Postal strike

[Chippy_Tea]

The side we rarely hear -

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I have every sympathy with them.

As an interesting aside, that chap was instrumental in gathering support in keeping Plymouth Argyle afloat after they went into administration back in 2011. Geddon you janner!

 

[Brewnaldo]

Up the Workers ️

 

[Jim Brewster]

We have neighbours who shout abuse at our couriers, but they are always polite to the post man. Probably because they want to continue recieving their mail

 

[Bzee]

The side we rarely hear -

I'm CWU everyone should join a union it's time. OK miners blah blah Scargil blah blah but now it's different.

 

[Dordoor]

Can some explain how this really works?

So they strike because they are not satisfied with their pay or working conditions. I get this. They should get satisfactory conditions, like everyone else. Satisfactory is very subjective.

Then their striking actions meant to cause troubles for paying customers and also to owners and bosses high up, shareholders etc.

Thinking as a customer, I just simply won't go through troubles and use the troublesome service. So less money from me. There are equally good services out there, maybe better. Once going to other services why would I come back to royal mail?

Royal mail with this move could end up in a very bad situation. Striking employees lose their jobs, surely they would find another job - that would be most likely the same or worse, little bit better who knows.

Not better for them to change jobs? Or they wanna bring down royal mail as revenge for treating them bad? That way they need a new job too.

Just curious, never really had thoughts about this as a big picture. Now royal mail still haven't delivered a next day delivery after 5 days is just poor.

Made me think what's the purpose of this strike really.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Can some explain how this really works?

So they strike because they are not satisfied with their pay or working conditions. I get this. They should get satisfactory conditions, like everyone else. Satisfactory is very subjective.

Then their striking actions meant to cause troubles for paying customers and also to owners and bosses high up, shareholders etc.

Thinking as a customer, I just simply won't go through troubles and use the troublesome service. So less money from me. There are equally good services out there, maybe better. Once going to other services why would I come back to royal mail?

Royal mail with this move could end up in a very bad situation. Striking employees lose their jobs, surely they would find another job - that would be most likely the same or worse, little bit better who knows.

Not better for them to change jobs? Or they wanna bring down royal mail as revenge for treating them bad? That way they need a new job too.

Just curious, never really had thoughts about this as a big picture. Now royal mail still haven't delivered a next day delivery after 5 days is just poor.

Made me think what's the purpose of this strike really.

I suspect the t's & c's with other firms are far worse. We've been the 114th delivery from a courier before now and we weren't the last. All of that in and out of vans - long term RSI?

So whilst I believe RM's conditions are better than couriers in the main, RM's management could have got the balance (of 'allocating it's profits') better.
It's possible the £1m loss a day is a bit of accountancy smoke and mirrors as often dividends get suspended when a company isn't doing so well. It's also possible with the pandemic dribbling away all the test kits and other pandemic mail related business dried up?

Our regular postie is a scot, he does love a strong beer and we swap tips on where to get a good beer when we discuss our next short break (only done during handover of parcels of course or when I take one in for a neighbour).

He particularly likes the Ris-key business and weizen krieg kopf.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If all postie's end up driving white vans like the ones we see every day on our road trying to deliver 150 plus packages a day we are all in deep ****.

 

[Leon103]

Can some explain how this really works?

So they strike because they are not satisfied with their pay or working conditions. I get this. They should get satisfactory conditions, like everyone else. Satisfactory is very subjective.

Then their striking actions meant to cause troubles for paying customers and also to owners and bosses high up, shareholders etc.

Thinking as a customer, I just simply won't go through troubles and use the troublesome service. So less money from me. There are equally good services out there, maybe better. Once going to other services why would I come back to royal mail?

Royal mail with this move could end up in a very bad situation. Striking employees lose their jobs, surely they would find another job - that would be most likely the same or worse, little bit better who knows.

Not better for them to change jobs? Or they wanna bring down royal mail as revenge for treating them bad? That way they need a new job too.

Just curious, never really had thoughts about this as a big picture. Now royal mail still haven't delivered a next day delivery after 5 days is just poor.

Made me think what's the purpose of this strike really.

For days after they strike they need to work twice as hard to cover the work they miss.

 

[Dordoor]

For days after they strike they need to work twice as hard to cover the work they miss.

Yes, I get that but that's also not fair for themself. They missed days then the day they opened there were loads of people queuing up, sort of made their own work more difficult.

 

[NicF]

The strikes have forced a lot of businesses to move to different couriers, as is evident by the strain the other couriers are under, carrying a lot more parcels than they had planned for, as peak planning is typically done late Summer.

It's unlikely that these businesses will return to Royal Mail once the industrial action is resolved.

 

[Dordoor]

The strikes have forced a lot of businesses to move to different couriers, as is evident by the strain the other couriers are under, carrying a lot more parcels than they had planned for, as peak planning is typically done late Summer.

It's unlikely that these businesses will return to Royal Mail once the industrial action is resolved.

This is exactly what I think on a non business, personal level. Then there will be less royal mail customers, less profit for them and unhappy owners, sharehders etc. So speculating royal mail will end and owners start up a new company.

 

[Griff097]

This is exactly what I think on a non business, personal level. Then there will be less royal mail customers, less profit for them and unhappy owners, sharehders etc. So speculating royal mail will end and owners start up a new company.

So if you were an unhappy employee and had worked hard for this company for 10 years plus and had tried to negotiate for years for pay and conditions that maintained your current ones and had been slipping backwards for a long time, how would you suggest you put enough back pressure on the management to achieve this?
I take it you have never been in this unfortunate position, I have and I fully support the strikers.
I am not sure if it's British law that stops this but I prefer the European way of dealing with strike action, where they turn up for work, but don't take any fares, like the railways, motorways etc, the employers get the same Burdon of costs to provide the service, less the labour, so the railways have to be run etc and the consumer doesn't get compromised so doesn't get anti the whole point of the protest, ie, I agree with your point as long as it doesn't affect me!

 

[LeeH]

I'm CWU everyone should join a union it's time. OK miners blah blah Scargil blah blah but now it's different.

How?

 

[Dordoor]

So if you were an unhappy employee and had worked hard for this company for 10 years plus and had tried to negotiate for years for pay and conditions that maintained your current ones and had been slipping backwards for a long time, how would you suggest you put enough back pressure on the management to achieve this?
I take it you have never been in this unfortunate position, I have and I fully support the strikers.
I am not sure if it's British law that stops this but I prefer the European way of dealing with strike action, where they turn up for work, but don't take any fares, like the railways, motorways etc, the employers get the same Burdon of costs to provide the service, less the labour, so the railways have to be run etc and the consumer doesn't get compromised so doesn't get anti the whole point of the protest, ie, I agree with your point as long as it doesn't affect me!

Right, this is why I am confused. I am paying for the service that I don't receive and I am supposed to understand them, feel sympathetic and support them. Not really sure that is actually possible. Yes, it would be the "European" way.

I never said that I don't support the strikers. I actually would but I can not completely understand their situation, not until I work for RM. Not even sure what full support means in this case. Until it affects me I try to avoid it. So choosing another courier would mean I don't support them? It could mean support as I give less work for them. How do I support? We all work we don't have extra time to join their strike etc.

 

[Bzee]

This is exactly what I think on a non business, personal level. Then there will be less royal mail customers, less profit for them and unhappy owners, sharehders etc. So speculating royal ma

How?

How?

because of interest rates and inflation. I got a **** payrise this year and face higher costs, in real terms its a paycut. At the same time where I work put thier prices up by more than I got but not as high as they would like cos customers spitting fur, in real terms thier margins are falling. So there is this power struggle going on about who is gonna take the crap from the war, Covid, climate etc and the little guy is gonna get it unless they get some representation. Life is getting harder.

 

[DaleMC]

So if you were an unhappy employee and had worked hard for this company for 10 years plus and had tried to negotiate for years for pay and conditions that maintained your current ones and had been slipping backwards for a long time, how would you suggest you put enough back pressure on the management to achieve this?
I take it you have never been in this unfortunate position, I have and I fully support the strikers.
I am not sure if it's British law that stops this but I prefer the European way of dealing with strike action, where they turn up for work, but don't take any fares, like the railways, motorways etc, the employers get the same Burdon of costs to provide the service, less the labour, so the railways have to be run etc and the consumer doesn't get compromised so doesn't get anti the whole point of the protest, ie, I agree with your point as long as it doesn't affect me!

Revenue strikes are unfortunately illegal in the UK.

As for the Mail, my starting position is to have a great deal of sympathy with striking workers (even though as a civil servant, their pay offer is already 2-3 times our award) - no one should be in a position where their work is worth less each day due to crushing inflation...

Just wish that on non strike days there appeared to be any sort of order or quality to service in South London. Delivery here (strikes or not) is sporadic, yesterday I received a bunch of mail sent at the back end of November. I have a Christmas delivery (sent from Brew2Bottle on 16th December tracked, sat in a delivery office elsewhere in London due to my local being stacked) - the issues are clearly more than just strikes - which may well be a contributing factor to the strike action. Don't know whether issue is being inner city (as it is years old), but mail in Village i grew up in was hugely more reliable. The last thing anyone wants is more sodding Hermes.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Revenue strikes are unfortunately illegal in the UK.

As for the Mail, my starting position is to have a great deal of sympathy with striking workers (even though as a civil servant, their pay offer is already 2-3 times our award) - no one should be in a position where their work is worth less each day due to crushing inflation...

Just wish that on non strike days there appeared to be any sort of order or quality to service in South London. Delivery here (strikes or not) is sporadic, yesterday I received a bunch of mail sent at the back end of November. I have a Christmas delivery (sent from Brew2Bottle on 16th December tracked, sat in a delivery office elsewhere in London due to my local being stacked) - the issues are clearly more than just strikes - which may well be a contributing factor to the strike action. Don't know whether issue is being inner city (as it is years old), but mail in Village i grew up in was hugely more reliable. The last thing anyone wants is more sodding Hermes.

I don't know how much truth there is in this but, wern't a lot off civil servants given a share of 30 million quids worth of vouchers, i also don't know if these vouchers were on top of the pay rise they got If they were is that not a pay rise through the back door, just asking as i am intrigued to know how it works

 

[YeastFace]

The oven shelf I ordered on 3rd December which was despatched the next day has finally arrived. Bit late as only really needed it for cooking Christmas dinner

 

[DaleMC]

I don't know how much truth there is in this but, wern't a lot off civil servants given a share of 30 million quids worth of vouchers, i also don't know if these vouchers were on top of the pay rise they got If they were is that not a pay rise through the back door, just asking as i am intrigued to know how it works

There are 450,000 civil servants. And these aren't given out as a freebie (I haven't received one), but you can nominate people for a voucher based on strong contributions to particular pieces of work (their existence is actually included in the 2% pay settlement). It would equate to about £60 per person, which as a bonus isn't exactly exuberant. I've nominated people who I think have gone above and beyond for awards. For the TPA to weaponise this is a bit of a joke as in context of the pay bill, its absolutely miniscule.