12/09/2018 Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[jimallen]

Hi, the Mount Pleasant bulletin is back from its usual August break! Here's the bulletin of the 12th of September (find the entire bulletin attached). Comments welcome!

HOT SUMMER
We heard that delivery workers in Sunderland, Plymouth,
Grimsby (Lincolnshire) and St Helens all staged walkouts
during August. Yes, DUMs all over have been outdoing
themselves with their bullying, job cuts, sackings and
putting even more pressure on walks (sorry, runs)... We
obviously stand by these workmates and the best way is to
do as they do... all at the same time!
Yes, because we can guess what's coming when
the so-called "joint working groups" try to implement the
anti-worker proposals in the new RM/CWU leadership
agreement here in MP!

STRIKE IS THE WORD!
Of course these workers have been breaking the rules with
these “wildcat” strikes... Proving that's the only way to get
anywhere! So what has Terry Pullinger to say about it?
He asks managers to behave better and tells us to “push
issues through the IR framework” or “request mediation”,
and only “bring matters to a head” (meaning what?
Strike??) in the most extreme situations... As if sitting with
managers in their cosy IR framework has ever forced them
to change! It is up to us to get them to behave, and our
striking workmates have shown how!

AVOIDING AN EVEN WORSE SHAMBLES
We now hear that thanks to managers’ great foresight and
amazing competence, the re-sign is being postponed!
Well, we all knew it couldn't happen. And that's even
without the construction site disrupting the shop floor. In
fact even if our numbers hadn't been cut so much by EVR
etc., (another reason for postponement) we'd be unable
even to breathe in these crammed-in conditions!

OUR PACE NOT THEIRS
Actually one good thing: (altho' not for anyone who's
desperate to get out of this place!) the additional EVRs
expected in Sept/Oct have also been postponed. And this
probably means that no-one will be able to go, at least until
after Xmas rush. But it's only a temporary respite. Unless
we actually fight for the bosses to recruit permanent
workers.

A THREAT...
Re the union notice over compensation for having to work
on a building site (initially for W1+WC). They say
managers don't want to pay up and since the construction
will carry on at least another 4-5 years that we all need
"recognition" for carrying on "so professionally" in the face
of such "disruption/inconvenience". And if managers don't
pay up they won't cooperate with "the revisions/saving
plans"...

...AND THE ONE THEY SHOULD ADD...
OK, we'd hardly refuse extra on our pay. But surely the
main issue is that health and safety is biting the dust here?
Inhaling dirt damages our eyes, noses, sinuses and lungs,
and what about the constant noise pollution? Then there's
the burden on HGV and other drivers due to the site
contraction. Managers knew all of this was going to
happen, but made no alternative arrangements at all. And
that should be enough for us to be in dispute with them.

...PLUS THIS...
As for the union offering to refuse the "revisions/saving
plans", but only if managers don't pay up, shouldn't we be
refusing these anyway, regardless of the filthy and
dangerous work environment they've willfully "provided"?
No, the CWU is being far too nice and lenient on these
delinquent bosses who never face their responsibilities
towards us. But the proposals of cuts and the latest turn
of the RM screw thanks to the rotten new agreement - we
have to refuse, no matter what!

WASTED SPACE
BTW, there are enough local vacated RM premises, given
all the closures, for HMP bosses to find us a clean, healthy
and safe alternative workplace - what about the empty
Fire Station across the road?!

PENNY-PINCHING, FROM EACH OTHER
From the sublime to the ridiculous: apparently HMP
bosses and the construction company are arguing over
who should pay for the overtime which was required to
move tracked mail downstairs! RM managers claim that
since this was due to the building works, the construction
company should pay for it! Which must have come as a
surprise to them... But OK, let these dim-dums fight it out.
As long as they pay us!

PLANNED AND UNPLANNED
What’s going on with the planned diversion of foreign mail
to MP? We were told we should expect lots of work from
HWDC and have seen zilch, none, nada… Managers’ farsightedness
doesn’t go beyond the M25?

ALMOST THERE?
Oh, there's some progress at least! For cleaners and
engineers the locker-room, stores etc., are done. And so
is the new office for the Elephant - which is good because
elephants do need space to swing their trunks! However,
after we were told everything was ready 2 weeks ago,
we're all still waiting to move in...

DRILL + EXERCISE
One thing on this fire drill which we eventually had: it felt
like a half-marathon's walk to the assembly point and
some of us never made it. Good thing it was just a drill.
PS: it would be helpful to have multi-lingual "fire exit" signs
given we have a multi-lingual workforce.

RM SPLASHING OUT ON PUBLICITY AGAIN
It turns out those visitors last week on Late shift were a
film crew making an advertisement for RM... It took us a
couple of minutes to figure out that this was publicity for
RM's (unaffordable) new stamps. But we weren't given a
chance to practise our acting skills: RM used hired actors.
Only a few of us were asked to provide "background"...
Probably just as well - if asked to extol the virtues of RM
we'd have struggled to keep straight faces.