Royal Mail national strike looms for Christmas

bendix

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

I'm afraid the disruption doesn't cause any pattern to the delays and backlog. Some stuff is gettting through ok, some isn't. Not everything can automatically be done electronically these days- just had a panicked call from a former student who needs a signed paper reference for a PostGrad application- emailing a pdf not acceptable apparently. I'm always surprised at how backwards it can be dealing with many institutions in the USA- they seem very slow in catching onto online submission of documents and still insist on fax and snailmail. When it works, the RM is actually an excellent service: ~30p to send a letter anywhere in the UK next day.

On a personal note, I write fairly regularly to my nans and always send postcards when I visit somewhere. People of that generation really appreciate the effort and I like to know I've brightened up their day a little with something in the post.

So hang on. I'm not sure if you're saying the RM is a good service or a bad service - you seem to contradict yourself a bit. Nor do i know if you support the strike or not.

To me, it's pretty clear. Both the service and the strike are outdated irrelevances.

JasonLVC

It's a bit like Colonel Gadaffi.

History has shown him to be a despot, a bully and will do anything to get his own way. The Colonel is the CWU.

Gadaffi today is now being courted by all the countries as he has something they want (oil) and he has promised to be nicer to everyone in the future. The reality is, we still don't trust him (or the CWU).

So the CWU probably mean well today, but they've been so obstinate in the past that frankly, even if they didn't strike, we'd still dislike them.

There is clearly two sides to this problem, but a management who aren't prepared to negotiate with a union who aren't prepared to compromise, smacks of two sides determined to fail.

The reality is that, whatever posturing takes place by the Union, the RM is a business and the economy and business legislation will be the only thing that determines the RM's future, not the management nor the union.

But a strike, now, in the middle of a recession suggests that the unions only know one thing - strike, strike, strike unless they get everything they want and in this climate, I suspect support for our dear postie will be thin on the ground....regardless of who is to blame.

nearlynew

20-30 years ago when we had.....

The post office (which also provided telecommuications) it was run better,

british rail, which owned trains, tracks and stations it was run better,

The NHS, which "owned" and ran their own hospitals and employed their own staff it was run better,

and yet today, in a supposedly more efficient and technologically advanced market economy, they are a shambles.

As many will know, I advocate small government and sound money.
But there are some things that a government should provide and the above, along with things like defence of our borders and upholding the rule of law are chief among them.

What has happened though is these areas of public services have been hijacked by private money and contracts have been parcelled out to the lowest bidders or quangos in what is literally theft of the country's wealth.
In the meantime, pay and conditions for the footsoldiers of these companies has worsened while the executives drive round in bentleys.

They are more or less private companies propped up by public money and corrupt to the core.

Good luck to the strikers.

I hope they bring the country to its knees.

bo_drinker

nearlynew wrote: »

I hope they bring the country to its knees.

I would have thought that we were not far off that without the antics of the R M.

bendix

nearlynew wrote: »

20-30 years ago when we had.....

The post office (which also provided telecommuications) it was run better,

british rail, which owned trains, tracks and stations it was run better,

The NHS, which "owned" and ran their own hospitals and employed their own staff it was run better,

and yet today, in a supposedly more efficient and technologically advanced market economy, they are a shambles.

As many will know, I advocate small government and sound money.
But there are some things that a government should provide and the above, along with things like defence of our borders and upholding the rule of law are chief among them.

What has happened though is these areas of public services have been hijacked by private money and contracts have been parcelled out to the lowest bidders or quangos in what is literally theft of the country's wealth.
In the meantime, pay and conditions for the footsoldiers of these companies has worsened while the executives drive round in bentleys.

They are more or less private companies propped up by public money and corrupt to the core.

Good luck to the strikers.

I hope they bring the country to its knees.

Let me see if I understand your position. You're saying the public sector is a shambles, and blaming it on the private sector. Is that right?

That's a bit like blaming a banana for being a lemon.

I don't see how the strikers are going to bring the country to its knees. They have been striking for months now, and it's barely resonated with anyone, except poor old Granny who didnt get her birthday card from Great Aunty Sylvia on the right day.

You seem to think people use the postal service. They don't.

No business of any significant size uses it anymore. We employ 1200 in London and our postal bill is zero.

mewbie_2

bendix wrote: »

No business of any significant size uses it anymore. We employ 1200 in London and our postal bill is zero.

It surprised me how much stuff still came through during the last disruption. DHL. Fedex. DPD. When did anyone last write a proper letter?

wearside_2

The Royal Mail staff are shooting themselves in the foot. Have they never heard of DHL, TNT, City Link, Fed Ex, etc. Given the choice I know who I would choose to handle my post, and it does not begin with Royal!

Pssst

Really2 wrote: »

More shocking if you said royal mail were not on strike this Christmas.

Time to get tough.
Sack anyone who strikes, there are plenty who want jobs out there. That should test thire resolve.

I wouldnt be so quick to blame posties.

Management have a part to play in this also.

What sort of management team are they that it has come to this? This dispute has been boiling for some time and has now come to a head.

Lets first examine the facts before calling for people to be sacked.

Its very easy for those who might describe themselves as "professionals" or who sit scribbling in an office to say sack them.

Usually they are referring to those who they perceive are beneath them.

Just think about his....we used to have plenty of branch post offices and a twice a day postal service.

Who changed that? Not the posties but their managers.

It is they who are largely responsible for this I'll wager.

I'm off the find the facts.

Pssst

wearside wrote: »

The Royal Mail staff are shooting themselves in the foot. Have they never heard of DHL, TNT, City Link, Fed Ex, etc. Given the choice I know who I would choose to handle my post, and it does not begin with Royal!

Will they deliver a 1st class letter,nationwide for 39p? I doubt it!!

Think about the nationalised rail/gas/electric and other utilities. They worked,people were encouraged to whinge and moan,something the Brits can do very easily....so Government "fixed" it by selling them all off. Now look how bad they are ,what service they provide and how much more it costs.

Be careful what you wish for becuase you might get it...a nice expensive privatised postal service.

custardy

wearside wrote: »

The Royal Mail staff are shooting themselves in the foot. Have they never heard of DHL, TNT, City Link, Fed Ex, etc. Given the choice I know who I would choose to handle my post, and it does not begin with Royal!

you already have 30 to choose from
just contact them and get a quote

http://www.psc.gov.uk/licensed-postal-operators.html