Why I will be crossing the picket line.

[HESS]

What , if anything does this rep do...? Does he go to Area meetings and gladly claim his exspenses,his honorarium...etc Probably does and yet he does fuk all for you and your members...! Does he ever have a members meeting with the 6 of you and keep you's up to date with current events in the union...? You and your fellow members should serve a vote of 'no confidence' and get shot of the no-user...! Maybe one of your fellow members could up-take the position , might even encourage others to join....sounds like it's him that's keeping the whole office in the dark...!! How are the other staff supposed to see the benefits of being a union member , when this clown is working through a strike...!!

[not me]

im sitting here with barely a penny to my name
my mrs got made redundant, then got another job but managed to fall and break her wrist badly
so far 10 weeks with no wage but to retain our nursery place we need to pay that
so 1 wage covering the bills + nursery every month
bills are mounting up,gonna have to ditch the car and cycle from one side of the city to the other to save money
couldnt do OT even if i wanted to as i have to get home to do all the housework etc as she has one of those metal cage things on her wrist.

I'll be out on strike days though

[ruralpost]

What , if anything does this rep do...? Does he go to Area meetings and gladly claim his exspenses,his honorarium...etc Probably does and yet he does fuk all for you and your members...! Does he ever have a members meeting with the 6 of you and keep you's up to date with current events in the union...? You and your fellow members should serve a vote of 'no confidence' and get shot of the no-user...! Maybe one of your fellow members could up-take the position , might even encourage others to join....sounds like it's him that's keeping the whole office in the dark...!! How are the other staff supposed to see the benefits of being a union member , when this clown is working through a strike...!!

I agree,i blame him for the lack of union support,he does attend area meeting and sometimes we have leaflets left on our frames. Can't remember last time we had meeting with him though. I think hes lost interest since the revision of duties,he did his bit and got his walk just the way he wants it. Glad i found this site to get info,i've fired a few questions at him and taken him unawares. Bet he's wondering why i'm so informed all of a sudden!

[lainey]

you work with these people for years and think you know them dont be fooled when it comes to money its a diffrent f***ing ball game

[viking1488]

look where all in the same boat here most have kids we all have debt we need to stand together and not give in just cant get my head around union members who are thinking of doing such a thing as going over a picket line what are they out to prove nothing but they could lose everything :lfo

[Exrep]

im sorry but 2 weeks ago most of my office including me went home with a pay of 178 pounds with rent to pay council tax and other bills its bloody hard but its got to be done

£178 your very lucky everyone in our office went home with £92 not so long ago but still they are all prepared to stand on the gate so money aint an excuse .

Agree with you 100% whats got to be done has got to be done regardless of the lenght of time it may take.

[borders]

absolutely harrowing reading this thread, i hope the likes of Mandelson, Crozier , senior RM management and the like are reading this , because there is no need for this , f--king shame on you and if there is any justice in the world they are going to get buckets full coming their way......

[neilcfc]

I really dont blame you, it seems to me that royal mail will no longer exist in 2-3 years as will be privatised, then we,ll lose our pay and conditions that we are going to strike for anyway, been postie for 20 years and have backed strike action every time but think the 2007 strike was our last chance and the union blew it by being weak, dont want to lose loads of well needed cash to be mugged off by the union again, can they be trusted to deliver this time? I'm not so sure, hope they prove me wrong.

[rebel]

After reading so many posts on this topic one thing stands out. We've all got f**ing problems! And its agreed that we were shafted by CWU in 2007. I'm a London postie so we've been taking IA for 3 months now. Sure its hard, Christmas is coming etc - I need the money same reasons as everyone else. But the proposed walks in our office are totally un-double! Colleagues will lose their jobs - RM talk about redeployment , but where?? Every other office surrounding me is facing the same 25-30% job cuts.

I will be safe - I'll keep my job (although whether I want it if the changes go ahead is another matter). I'm striking to help my fellow workers who are going to lose their jobs. The Georoute/Pegusus revisions in our office are absurd. Nobody will ever complete. Meanwhile, perfectly adequate posties who work well and don't take the p**s are being shafted. In truth we are all shafted if we don't win this dispute.

There cannot EVER be a reason for crossing the line. Even if we lose I'll be able to look my comrades who have lost their jobs in the eye. They know one of the reasons I am on the line is for THEM!!! Yeah, so I'll lose money - not as much as they f***ing will if they can't find a job quickly. Christmas happens for them as well!! (Bloody hell -felt a bit like Bob Geldorf then!!).

We are either united or we die. I've seen the new routes for the walks. Absurd!! In my office we virtually work to time now so why they think they can virtually double every walk and expect us to complete is madness! I have absolutely no problem in working to time but give me something achievable.

NO EXCUSE FOR CROSSING THE LINE!!!

[jessthecat]

Our union rep said yesterday, that he will only strike if the majority of us strike. It falls on my day off, but i'll be standing at the gates friday morning. The general feeling in our office of only 30 posties, is about 50/50 to strike.

[neilcfc]

Its ok to say youre strikinjg to protect youre fellow workers jobs, but the staff who are most at risk of losing their jobs in our office are the ones who come in early and rush around and go home 2 hours early every day, and they are not in the union so wont be striking, and on last strike while we were on the picket line from 4am until 1pm they were out getting overtime, so f@@@ them really.

[krussel]

I really dont blame you, it seems to me that royal mail will no longer exist in 2-3 years as will be privatised, then we,ll lose our pay and conditions that we are going to strike for anyway, been postie for 20 years and have backed strike action every time but think the 2007 strike was our last chance and the union blew it by being weak, dont want to lose loads of well needed cash to be mugged off by the union again, can they be trusted to deliver this time? I'm not so sure, hope they prove me wrong.

I ve done the same years as you and agree with most of what your saying.
The thing is no one is going to WIN this one, its not like the days of old as its become a damage limit exercise and i dont know where it will end up, maybe we will end up going down after all and become privatised.
However one thing i do know is that when i look back on this in years to come i will be able to hold my head high and say "yes i went down, but "I WENT DOWN FIGHTING.

[bandit1157]

i cannot get my head around people who work while others are on strike. not many can afford to lose money but what you save in the short term will be nothing to what you lose in the long term, that is if you still have a job. if royal mail win this one you will be doing more work in less time, the i'm alright jack people who run around now had better get in training. the strike breakers will carry no favour, they will be the ones first in line for the special management treatment. they will be looked upon as weak and easily manipulated, they will be the first to be put on the extended walks etc to prove that they work. they will be trapped between a ruthless management and people who did strike. decent pay rises will be a thing of the past so the lucky ones ? remaining will end up having less to spend anyway. it will be a totalitarian regime, think it's bad now you ain't seen nothing yet. they say you do, no questions asked if you don't like it you will be forced out. don't be fooled into thinking if [when] it gets worse i'll take redundancy because there will be none, there will be plenty of people up for the sack for the slightest mistake. i haven't even mentioned self respect, dignity etc yet. i would rather go down like general custer than end up on the receiving end of what royal mail has in store for our future. fight now or lose the right to fight forever.

[Sci_Dog]

I really dont blame you, it seems to me that royal mail will no longer exist in 2-3 years as will be privatised, then we,ll lose our pay and conditions that we are going to strike for anyway, been postie for 20 years and have backed strike action every time but think the 2007 strike was our last chance and the union blew it by being weak, dont want to lose loads of well needed cash to be mugged off by the union again, can they be trusted to deliver this time? I'm not so sure, hope they prove me wrong.

I ve done the same years as you and agree with most of what your saying.
The thing is no one is going to WIN this one, its not like the days of old as its become a damage limit exercise and i dont know where it will end up, maybe we will end up going down after all and become privatised.
However one thing i do know is that when i look back on this in years to come i will be able to hold my head high and say "yes i went down, but "I WENT DOWN FIGHTING.

Food for thought indeed....Can we really stop Royal Mail being privatised? Lots of people have claimed this is our last chance to stand up and be counted. Yes the majority will stand shoulder to shoulder on the picket line (me included). I have to agree with the above post though. 2007 I think was our last chance. Royal Mail seen the CWU was crumbling before their very eyes. Yes we had some impact with the strikes but not as much as we should of. Two years on and I for one don't think the Union is stronger. If anything it is weaker. I know this is exactly what Royal Mail managers love to hear from it's workforce. Is the days of Unions finished? Royal Mail have made it quite clear they will force through whatever changes they feel are needed-WITH OR WITHOUT THE UNION. Will the guys at the top of the Union have the balls to tell Royal Mail to stick any pathetic deals they might offer? They didn't in 2007! What makes you think they will in 2009? As 'krussel' said 'I hope the Union proves us wrong'. I personally think it's too little, too late. The Union and Union members should have called the shots in 2007. They didn't. I don't hold a lot of faith for 2009. However I will still be on that picket line cause it's the morally right thing to do. Regardless of what your personal circumstances are, Union members breaking a picket line is just not an option. It really isn't.

[viking1488]

I really dont blame you, it seems to me that royal mail will no longer exist in 2-3 years as will be privatised, then we,ll lose our pay and conditions that we are going to strike for anyway, been postie for 20 years and have backed strike action every time but think the 2007 strike was our last chance and the union blew it by being weak, dont want to lose loads of well needed cash to be mugged off by the union again, can they be trusted to deliver this time? I'm not so sure, hope they prove me wrong.

I ve done the same years as you and agree with most of what your saying.
The thing is no one is going to WIN this one, its not like the days of old as its become a damage limit exercise and i dont know where it will end up, maybe we will end up going down after all and become privatised.
However one thing i do know is that when i look back on this in years to come i will be able to hold my head high and say "yes i went down, but "I WENT DOWN FIGHTING.

Food for thought indeed....Can we really stop Royal Mail being privatised? Lots of people have claimed this is our last chance to stand up and be counted. Yes the majority will stand shoulder to shoulder on the picket line (me included). I have to agree with the above post though. 2007 I think was our last chance. Royal Mail seen the CWU was crumbling before their very eyes. Yes we had some impact with the strikes but not as much as we should of. Two years on and I for one don't think the Union is stronger. If anything it is weaker. I know this is exactly what Royal Mail managers love to hear from it's workforce. Is the days of Unions finished? Royal Mail have made it quite clear they will force through whatever changes they feel are needed-WITH OR WITHOUT THE UNION. Will the guys at the top of the Union have the balls to tell Royal Mail to stick any pathetic deals they might offer? They didn't in 2007! What makes you think they will in 2009? As 'krussel' said 'I hope the Union proves us wrong'. I personally think it's too little, too late. The Union and Union members should have called the shots in 2007. They didn't. I don't hold a lot of faith for 2009. However I will still be on that picket line cause it's the morally right thing to do. Regardless of what your personal circumstances are, Union members breaking a picket line is just not an option. It really isn't.

with you 100% sci dog maybe see you on some picket line someday power to the cwu