Comments on: Royal Mail postal strikes start today http://www.iblog.co.uk/2007/10/04/royal-mail-postal-strikes-start-today/ (so you don't have to) Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:37:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Monkey poo http://www.iblog.co.uk/2007/10/04/royal-mail-postal-strikes-start-today/#comment-29084 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:39:28 +0000 http://www.iblog.co.uk/2007/10/04/royal-mail-postal-strikes-start-today/#comment-29084 It's just a sad state of affairs when this happens. Royal Mail are hugely unreliable as it is and this strike will knock their credibility even more. If they continue to take this kind of action then they lose the support of the British public. Striking is something from the dark ages and I for one do not support it. I'm sorry but that's the way I feel and if you ask other people on the street today you will be surprised as to just how many of them agree that striking is not the answer. It’s just a sad state of affairs when this happens. Royal Mail are hugely unreliable as it is and this strike will knock their credibility even more. If they continue to take this kind of action then they lose the support of the British public. Striking is something from the dark ages and I for one do not support it. I’m sorry but that’s the way I feel and if you ask other people on the street today you will be surprised as to just how many of them agree that striking is not the answer.

]]> by: gazza9000 http://www.iblog.co.uk/2007/10/04/royal-mail-postal-strikes-start-today/#comment-28742 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:42:31 +0000 http://www.iblog.co.uk/2007/10/04/royal-mail-postal-strikes-start-today/#comment-28742 The strikes are not just about pay and job cuts. The main concerns of postal workers are RM's proposals on pension changes and flexibility. They are proposing to cut our pension and raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 - I have worked for RM for almost 30 years, expecting to be able to retire at 60. Now as I approach retirement age they are saying I will have to work on to 65 for a smaller pension - am I expected to be happy about that? And they are proposing that we are 'flexible'. At present we generally are on a set attendance time which we can plan our home life around. RM want us to work up to half an hour later every day, up to 2 hours later with 24 hours notice, and to change on to a compltely different attendance at 7 days notice. This would make child care arrangements completely impossible. The CWU negotiated with RM for 5 weeks and came close to reaching agreement, but at the last minute RM reneged on all the agreed changes and presented the CWU with an unacceptable set of proposals which they demanded agreement on. We were left with no alternative except to take industrial action. We regret having to do this. We are not well paid and striking is causing us considerable financial hardship. And we regret the difficulties caused to you, our customers who have generally been supportive of their postmen/women. But you should also understand that RM's 'modernisation' proposals will also affect you. They are proposing to close 2,500 Post Offices (Counters), end Sunday collections, and deliver mail up to 2 hours later. They do not recognise you as 'customers'. They say that only the 10 biggest posters (banks and building societies mainly) are important. If you want more information direct from the people involved, have a look at www.royalmailchat.co.uk Once again, my apologies for any inconvenience caused to you, but we have been let with no choice. The strikes are not just about pay and job cuts. The main concerns of postal workers are RM’s proposals on pension changes and flexibility. They are proposing to cut our pension and raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 - I have worked for RM for almost 30 years, expecting to be able to retire at 60. Now as I approach retirement age they are saying I will have to work on to 65 for a smaller pension - am I expected to be happy about that?
And they are proposing that we are ‘flexible’. At present we generally are on a set attendance time which we can plan our home life around. RM want us to work up to half an hour later every day, up to 2 hours later with 24 hours notice, and to change on to a compltely different attendance at 7 days notice. This would make child care arrangements completely impossible.
The CWU negotiated with RM for 5 weeks and came close to reaching agreement, but at the last minute RM reneged on all the agreed changes and presented the CWU with an unacceptable set of proposals which they demanded agreement on. We were left with no alternative except to take industrial action.

We regret having to do this. We are not well paid and striking is causing us considerable financial hardship. And we regret the difficulties caused to you, our customers who have generally been supportive of their postmen/women. But you should also understand that RM’s ‘modernisation’ proposals
will also affect you. They are proposing to close 2,500 Post Offices (Counters), end Sunday collections, and deliver mail up to 2 hours later. They do not recognise you as ‘customers’. They say that only the 10 biggest posters (banks and building societies mainly) are important.

If you want more information direct from the people involved, have a look at www.royalmailchat.co.uk

Once again, my apologies for any inconvenience caused to you, but we have been let with no choice.

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