Is a National strike going to work?

[Marshamp11]

the strike will play into royal mails plans as the company will lose so much money with a prolonged strike then they can offer new contracts take it or leave it terms thatcher done the same trick look what happened to the miners only saying

I maybe wrong but I think changes to contracts cannot happen in the event of an official dispute only if a dispute is unofficial. Im sure someone will corect me if I'm wrong.

[Coinbags]

Let's face facts here.
When I listen to Terry Pullinger ranting about this great public service he is either plain daft or in total denial.
We are in the digital age - this is only going to advance.
10 years ago;
I had bank statements delivered - now download online.
Had magazine subscriptions - many, many magazines are gone or moved online.
Remember Sky mags?
I went to a T20 cricket match and no paper tickets were issued - an app on my phone.
Less and less people send christmas, birthday cards - face book messages, texts, whatsapp messages.
Fewer and fewer people buy CD's - downloads.
I never get utility bills posted - sent via email.
Letters will simply decline year on year.

The Postman / woman will go the way of the milkman.

Royal Mail will be a parcels company that deliver letters

It's a dying industry.

The postman / woman will be known as a courier.

That's just one side.

Royal Mail are years behind in their own technology - they will advance this in the coming years with more and more sorting technology.

110,000 postal workers will be slashed in their tens of thousands over the coming years.

The CWU need to recognise this and fight to maintain good quality jobs for the ones left and the ones whose jobs will be lost.

Will they ????

It seems to me that the CWU's biggest worry is for themselves.

If 17,000 of the 20,000 jobs lost are CWU members then;
17,000 x £3.90(?) per week = £66,300 per week
Nearly £3.5 million per year.

Does anyone honestly believe that letters need to be delivered 6 days per week?

The USO review has been brought forward 2 years for a reason - it is unsustainable / unneccesary in today's world and will only become even less neccessary.

Who are the CWU really fighting for ?????

[richietns]

But moya greene agreed to a plan for all of that.rico's just putting two fingers up.

[norris9]

10 years ago;
I had bank statements delivered - now download online.
Had magazine subscriptions - many, many magazines are gone or moved online.
Remember Sky mags?
I went to a T20 cricket match and no paper tickets were issued - an app on my phone.
Less and less people send christmas, birthday cards - face book messages, texts, whatsapp messages.
Fewer and fewer people buy CD's - downloads.
I never get utility bills posted - sent via email.
Letters will simply decline year on year.

The Postman / woman will go the way of the milkman.

Does anyone honestly believe that letters need to be delivered 6 days per week?

The main thing I get through the post are banks repeatedly sending me 'You have been approved for our credit card', each of my banks send me these 5 times a year. It's pointless. Maybe I can opt out of this nonsense.

If today everyone in the UK opted out of all the junk mail they have signed up to get.....post would drop dramatically.

The only things people need on a set day, quickly, are documents if they are sorting out a mortgage/house purchase/bank cards/setting up a bank account. Basically anything to do with important financial situations or passports.

I am not sure junk mail will die out, if anything it may go up. People don't opt out when signing up to websites and can't be bothered to cancel.


If they went down to a 4 day working week - I would not complain. Lets work Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri. Perfect. The weekend and Wednesdays off.

[Marshamp11]

Let's face facts here.
When I listen to Terry Pullinger ranting about this great public service he is either plain daft or in total denial.
We are in the digital age - this is only going to advance.
10 years ago;
I had bank statements delivered - now download online.
Had magazine subscriptions - many, many magazines are gone or moved online.
Remember Sky mags?
I went to a T20 cricket match and no paper tickets were issued - an app on my phone.
Less and less people send christmas, birthday cards - face book messages, texts, whatsapp messages.
Fewer and fewer people buy CD's - downloads.
I never get utility bills posted - sent via email.
Letters will simply decline year on year.

The Postman / woman will go the way of the milkman.

Royal Mail will be a parcels company that deliver letters

It's a dying industry.

The postman / woman will be known as a courier.

That's just one side.

Royal Mail are years behind in their own technology - they will advance this in the coming years with more and more sorting technology.

110,000 postal workers will be slashed in their tens of thousands over the coming years.

The CWU need to recognise this and fight to maintain good quality jobs for the ones left and the ones whose jobs will be lost.

Will they ????

It seems to me that the CWU's biggest worry is for themselves.

If 17,000 of the 20,000 jobs lost are CWU members then;
17,000 x £3.90(?) per week = £66,300 per week
Nearly £3.5 million per year.

Does anyone honestly believe that letters need to be delivered 6 days per week?

The USO review has been brought forward 2 years for a reason - it is unsustainable / unneccesary in today's world and will only become even less neccessary.

Who are the CWU really fighting for ?????

More to the point who are you fighting for. At the end of the day if this is the beginning of the end of this industry and the future as bleak as you paint it, then we have absolutely nothing to lose. I for one have never surrendered to anything or anyone without fighting my corner and if I lose I do so with dignity and with my head held high.

[Coinbags]

Fight for the right for fairness and respect in the workforce. Yes
Fight against Rico Backs attempts for a zero hours workforce. Yes
But fighting technology ?
All I'm saying is job losses are inevitable (my opinion)
The CWU need to get real (my opinion)

[Marshamp11]

Fight for the right for fairness and respect in the workforce. Yes
Fight against Rico Backs attempts for a zero hours workforce. Yes
But fighting technology ?
All I'm saying is job losses are inevitable (my opinion)
The CWU need to get real (my opinion)

I am not naive to think that there will be no job losses as ultimately there will be eventually and yes the CWU does need to focus more on the things you mention but I also think any large scale changes to the business should be done in a more considered and controlled way with the heirachy being a little more sympathetic to the workforce without whom given the amount of service a lot have put in have made the company what it is. If it was not for a lot of the goodwill, unpaid overtime and going the extra mile over the years by the workforce this company could if gone down the pan years ago.

[DGH]

Fight for the right for fairness and respect in the workforce. Yes
Fight against Rico Backs attempts for a zero hours workforce. Yes
But fighting technology ?
All I'm saying is job losses are inevitable (my opinion)
The CWU need to get real (my opinion)

Yes.

Not just your opinion. There are far too many posties with their heads in the clouds dreaming of Mon-Fri working or some other such fantasy (it'd be lovely but it's simply not going to happen).

[Celgar]

TP raised the point in the recent Facebook live broadcast that in terms of technology watching how we do the job it has become a bit unpleasant. We are being monitored closely on the engine idling thing and the figures coming up on screen do not seem accurate at all. No surprise there though given that a lot of what RM comes out with is incorrect at best.
I have mentioned before that I wouldn't mind being paid for the time it takes to complete my walk via automated clocking in. Whether RM would want to pay posties several thousand quid more a year is another matter I guess. It would be a problem for any posties that routinely finish early though.
In terms of an every other day delivery for letters & flats on my frame it would be a bit of a squeeze to get it all in. In other offices with two address points in single slots it would be impossible to do. Rico Black and his new cohorts really have no idea how to run this business.

[Murdoch]

Does anyone honestly believe that letters need to be delivered 6 days per week?

The USO review has been brought forward 2 years for a reason - it is unsustainable / unneccesary in today's world and will only become even less neccessary.

Who are the CWU really fighting for ?????

A lot of people seem to overlook the fact that while RM is now a private company we are still regulated like a public service.

We're still expected to provide a universal public service, the 6 day service is written into law within the postal services act 2011. OFCOM is the regulator, and their role is to maintain the sustainability of the Universal service, by ensuring it's financially viable (they have certain levers they can pull on this front), and by ensuring reasonable efficiencies are met by us. Considering Royal Mail is still turning a profit, and it should be well placed to take advantage of the increase in packets and parcels. It's hard to see OFCOM advocating a reduction in the Universal Service at the next review.

The whole idea of the USO is that the unprofitable parts of the business are offset by the profitable ones, in order to provide a universal service, i.e., the same cost to send a letter or parcel anywhere in the UK, 6 days a week.

It's more of a political decision, than a business decision. How important is the service to customers, and is it required. Because in terms of sustainability, it's probably got more legs left in it, than people think...

[Ren Hoëk]

Iv said this before and I see people saying it in this thread now.

This is political. If we can get the general public on side and get our MP's to take note that it is a vote winner then the USO will be safe. Royal mail is more than just some business to people. It is part of Britains national identity. It provides a service like no other and we shouldn't allow vampires like Rico f***ing Back to dismantle it all for a couple of quid.

What are we doing to gain the publics backing?
What material is being produced aimed at the general public? Making them aware what is at stake. Posters and videos that can be shared on social media. Something viral preferably.

If all the general public see is posties striking over pay all they will think is "Lazy greedy postman". We need to frame it that we are striking to protect THEIR Royal Mail. Not just our jobs.

A start will be explaining whats really going on to friends and family. Then when s**t hits the fan they can tell their friends, and their friends will tell their friends etc.

[postslippete]

Does anyone honestly believe that letters need to be delivered 6 days per week?

The USO review has been brought forward 2 years for a reason - it is unsustainable / unneccesary in today's world and will only become even less neccessary.

Who are the CWU really fighting for ?????

I understand your sentiments and its true that we can't fight technology - we have seen that with the PDAs. But as for the USO its only unsustainable and unnecessary in Royal Mail's world and they have wanted rid of it even before privatisation. Problem is if Royal Mail still generates a reasonable operating profit and can deliver such a service, why would Ofcom agree to get rid of it??

Mail might be down but as we are the only UK company that delivers letters it makes sense that we will continue delivering letters. Just imagine how much profitable Royal Mail could be if it processed all the letters they delivered instead of companies like UKMail and TNT getting in on the act. D2Ds have a lot of untapped potential IMHO but I think Royal Mail's enthusiasm seems to be all about parcels these days. Its a very simple minded strategy to run the mail down, reduce the workforce, sell off loads of real estate and have us operating as a another glorified courier company. The Union is not about £3.5 million per year in subs lost to CWU HQ; its about ensuring that those who wish to leave are not forced out and can leave on generous redundancy terms. And its about the existing staff who stay getting the best possible deal for remaining with the company.