Royal Mail Workers Vote For National Strike

[ladyDeWint]

Royal Mail workers have backed a series of national strikes in a bitter row over jobs and pay which threatens to cripple the Christmas post service.

Unions announced the national walkout today after a ballot of 120,000 workers. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said 76 per cent of those who took part in the ballot voted for a strike.

The move could mean millions of presents and cards are not delivered in the lead-up to the festive period.

The CWU said its members backed a nationwide walkout in protest at the 'imposition' of changes to working practices as well as cuts in their pay and job losses.

But critics have said that a strike when the economy is just emerging from recession is a 'death wish' that 'defies logic.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0TLmgtvRF

[ohnjay]

Personally I think that the Post Office have been total rubbish for the last 5 years, about time it was put out to private enterprise.

[Barryoneoff]

I worked for the post office at Mount Pleasant for about seven years. This was over twenty years ago. We earned a fortune then for work most found easy. Don't know what the situation is today, but the unions will cut the workers throats this time, because there is too much competition out there.

[marilyn]

I agree Barry - mail aint wot it was now we have email, countless courier companies etc, people don't rely on them so much.

[Oudeis]

The post office is still by far the best in the business.

What other tool does the working man have at his disposal?

For years Labour have tried to drive it down to put it up for sale.

Good on em, I say. [the workers, that is]

[Barryoneoff]

Your evidence for this?

The Post Office has gone downhill for years while the prices have escalated. The only reason they have kept their business is because its easier for the ordinary man in the street to find a place to post their mail or buy a stamp.

[Oudeis]

Barry,

Do you think it has gone downhill all by itself?

Have streets suddenly become harder to find?

Years ago, I am sure you can remember, wage claims were settled by adding very little to the basic, keeping pensions down, and sweeteners; bonuses, special payments etc. were used to make up the difference.

When you worked there did the boss get millions for a salary as he does now?

Pensions were paid into banks as part of the 'card' culture, removing convenience from the pensioner and much business from POs.
What is an employment contract for if wages levels were set arbitralily every now and again.

[Barryoneoff]

What have PO counters got to do with Royal Mail? They are a completely separate entity (since the days of the G.P.O.). These are the mail sorters and a small percentage of delivery men who are causing the problems. In fact, most of the small delivery offices will carry on working. They don't want to strike. It's the massive votes of the large offices that sway the result.

[Oudeis]

Surely none of them want to strike, they want to talk. It's either cap-in-hand and on bended knee or man-to-man.

"They are a completely separate entity" Just the same as your right and left hand?

Plus those areas of postal business that has been opened up to competitors are those same well paying services, leaving the Royal Mail to get bigger profits from the dross, and when this does not come about it is because the workers are paid too much. It is always far easier to get the answers you want when you rig the question.

[Barryoneoff]

when this does not come about it is because the workers are paid too much.

For what they actually do, yes! That's why the unions are afraid of new technology. It is a thousand times more efficient. A postman on a 48 box fitting has to be able to sort 500 letters in 15 minutes to get the job. Once there I suppose this figure drops to an average of 200-300 (if that) I would guess. They then have to be secodary sorted on the divisions (counties) at around the same speed.
Have you any idea how many letters an automatic OCR machine can handle an hour? It's tens of thousands for each machine.

These strike threats always seem to happen just as Christmas approaches. The bonus they get paid is unbelievable, and the overtime is endless if they want it at that time of year. They earn an above average wage all year round though.

[Oudeis]

A few interested parties write in today's paper...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/1 ... ike-amazon

Poachers and Gamekeepers.

[valk]

If the strike goes ahead I think it will be suicide for the Royal Mail, their biggest cusomers will soon go elsewhere, they can't be expected to put their own companies in jepordy.

[Oudeis]

BTW,

In Edinburgh the scouts make money running a city-wide scheme to deliver Xmas cards.

valk,

Indeed, the pressure is on a deal will have to be struck. Could we trust private enterprise to handle the Postal Ballots?

But you are right, who needs Royal Mail if most of the post is redundancy notices?

Plug in the machines, sack the work-force and put them on the dole. The profits can then help pay for the benefits.

Tower blocks and Islanders can just do without.

[Barryoneoff]

Tower blocks and Islanders can just do without.

Yes, if the unions have their way.

[valk]

I hope they don't do it at all but especially not at christmas, they could wreck it for the people who don't have computers to send greetings and rely on the post, like elderly people living alone who look forward to the cards dropping on the mat, I bet the card manufacturers are bricking it too.