Postmen on strike - Is this right?

[Mad Cyril]

I felt sorry for the postie who was caught by one of those hidden camera undercover journalism programs a year or so ago that was made to 'reveal' the 'shocking state' of the postal service.

His only 'crime' was to do a few reefers to make the day go a bit quicker. Where is the harm in that? It's not as if he was an airline pilot or surgeon.

I would have no problems with my postie having a quick toke, doing a bit of poppers or even having a can or two on his round as long as he put the letters through the right door and wasn't sick on my driveway.

I must say, I did find my payslip blowing down the road a few months ago.

 

[The General]

RM has one of the best pensions scheme's about. It obviously isn't so critical to me though. Lets say Joe Bloggs has worked for the RM for 25 years. He started when he was 25 and has now hit the grand age of 50. The original age of retiring would be 60 years and that will now go upto 65. The RM are saying you can still retire at 60, but you will get less ( think its 5% ) if you decide to do so. The other major thing is that they want to take your AVERAGE earning. Now lets say 25 years back, the starting pay is £100. Its now £330+. There's quite a big difference ( £230 for arguments sake ) and those who have been in the job along time are going to miss out on alot of money come retirement.

The things that RM want to introduce are mainly going to affect the bigger offices (Southend, Chelmsford etc...) as they strive to modernise. They want people to be more flexible and the RM want managers to tell people what to do, throughout their working day, rather than have a set duty and stick to it - which is how its worked since day one. They also want people to do over-time for NOTHING. So if Joe Bloggs decided he had one too many last night and didn't want come in, we'd have to cover his walk for nothing. That means Joe Walker, Lisa Turner and Osma Bin Laden might have to do a 1/3 of that walk for nothing rather than getting paid 2/3 hours for it. The RM try to make it sound good by saying the job is more flexible and allows people more holiday! Yeah great, we aint really interested in that thanks.

The early start times will kick in Monday ( well, Wednesday ) and that means in Shoebury i wont be starting till 6.15am - used to be 5am - and you will be lucky to see a postman out on the street before 9am come next week. Some of the bigger offices will start 6am and the latest an office will start will be 7am ( the more rural areas such as Wakering etc... )

Kev

 

[simac21]

i'm a postman in the main MLO in southend. I really wish people knew the exact reason for us going out on strike it isnt just bout pay!

Went down to our picket line today not one scab which is great. It's offices like shoebury, benfleet, wakering etc that let postal workers down by scabbing and going in on strike days!

Job Cuts, Pensions and modernising the royal mail are other issues that are taking us out on strike

In southend office we've been "doing the job properly" as we put it. Which means no using cars. This means Royal mail have to get the extra bags out to us on delivery which causes problems due to not having enough drivers! We make sure we take our alloted breaks and if it comes to the end of duty time and we havent finished people's important mail doesnt get delivered!

In the summer they want us to do extra as there isnt as much mail through the system supposedly!

We start at 6:15am which sucks esp on a saturday as trying to get to away games was tough anyway! Now it will be impossible! I thought Shoebury and Wakering were starting at 7+

Do You Lot honestly think we like losing £200 lol

 

[Slipperduke]

The Post Office have got the second best union behind the mole-people at London Underground.

I worked a temp in a number of the Chelmsford sorting offices and I can say, on some authority, that Postmen are fantastic human beings, but without a shadow of a doubt, the most corrupt, kleptomaniacal (is this a word?) bunch of chancers I've ever encountered.

You can get anything in the world off your local postman. One chap I worked with was test-driving his new supply of pills on the night-shift. He had a great time, bless him. Talked a lot though.

 

[The General]

I think simac has explained it well there but i personally dont do this "work to rule" thing as i wont ever to be able to book over time and thus im the one missing out. But this does depend on the type of office your at and what kind of "union pressure" you are put under! But we are def starting at 6.15 simac with a couple of people in at 5.15 to sort the generally bits and pieces out like cut & tipping, the mec, packets, etc ...

Kev

Kev

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Do You Lot honestly think we like losing £200 lol

Is that how much that gets sent in birthday cards every day?

 

[simac21]

You can get anything in the world off your local postman. One chap I worked with was test-driving his new supply of pills on the night-shift. He had a great time, bless him. Talked a lot though.

in southend MLO i supply ADULT Dvd's lol ive got a cataloge 27 pages of very good dvd's

 

[Benfleet A1]

I see our resident posties are glossing over the fact that overtime starts after your duty finishes. What that means is if say a duty finishes at 1.30pm then your overtime would start then. But the reality is you can be well into a 5 hour overtime shift buy 12.30/1pm and finishing by say 5pm but still being paid until 6.30/7pm. Used to do it all the time when I was on the post. I was home, showered, fed and down the pub on my second pint well before the end of my overtime shift but had still done the hours. But then us Benfleet scabs prefered working the system to rocking the boat. How times have changed, Bill Chrispin and Micky Peacock were two of the stauchest union men in the UCW as it was called then but even they didn't want to kick our milk cow in the udders.

 

[simac21]

I was home, showered, fed and down the pub on my second pint well before the end of my overtime shift but had still done the hours.

this is partly the reason why royal mail want to modernise overtime.
even my dad who's been in the job 35 years admits what they did in the past is partly responsible to what's going on at this moment in time

 

[grayhound]

27 pages of very good dvd's

You sure?!? :finger:

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Blimey, I know any number of people working in retail who'd love those working conditions!

For me personally, less pay than a postie, overtime's not paid (I'm a manager, therefore salaried, paid to do a job, not by the hour) no pension, staff cuts/no replacing leaving staff. Rises often not in line with inflation and stocktakes once a year that start at 5pm on a Sunday, and finish sometime on the monday morning (maybe afternoon)

If I can put up with that, and be bothered to serve you, then I think you can at least be bothered to deliver my mail!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Or perhaps you should get a better union to fight for your rights.......

 

[colonelnutter]

General Pinochet had the right idea for unions - round them up, electrodes on the testicles then shoot the c*nts.

CWU is typical of the worst sort of union - protective of restictive practices, extremist, blinkered. RM workforce is inefficient and corrupt (re-enforced by people posting on here who seem to think it is funny to take the p*ss - you are spending my tax you c*nts). Wait until you are privatised and then see what hardline management is like - personnally I will laugh like a drain when you are all on the dole.

 

[C C Csiders]

RM workforce is inefficient and corrupt

Another Tilly and Brush out merchant, I see.

 

[Southend_Lady]

I saw a very daring man on the train last night at around 9pm - he had his Royal Mail uniform on. Not sure if he made it to the end of his journey ....

 

[MK Shrimper]

I saw a very daring man on the train last night at around 9pm - he had his Royal Mail uniform on. Not sure if he made it to the end of his journey ....

Some people do support their fight not to be treated like slaves while Adam Crozier and his lot get paid vast bonuses. Imagine if your pension that you've paid into for over 20 years suddenly vanishes due to greedy yuppie b@stards in the city who treat it like monopoly money.

Unfortunately I think they've signed their own death warrant - if the Royal Mail goes the same way as every other privatised company you'll pay more for a crappier service.

 

[The General]

And where has all this money come from to pay for Parklife to advertise the Post Office!?!

 

[Southend_Lady]

Some people do support their fight not to be treated like slaves while Adam Crozier and his lot get paid vast bonuses. Imagine if your pension that you've paid into for over 20 years suddenly vanishes due to greedy yuppie b@stards in the city who treat it like monopoly money.

Unfortunately I think they've signed their own death warrant - if the Royal Mail goes the same way as every other privatised company you'll pay more for a crappier service.

I didnt actually say that I didnt support them.....I just thought he was brave considering the current situation thats all.
I actually agree with them, if there is something you arent happy with at work Im sure everyone else would do the same.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I didnt actually say that I didnt support them.....I just thought he was brave considering the current situation thats all.
I actually agree with them, if there is something you arent happy with at work Im sure everyone else would do the same.

Good work Sister! Have some green! Up the workers!

 

[DTS]

Some people do support their fight not to be treated like slaves while Adam Crozier and his lot get paid vast bonuses. Imagine if your pension that you've paid into for over 20 years suddenly vanishes due to greedy yuppie b@stards in the city who treat it like monopoly money.

Unfortunately I think they've signed their own death warrant - if the Royal Mail goes the same way as every other privatised company you'll pay more for a crappier service.

Yes slaves - The poor *******s.

Fancy having to go back to work if you finish you shift early. And no final salary pensions any more - Who would have thought it when 90% of employers did away with these ten plus years ago.

I think you bang on to blame the city for making them work a full days money for a reasonsable wage. :hilarious: