I tell you why; its because a lot of it is closed shop at local level. Our DOM in particular prefers to deal with just one Union rep even though we have quite a few ready and willing, - or are still Union reps but don't get to sit in and discuss about the important things that go on in these privileged manager's meetings. All too often there are Unit reps that go along with all and sundry - as long as they get looked after and to be fair its been going on for years. I should point out that there are a minority of really good reps out there. Ours isn't one of them cause if he were then I would argue that we would probably have more part-timers in on full-time contracts and less full-timers hogging all the overtime either on early IPS, working days off or via extra loops on delivery. The bullying side of things occasionally does happen in our office particularly if our managers are covering a duty on sickness and they don't want anyone to be dropping loops as well. It can take several go's before I can then reach the "Ok, you can leave a loop" and to be honest I do find the process mentally fatiguing at times. Whether my Union rep would back me up or not remains to be seen because he's often not there half the time, which to me is exactly where they should be, on the shop floor backing up their members. Wouldn't that be ever so easier if there were more of us reps about??
More training and more reps in local offices is our biggest weapon to fighting this Royal Mail that is hellbent on transformation and destroying peoples working lives in the process. Maybe then we wouldn't have so many in the job that are fed up and want to be offered VR to leave?
To do that that would take someone in charge of the CWU that has foresight and vision - someone with the brains of a Lloyd George perhaps?? Someone who's not going to get stung by Royal Mail via court action because twice that has happened!!