!

NO GOOD AT MULTI-TASKING
Yes, things have changed. Nowadays we don't
even have real duties - after every fit-up and re-sign
they've miraculously multiplied the work for each
job… And on top of the "multi-tasking", managers
see fit to send us wherever there's pressure! Until
the pressure mounts into one single task: using our
feet to walk out!

THE GOOD…
Wow. Managers are finally planning to move EC
frames closer to the lifts and Inward closer to the
platform! It's taken them a while to figure out the
obvious: that EC was where Inward should be and
vice versa. Which frankly was a Royal Pain for us
since we're the ones pushing yorkies all over the
shop floor! So now that they seem to have
temporarily come to their senses, what about
presenting them with the long list of "other things
which are wrong" in HMP?

…THE BAD…
But of course, what RM managers do with one hand,
they undo with the other! So while they re-arrange
the frames, we know they'll try to sneak-in some job
cuts! And the fact that they said they won't at WTS
two weeks ago, is an admission that that's exactly
what they're planning!

…AND THE UGLY
We read on Royal Mail Chat that HWDC's got its
lease renewed for another 15 years and that they
might get the packet-sorting machine… In other
words, we can expect quite a lot of foreign packets
coming our way soon...

HE THINKS HE'S THE QUEEN BEE?
For once, B the Bee gave us a good laugh by
buzzing in the ears of other managers! Yes, since
he’s a grade or two higher than the rest of the
swarm, he tries to bozz them around… As long as
he keeps away from our ears, no problem!

DIVIDE AND RULE
This is not okay! On Lates, we're fed up with
managers having their favourites and breathing
down the necks of the rest of us... as if we were in a
sort of "beauty" contest whose prize is getting
scratched on the back by a manager?

THE TRICK IS TO BE DECENT
Welcome to the circus at RM-PFS (ex-Romec)! The
new trick the pat-hetic elephant is performing
consists of sitting in the men's locker-room, to check
while we're changing! Who knew that elephants had
no decency - but we're sure that decency is a trick
he can learn - and we'll happily provide the peanuts!

SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENING?
We were pleased that the Mount Pleasant CWU
branch put a resolution to the union conference
about us at PFS being treated as a real part of the
workforce - and getting decent pensions! There
were similar resolutions about Quadrant workmates.
Yes, about time RM was forced to stop treating us
as 2nd class!

NO OT?
It’s strange: “there is no overtime”, we are told. And
that would be a good thing if wages were higher...
But then “friends and family” of managers somehow
are doing the odd OT hour here and the OT odd
hour there. In fact, yes, it’s the only way the work
will get cleared. But more workers is what’s needed,
not more back-scratching.

STAY HOME!
We’re fed up with the way mates who are sick or
disabled are treated. (And we miss William who was
sacked from FPS!) Then we saw that news item last
week about “presenteeism” from the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). It
found 86% of workplaces “had observed staff
attending work while ill”. Says it all really.

WE ARE OVER-WALKED
Another shocker is of RM’s own making: that
retirement on health grounds is highest among
delivery postmen and postwomen. With no limit
anymore on walks and all that junk mail, of course it
is. Time for Door-to-Dustbin to be returned to
sender. With no loss of pay, of course.