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Topic: strike (Read 4162 times) |
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dave82506
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Anyone got any views on our good old postmen (and women) taking strike action
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pete from Hull
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Re: strike
« Reply #1 on: Jul 12th, 2007, 3:21pm » |
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2.5%  with it!
Here's to em Dave.....
Pete
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Bring back fair wages.........
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TiberiuS
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Re: strike
« Reply #2 on: Jul 12th, 2007, 3:34pm » |
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I don't really know much about it to be honest. All I know is it's a pain.
I agreed with the firefighters when they went on strike a few years back, all I know is that the postal service is in a mess as a whole
Whether you agree or not, all this action is going to do is plunge Royal Mail further into the red 
Again you get the scenario of bosses and shareholders milking the company's profits, it's the customer and the workers who suffer whatever happens, not the people at the top.
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Bruce - '07 Jaguar XKR coupe, '95 Jaguar XJ Sport 4.0, '82 Ford Capri 2.0 Ghia, '15 Honda Civic (sloooooww..)
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pete from Hull
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Re: strike
« Reply #3 on: Jul 12th, 2007, 3:54pm » |
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2.5% of a pittance is a pittance, (and the threat of joblosses is jus rubbing noses in it)
2.5% of a fortune is a fortune.....
Though it doesn't stop at 2.5% for the bosses. 
People should wise up!
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TRACEYS_LIMO
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Re: strike
« Reply #4 on: Jul 12th, 2007, 3:56pm » |
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a lot of mates of mine work at our local office and they are going to lose £60 and do not know if it will do any good or not  your right the whole company is a mess and maybe it should be split up. mind you a lot of places abroad are no better.
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Matt
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Re: strike
« Reply #5 on: Jul 12th, 2007, 7:45pm » |
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with the 2 postal thingyups they have made with me so far this month i say fine them for every lost parcel 
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FDS2000 Scans - Birmingham
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Baz
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Re: strike
« Reply #6 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 12:09pm » |
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TNT, UPS and every other independant postal or courier company will be rubbing their hands with glee the longer this goes on. Many companies are starting to switch bulk mail to the likes of TNT mail and such like. Lloyds TSB now use TNT for their mail service and more will no doubt follow. The postal workers may have only been offered a 2.5% rise, but 2.5% of something is surely better than 2.5% of no job. Sticking to principles comes at a high price at times
The longer the strikes go on, the more the everyday members lose; the union reps never lose out; they get paid to be union reps and they never strike!! It takes an awful lot of percentages to make back weeks of lost earnings; as I found out back in the nineties when I was on strike for 5 weeks, probably still haven't made it back even now!!
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taliban aka Cheekyboy2
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Re: strike
« Reply #7 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 12:19pm » |
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i havent seen much about it but i did think it was more to do with automated systems/job cuts than wages?
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Spannerdemon
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Quote:| TNT, UPS and every other independant postal or courier company will be rubbing their hands with glee the longer this goes on |
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Says it all.
They can strike all they like, and they can go on striking, but the end result will be NO JOBS. They seem to be too stupid to see it.
Today is another day of cheques not arriving for businesses, Birthday's and Anniversaries ruined, CV's not getting to recruiters, and pay not reaching staff.
It's not on as far as the general public are concerned, and I for one think they should get back to work, stop whingeing, and realise that they are lucky to have jobs.
The longer they throw their toys out of their prams like this, the more public hatred will go against them.
Don't bleat to me about 2.5% being a pittance.
NO business can afford to pay more than it earns.
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Scorpio_Mike
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Re: strike
« Reply #9 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 5:42pm » |
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Our posties seem to be working normally - got a delivery this morning and have just seen a postie emptying the post box at the end of my road !
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merseyscorp
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Re: strike
« Reply #10 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 7:14pm » |
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Good on them I say. Privatisation/ de-regulation is the worst thing for any industry as in my humble view, it only benefits the rich and just promotes greedy capitolism. Lets not forget, there was a certain country-leader who tried doing away with trade-unions & they have the right to protest in this target meeting, money hungry society we live in. Anyone who works in a de-regulated industry who began as a civil servant will well be aware of much they have had it worked to them. It takes a lot of guts to go on-strike and their courage to stand united for what they believe is the way forward can only be commended. P.s I am not affiliated with the postal sevice
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Shall not be defeated!
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Baz
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Re: strike
« Reply #11 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 8:42pm » |
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But look at the good it did the miners, the steel workers, the car workers (Red Robbo, the working class hero, he was paid all the way through the strikes he instigated at British Leyland while his members got nothing!) Grunwicks, the printers down at Wapping.... the list is endless. Privatisation is the only way a company can survive because without it there is just utter waste of public money which goes to feed the never ending need for finance. Can you imagine what our tax bills would be now if we were still bailing out the mines, the car industry, the railways, the post service? There would be no employment because everyone would be paying 60% tax to fund it all. Take the NHS; the government bang on about how much money they have "invested" in the NHS but what they have done in effect is merely pay for the pay rises and pensions of staff with over 70% of the money they have put in.... very little is getting to the patient care and that is after the hospitals charge for parking, TV channels, phone calls etc....
As I have intimated before.... principles don't pay a mortgage and the dole queues were full of stikers with principles
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merseyscorp
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Re: strike
« Reply #12 on: Jul 13th, 2007, 9:13pm » |
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good point, however public money is still being wasted through local government transport schemes, the NHS, grants for this, that and the other. If the government got it right and put the money in the right places for the right people there would be no waste and could continue paying for industries. One example, the local transport authority said that bus subsidy was costing more now than 20 years ago for a lesser service. Lets not forget the revenue that these industries could now be capable of generating? Also, if we consider all these extra stelth taxes we're paying now compared to then it wouldn't make much difference. Ok, the government was perhaps struggling, but is'nt it now? Unemployment rates are not at the desired level and a number of people choose not to work, why? because they can't afford to! so who's subsidising them? As for mortgages, people can't get them now unless earning over the national average wage, so working man loses again even if he drops his principals. In the industry I work in, it's never been worse. Pensions gone, wage decrease, sick pay gone, overtime enhancements including sundays...gone, holiday decrease. The answer, low moral, negative attitude, leading to other problems.
A bit over the top you may think, but there are two sides to every story. I take your comments with the greatest respect, however those who have been in the position will understand but will conceed, I can't agree more about red robbo!
Just to add and to finish, In Denmark, a very wealthy and clued up country, workers DO pay 55% tax out of their wages, but everything is free! dental, etc. Now that would be nice!
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dave82506
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Re: strike
« Reply #13 on: Jul 14th, 2007, 1:43pm » |
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Wow, glad I started this post, and nice to see lots of varying views. Well I am in fact a Postman. I think I speak for many Posties out there when I say I was shocked at the move to strike action so soon.
We are being told by our Union that Mr Leighton and Mr Crozier refuse to negotiate, and simply restate their proposals for improvement. Its not just about the 2.5%, in fact i'm sure the majority would have accepted this, but there are strings attached. Later starts being the biggest concern, we won't be starting till after 6.30 (currently 4-5a.m) they have already removed nightshifts. This means that the days of early mail will be well and truely over. Not a problem for everyone, but many people like their mail to arrive early. (especially firms). We will then lose our early shift allowance, though it may be secured for 2 years, then gone, so thats the 2.5% covered. At the moment we deliver to all you lovely people, 3 pieces of door to door material, this is the real junk, you know, things which don't actually have your name and address on, pizza menus for example. We get paid usually about 1.5 pence for each one of these, and it is included as part of our basic pay. (it is not optional, they must be delivered) another string is to stop paying us the 1.5pence for these. Thats another £15-£16 off our weekly wage. Oh and another string is to increase these door to doors to 6 a week for each of you. I can see why Royal mail are trying to increase the amount, because they earn so much profit from them. Thats just a couple of the strings of which there is around 12. I know that lots of people have probably experienced problems with the Royal mail at some point, but we do deliver an awful lot of mail, and around 98% makes it on time. I think its quite impressive to be able to spend 34p and get a letter to the other end of the country for the next day.
We have been told that Royal mail make no money on stamps, and that we are victims of our own success, as many people buy second class because it still arrives promptly.
Anyway, I am not whinging, I just get fed up with hearing 2.5% all the time, when there is far more to it than that.
The crazy thing is, that the competition are getting all the profitable bits such as sorting. They call it downstream sorting. They then pay Royal mail to take it the final mile??
It was quite amusing when we were told that the Management were not having pay rises this year. I know we say that "its all relative" but on £15,192. per week (plus a bonus of £248,000pa) I think our Chief Executive Adam Crozier can probably get by..
Dave the postie 
Ps I think that if the union had ballotted us on whether we would accept the 2.5% or not, rather than whether to take strike action, the result may have been different!
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pete from Hull
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Non Scorpio at the moment, but still interested...
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Re: strike
« Reply #14 on: Jul 14th, 2007, 6:46pm » |
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on Jul 14th, 2007, 1:43pm, dave82506 wrote:| Its not just about the 2.5%, in fact i'm sure the majority would have accepted this, but there are strings attached. |
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Hi Dave, once again, good on you, I knew that the 2.5 wasn't the only issue here, I have relatives within the service and know how it has been manipulated over the years (eaten away from the inside) there are too many fat cats at the "Head" of all these organisations and these "Small" issues are like the lever to open the can so to speak, They have already sold the cleaning side up the river. More profits for shareholders less for the workers.
I say keep it upand good luck in the future... You will need all you can get...
Pete
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Spannerdemon
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Quote from the Royal Mail Website:
Quote:| Royal Mail is pleased to report that the 24-hour strike by postal workers is now over and we are working hard to get back to normal as quickly as possible. We apologise to all of our customers for any disruption and inconvenience the strike may have caused. |
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Well sorry Royal Mail, but that's simply not good enough. People PAY YOU to process letters and packages which you then don't deliver. In other words, you don't fulfil YOUR side of the deal.
As a member of the GENERAL PUBLIC, I can tell you that most normal hardworking people are sick to bloody death of your strikes. Sick to death of not receiving important household mail. Sick to death of even being bothered about WHY it's happening. Sick to death of having their businesses disrupted, and sick to death of seeing their children, relatives and loved ones disappointed when their Birthday Cards and presents don't arrive.
Rant over, but you postal workers are putting the nails into your own coffins.
Baz is right. Find ANY jobs in Mining, Shipbuilding or Car Manufacture in the Uk now. Find any worthwhile engineering contracts that come to UK firms.
Your Union are KILLING your jobs.
I'm sorry to you guys who are Scorpio owners on this site, but all that apart, my respect for postmen and women totally evaporated yesterday when EXTREMELY important papers failed to arrive, with catastrophic results for the firm that I work for.
There is a 90% chance that I will be out of a job by Monday as a result.
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dave82506
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Re: strike
« Reply #16 on: Jul 14th, 2007, 10:47pm » |
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Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it won't come to that. Strike was known about well in advance and most people sent things earlier.
Good luck
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pete from Hull
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Re: strike
« Reply #17 on: Jul 14th, 2007, 11:02pm » |
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You need to see your union rep spanners, they can't sack you for someone elses industrial action.....
Pete
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Spannerdemon
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Well. As expected, It's been confirmed that on Friday, we lost a very lucrative contract, due to paperwork not arriving by the deadline, and as a result, 8 people are being laid off with effect from the end of July.
Fortunately I am not amongst them, but I am full of FURY towards the Post Office. All these guys are personal friends with mortgages to pay, and families to feed. They are devastated.
Businesses will not wait for the Post Office..........Take good note of that guys.
They go elsewhere with their mail. Permanently.
I'm not making any further comment on this post, because I can tell you that I am absolutely furious about the way these decent guys have been shafted by the Post Office Strike.
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dave82506
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Re: strike
« Reply #19 on: Jul 15th, 2007, 10:50pm » |
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I am sorry, but surely there must be more to this than just a letter failing to arrive. Some serious failure somewhere. Which company is involved. Surely someone somewhere involved must have thought, hang on, as there is so much riding on this, we should either send these critical documents earlier, or perhaps use a different courier. Have these people not been shafted by someone elses incompetence?
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