Time to Leave the Union.

[renrag40]

The turn out of 52% says it all. It really is pathetic that 48% couldn’t be arsed to vote on what will turn out to be one of the most important agreements in their Royal Mail working lives.

[HTPostman]

At the end of the day we all have a start time and we all have a finish time. Yeah some days are easier and some a lot harder it's swings and roundabouts. The main thing is we all get a decent wage paid to us on a Friday morning. There are far worse jobs out there for far less money.
Also during these last 12 unprecedented months have we ever had to worry about turning up for work only to find closing down signs on the front door! Lots of other people have experienced that and I'm glad I've not been one of them.

I honestly think people need to do at least one far worse job to realise that yes, this job has a lot of downsides but it’s overall an ok (or to me, a good) job.

I have a friend who works in retail. He was on minimum wage, he’d find out on a Saturday night that he was in on a Sunday morning. He’d go in on a Sunday to be told actually there wasn’t enough work for him. When the store shut they were expected to cleanup, after hours, unpaid. His breaks were unpaid, that’s if they didn’t just give him the minimum amount of hours to avoid legally having to give him a break. One day he arrived to find a notice in the wonder to say they were shut and things were in the hands of administrators, absolutely no communication from management.

I’m not saying we should race our way to the bottom. But we are in a fairly secure (for now) job. We get paid every Friday - there’s never any issues with basic pay (and if you don’t get paid for your OT just don’t do it). I don’t like some of the changes, I didn’t like starting at 1pm but there really are far worse jobs out there. I know, I’ve done 2 of them.

[twiddledumb]

You should have been here when we had a strong union that fought for all the benefits we have. The sorry excuse for a union leadership now are basically giving that all away and setting us all on that race to the bottom.

How long before full sick pay goes? paid breaks go? Do you trust this union leadership to fight to keep them? I don't.

RM are slowly turning our jobs into the "worse" jobs you are talking about, and the union are actively helping them. So yeah you might think it's good now (BTW compared to 10-20 years ago the job is way worse) but again wait until the sh** hits the fan from this deal, you might be wanting to apply for one of those "worse" jobs.

[Kevin.r.smith]

Stop talking crap live in the real world there thousands of people getting made redundant you still have a job be grateful

[twiddledumb]

Stop talking crap live in the real world there thousands of people getting made redundant you still have a job be grateful

Stop regurgitating RM talking points. People like you will keep repeating the "you are lucky to have a job" crap no matter what RM does. You would literally let RM walk all over you and thank them for letting you keep your job. Grow a pair!

[enskied]

20 years in and I am worse off. That is a fact.

Still Pt and actually on less hours than my start contract.
I used to be able to negotiate my OT or simply finish my duty when completed.

The union has not empowered me, helped me or given me a better standard of living.

[k979aaa]

I SAID NO and voted as such It is with such bitter disappointment that people believe the truth is being told as it is by charlatans and folk for job's in the Labour party, A party I will not support any longer I left will not renew till the Blairite bastard has gone from our party!

[Jpro747]

I agree with most of what you’ve said but I don’t think leaving the union is the answer. Attitudes need to change among the working classes of this country. This idea that “you are lucky to be in a job so should just accept whatever s**t they offer you” is a joke. This company has been raking in millions during the pandemic and they did it off the backs of workers some of who have died from covid due to RM’s profit before lives attitude. We should be demanding better working conditions.

[HTPostman]

You should have been here when we had a strong union that fought for all the benefits we have. The sorry excuse for a union leadership now are basically giving that all away and setting us all on that race to the bottom.

How long before full sick pay goes? paid breaks go? Do you trust this union leadership to fight to keep them? I don't.

RM are slowly turning our jobs into the "worse" jobs you are talking about, and the union are actively helping them. So yeah you might think it's good now (BTW compared to 10-20 years ago the job is way worse) but again wait until the sh** hits the fan from this deal, you might be wanting to apply for one of those "worse" jobs.

I was here when we had a strong union.

No I don’t trust the union, in fact I trust them with very little.

What do you propose I do? Stand at the gates and have a one man stand against the union/RM?

Nope, I’ve got 9 and a bit years to go, RM are a cash cow to me and I’m milking it for all I can.

[postslippete]

I agree with the Op for the most part. Turkeys voting for xmas does spring to mind that's for sure. The biggest kick in the pants will come from the clocking in and out. I know all the "work to your time and you won't have a problem" merchants will be jumping for joy but it will be a tool used to beat us with. Turn up five minutes late too often, get a warning. So and so can do that walk 30 minutes faster than you... warning! Oh look the youngest fittest bloke can do that walk in such and such a time we can make it bigger, oh look the fifty year old with a dodgy knee can't do it in the same time... warning! The can of worms is about to be opened all because people were too willing to take the devils shilling and not think of the consequences!

I would urge no one to leave the union though. Not so much that they can help you but more as a deterrent for overzealous managers. Two guys in our office have had trouble with one manager in particular. Both were not in the union. One was forced to relocate to another office and the other sacked over silly things which the management would have let go if they had had any kind of representation!

So anyone who voted yes took the devil's shilling what a load of claptrap most posties i know just listen to what cwu ask them to do. an would also say most of them dont really know what's going on because they have no interest in reading agreements that are always so vague an difficult to understand..so if they are all taking the devils shilling the leadership must be all devils as there would be none an rm would then really screw us all over. Already scan in an out in mc i work in so what is going to change.

I suppose there are many advantages to working in a mail centre - working indoors out of the cold, wet and rain. You might clock in and out but are you being constantly monitored i.e. do you have PDAs that are assessing whether you are working fast enough or whether you are stood idling at the machines? I suppose you got managers watching you instead??

[Coffee lover]

I agree with the Op for the most part. Turkeys voting for xmas does spring to mind that's for sure. The biggest kick in the pants will come from the clocking in and out. I know all the "work to your time and you won't have a problem" merchants will be jumping for joy but it will be a tool used to beat us with. Turn up five minutes late too often, get a warning. So and so can do that walk 30 minutes faster than you... warning! Oh look the youngest fittest bloke can do that walk in such and such a time we can make it bigger, oh look the fifty year old with a dodgy knee can't do it in the same time... warning! The can of worms is about to be opened all because people were too willing to take the devils shilling and not think of the consequences!

I would urge no one to leave the union though. Not so much that they can help you but more as a deterrent for overzealous managers. Two guys in our office have had trouble with one manager in particular. Both were not in the union. One was forced to relocate to another office and the other sacked over silly things which the management would have let go if they had had any kind of representation!

So now you’re saying stay in the union because it can protect you so surely leaving would in your view leave you more vulnerable

[clashcityrocker]

I think it is more accurate to say that the union has left us.

[k979aaa]

I don't think leaving the union will do you any good get involved and change it make the union better!

[SpacePhoenix]

I suppose there are many advantages to working in a mail centre - working indoors out of the cold, wet and rain. You might clock in and out but are you being constantly monitored i.e. do you have PDAs that are assessing whether you are working fast enough or whether you are stood idling at the machines? I suppose you got managers watching you instead??

Yep, we always have managers watching over us. Not unusual for someone to be moved around if they're talking too much or too slow. They have to count up all the available mail to hand every hour so I'm guessing they are monitoring the items processed per hour. They have to account for every hour used, it's not uncommon that if you go to a different work area because you've run out of work, for that other work area to turn you away as they don't have the hours available to use.

I reckon the scanning of every parcel at every stage will eventually happen. (Outward MC, Inward MC, DO, Allocate to walk/ready for delivery, delivery attempt). I can see RM looking at eventually scanning boxes/sleeves/bags/packets to yorks and yorks to lorries so the receiving office can see what they have incoming. atm we can only see the number of yorks on an incoming artic

[david1456uk]

In the middle of the worse crisis for generations our union managed to get a deal on the table all after the shambles we had with Beck is quite a achievement .sWhether you like it or not with the loss of jobs , reduced hours, tc slashed etc etc for the majority of companies out there I think it a very fair deal .I also notice that Matin puts in a tremendous amount of work on here ( another one is Robert t) and for them and others you have my thanks . The turnout was low but apathy prevails in Royal Mail , but if you are a member and did not vote how can you moan about the result .Also for people thinking of leaving if you ever need defending the union are the ones to do it not the outside companies you can hire so for what we pay in subs its worth it .