**Two More Postal Strikes **

ltm07

I'd just like to have my say if that's ok with you folks. I am a postie & i am fed up with losing a day's pay nearly every week. However what Royal Mail are doing to us is wrong. They have offered us a 2.5% payrise,which in itself isn't too bad. However the £8 or so a week that we would have been better off will be swallowed up by the loss of our £12 a week shift allowance,as we would be starting at 6am instead of 5am. They have also gone back on their word as they had an agreement with the CWU to staedily increase our pay over the next 5 years to bring it in line with the national average. They also wanted us to deliver 5 sets of leaflets,but only pay us for delivering 3 sets(altough this suggestion has been put on hold). On another note,Allan Leighton has already said that Royal Mail lose money on things like Birthday Cards that we send to each other & also ebay items. So that bit of cash that you might make by selling on ebay will more or less be wiped out by the cost of sending the item if Allan Leighton gets his way. We are striking not just for ourselves,but for the general public too. We are also striking to try to prevent Royal Mail getting rid of 40,000 of us. The strike is frustrating,as i can't afford to lose a day's pay every week or so,& neither can most of my colleagues. But this is our last stand in the fight to protect our jobs. Saying that i think the strike is futile,as i think Royal Mail will get their own way in the end. But at least we aren't lying down & letting them walk all over us.

L-Jay

ltm07 wrote: »

I'd just like to have my say if that's ok with you folks. I am a postie & i am fed up with losing a day's pay nearly every week. However what Royal Mail are doing to us is wrong. They have offered us a 2.5% payrise,which in itself isn't too bad. However the £8 or so a week that we would have been better off will be swallowed up by the loss of our £12 a week shift allowance,as we would be starting at 6am instead of 5am. They have also gone back on their word as they had an agreement with the CWU to staedily increase our pay over the next 5 years to bring it in line with the national average. They also wanted us to deliver 5 sets of leaflets,but only pay us for delivering 3 sets(altough this suggestion has been put on hold). On another note,Allan Leighton has already said that Royal Mail lose money on things like Birthday Cards that we send to each other & also ebay items. So that bit of cash that you might make by selling on ebay will more or less be wiped out by the cost of sending the item if Allan Leighton gets his way. We are striking not just for ourselves,but for the general public too. We are also striking to try to prevent Royal Mail getting rid of 40,000 of us. The strike is frustrating,as i can't afford to lose a day's pay every week or so,& neither can most of my colleagues. But this is our last stand in the fight to protect our jobs. Saying that i think the strike is futile,as i think Royal Mail will get their own way in the end. But at least we aren't lying down & letting them walk all over us.

I for one support you and I am proud to live in a country where there are (some) people that won't roll over to have their bellies tickled, people that want the bread and the roses and are prepared to fight for it.

I'm happy for any minor inconveniences to me if it means a better conditions for you.

Good on you.

rayday2

I agree with you striking is doing nothing but giving the royal mail a bad reputation.

Before all these strikes the Amazon contract came up for renewal and I believe Amazon have decided not to re-new it. How many other companies are losing confidence as well as us little people.

The ebay thing is a futile argument they put the cost of posting those items up then we as ebayers put the costs up. Maybe your boss should concentrate on a pricing system that works so there are no losses and let the general public decide if they stil want to send cards etc - we can cope with decisions.

But all this striking is not getting empathy its getting a bad reputation.

Nice for someone of the postal industry to speak with rational though interesting reading and I hope for all our sakes normal service will be resumed!

ltm07

Thanks L-Jay. rayday i also hope normal service will be resumed. The thing is how much would you put your costs up before the buyer thinks 'i might as well buy the item brand new'. Believe me Royal Mail won't put the price of stamps up by ajust a few pence if they are allowed to put the prices up. I honestly don't know what the answers are,but i can assure you,if you think Royal Mail give a bad service,it will be ten times worst & alot more costly if Royal Mail win this dispute. These are very worrying times for all of us at Royal Mail. I just hope the Union & RM can meet halfway but neither are giving an inch at the moment.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I suspect that the strikes will be futile for the workers (didn't do the coal miners under Thatcher much good did it?) and also that the Royal Mail will lose business to competitors because of the strikes and this will have a negative impact on the workers.

L-Jay

rayday2 wrote: »

I agree with you striking is doing nothing but giving the royal mail a bad reputation.

Before all these strikes the Amazon contract came up for renewal and I believe Amazon have decided not to re-new it. How many other companies are losing confidence as well as us little people.

The ebay thing is a futile argument they put the cost of posting those items up then we as ebayers put the costs up. Maybe your boss should concentrate on a pricing system that works so there are no losses and let the general public decide if they stil want to send cards etc - we can cope with decisions.

But all this striking is not getting empathy its getting a bad reputation.

Nice for someone of the postal industry to speak with rational though interesting reading and I hope for all our sakes normal service will be resumed!

You may have no empathy, I do.

I shall visit the striking posties on the picketline in my area to show my support.

With regards to Amazon it's only the collection and distribution not done by Royal Mail - the delivery still is. The competition is able to do this because RM bosses negotiated a sweet deal with 'em.

rayday2

I think the royal mail could do without rent a mob it takes away from the real issues and the real workers suffering!

L-Jay

rayday2 wrote: »

I think the royal mail could do without rent a mob it takes away from the real issues and the real workers suffering!

Rent-A-Mob??

They collect money for the strike on the picketline, not throw eggs at the police.

ltm07

You've hit the nail on the head L-Jay. We are being undercut on price by our competitors because Royal Mail have made agreements to subsidise them,whilst we still have to deliver their items.

backtomum

ltm07 wrote: »

You've hit the nail on the head L-Jay. We are being undercut on price by our competitors because Royal Mail have made agreements to subsidise them,whilst we still have to deliver their items.

So I believe. Did people know that the likes of TNT - whom people think are marvelous, post the mail through the Royal Mail system - greatly subsidised. This government I'm afraid are trying to get rid of the Post Office - by making things as hard as possible - i.e. opening up the competition to foreign operaters. No other country in Europe allows their Postal Services to be operated from abroad.

I for one am behind the postal workers.