In the Sorting Office - RMC get a mention

[heapsy]

If you haven't read the whole article then stop posting rubbish! It isn't about the women with an easy walk, it's much deeper than that, and incredibly interesting!

True enough but its a big article and needed breaking up into talking points.
heres one:
Do i want my mail sorted on someones kitchen table/bed or whatever surface is convenient ?
The big picture:
This article suggests that to "go dutch" is now codeword for introducing a part time workforce.

Something that the union has been aiding all along with its refusal to look at getting rid of Saturdays. If we are losing mail then that is the only way to protect full time work.

slightly spurious
your saying the union should throw its weight behind ending Saturday working- to protect full time jobs- because we are losing mail?
cant say i agree with your logic
nor that we are losing mail

The fact that rm want to move to a part time workforce is independent of the volume of mail,
it would still be their aim if the mail was halved or doubled!
Part timers/ temporary contracts -these are workers you can bend to your will
they very often never reap the benefits of full contracts or hours
they also tend not to be unionized or well informed as to their rights
because if you work 4 hours a day say 10 till 2 you often dont meet the full timers to swap info.
The car industry has been doing this for years .
a friend worked at bmw he had four 3month contracts in a row
Its happening for political and financial reasons! Saturdays and mail volume nothing to with it.

if Saturdays were to go i have no idea how rm would re-jig everything
not for our benefit thats for sure.

What I was actually saying was that the union missed a golden opportunity, to go Monday to Friday, when SDD came in. They must have had some idea that mail volumes were dropping, even back then, so why did they sit back and let the current situation develop? I couldn't agree more, that to lose a sixth of the work force would be devastating for the morale of the staff and the unions membership as a whole.

[clashcityrocker]

and the unions membership as a whole.

And that is the crux of the matter for the CWU.
If we were to lose 1/6 of the delivery workforce (assuming all union members) the CWU would no longer be able to survive as a stand alone union.
A merger with another union would be the only way it could survive in any shape or form.
The CWU hierarchy obviously don't want that. It probably wouldn't be in the interest of the membership.

[Dorset Plodder]

You answered my main objection Heapsey - The loss of a sixth of the workforce - Obviously there wouldn't be any need for reserves etc. We have to point this out to our "Colleagues" every WTL when certain individuals start moaning about, "Why don't we stop delivering Saturdays". Once more seeing no further than their own selfish gains

These are the sort of people who wouldn't give a damn if there was a Civil War raging all around, provided it didn't effect THEIR street!

Thanks for the Merchandise Tip Wessex, I've now got my Christmas list sorted out!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

They may have found the Postwoman at the start of the article http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 40&t=35961" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;