Another bloody postal strike

[Bungral]

Right firstly any posties, this isn't directly at you as it isn't each and every postie that says the strikes should happen.

Ok with that out of the way, why the bloody hell do they strike so f'in often? I mean the Fire Brigade strike a lot but they're risking their lives and working all sorts of shifts. Postal workers have fairly normal hours and if they have a decent route can finish pretty early. My mate Ashley has been a postman for ages and he does like 5 hour days.

Is it just me that thinks it's taking the ****?

 

[Freak]

I can see your point but there was something on tv bout how much work they have to do.

the amount of post increases but they are having less people to do it. SO more work.

Plus they have to walk at twice the normal pace - or something like that.

 

[Bungral]

That's happening all over the country at the moment... My supervisor in my last job a year ago got made redundant so guess who had to do all of her work? Muggins over here!

Nearly all workforces will now be smaller than they were 18 months ago but you don't see the whole country crying about it.

Most of the postmen in London have bikes!!!

 

[Youngie1337]

I can see your point but there was something on tv bout how much work they have to do.

the amount of post increases but they are having less people to do it. SO more work.

Plus they have to walk at twice the normal pace - or something like that.

Don't apply or do the job then. Get someone who is motivated I say fire them all because there is many people out there who would work for half of their current wage.

They're never getting a raise in this economic time.

Some people risk their lives and save lives that's what deserves a raise and strike not someone who sends letters through a door and normally bends them. We pay enough tax for them anyways.

 

[TopSecret]

If it wasn't for the working class who went on strike in years gone by, most of us would still be in the poorhouse and working just for our keep. I am all for them striking, it's the only way a working man has to make their employers sit up and listen sometimes. Solidarity to the people!!!

 

[Youngie1337]

If it wasn't for the working class who went on strike in years gone by, most of us would still be in the poorhouse and working just for our keep. I am all for them striking, it's the only way a working man has to make their employers sit up and listen sometimes. Solidarity to the people!!!

But they're taking the p*ss they strike for no reason. I don't know the reason but last time it was because of not enough vans around here , stop being lazy the town is like 1 mile from 1 end to the other. I get my post here late anyway, always 1pm, which is stupid since the next street gets at 9am .

Never liked the Royal Mail, 2 weeks ago I received 4 parcels using First Class and recorded guarantee next day 2 days late. They have no excuse for the delays, I wouldn't give them a raise if I was their employer LOL.

Just my 2 cence!

 

[Bungral]

I don't have anything against striking as a whole but they are at it all the time. Think they deserve more than everyone else and if they don't get it throw their toys out the pram.

It's because they know that it will have a profound effect on the whole country.

If it wasn't for the working class who went on strike in years gone by, most of us would still be in the poorhouse and working just for our keep. I am all for them striking, it's the only way a working man has to make their employers sit up and listen sometimes. Solidarity to the people!!!

 

[TopSecret]

I have a mate who's a postie, and they have had massive changes to their jobs in the past few years, and most of them are not for the good. You are blaming the postal workers for the shoddy service you are getting when maybe you should be questioning the company as a whole too. If it is indeed a shoddy service from the postal workers, this normally indicates poor morale within the workforce. It's the same in any other company too.

You get your mail later because Royal Mail changed the hours that the posties work. This was done with very little (ie NONE!) consultation with their workforce.

 

[Bungral]

Personally I don't have a problem with the service when it's running and quite like my postie.

 

[chudley]

I thought mail arrived later because of a policy change, i.e. business mail would be delivered early which meant that household mail had to suffer. Not sure what they are striking now for but knw its usually about pay or job cuts or closures.

I think the trouble is that they are not competitive enough and charge too much (and this is while they have personal mail market to themselves) and only competition in the business sector ( the reason for the policy change earlier).

I did do some work on the PO a while back all to do with strikes and resolution through ACAS but details have changed since then although the principle will still be the same.

The bosses want more work for free and the posties want more money for doing less - all they have to do is strike a deal (excuse the pun) and striking is the best bargaining chip they have. Sadly.

Ho Hum

 

[Rastalovich]

Experience(d) how unions work on a few levels - and I have tbh, they're not the organizations they used to be.

I'd go as far as saying since Labour went Conservative to get elected, at least.

Either way - screw the postal service especially, they can go eff it.

I know for a fact that they will strike for the most unfathomable things, particularly around boxing days, holidays, good weather - not unlike the reporters union. But when something of real consequence comes along, the officials will-not want to know. And when they don't want to know, they get sued (i.e. the tax payer) for a heafty amount, which they pay. (bit of personal license there)

 

[JN]

My old man is a postman and has been for the past 15 years. Like most of the other posties in his office he's a bloody hard worker, often carrying around the weight of two kids on his back and more often than not in sh*tty weather conditions.

Thing is though, he never grumbles. Everyone in his office who signed up to be a postie knows the work involved and accepted the pay. The major problem here is that the management and unions (the people who are supposed to stand up for them) make huge changes to the business operations without even consulting the workers. Every change they have made in the past 15 years has been for the worse, often taking away benefits, changing hours, imposing stupid rules that hinder their jobs.

You will never even begin to grasp the concept of what is actually going on and what the strikes are for by reading the media, unless you speak to the people that do the job. They're probably not asking for a pay rise at all..more likely asking for money that has been taken away from them in some way shape or form.

If everyone in the post office got sacked tomorrow and replaced with the currently unemployed this country would die within a matter of days.

 

[Youngie1337]

My old man is a postman and has been for the past 15 years. Like most of the other posties in his office he's a bloody hard worker, often carrying around the weight of two kids on his back and more often than not in sh*tty weather conditions.

Thing is though, he never grumbles. Everyone in his office who signed up to be a postie knows the work involved and accepted the pay. The major problem here is that the management and unions (the people who are supposed to stand up for them) make huge changes to the business operations without even consulting the workers. Every change they have made in the past 15 years has been for the worse, often taking away benefits, changing hours, imposing stupid rules that hinder their jobs.

You will never even begin to grasp the concept of what is actually going on and what the strikes are for by reading the media, unless you speak to the people that do the job. They're probably not asking for a pay rise at all..more likely asking for money that has been taken away from them in some way shape or form.

If everyone in the post office got sacked tomorrow and replaced with the currently unemployed this country would die within a matter of days.

Still in the end it's if you want to work, most people are only in jobs because it's all they can get. When you go to the chippy and they give you a big portion, it's either because they feel sorry for how hungry you are OR they hate their boss.

I wouldn't be motivated to work if I wasn't enjoying my job and no amount of money could make me enjoy it. Posties around here are stupid and sometimes just skip streets for no reason, yet they don't the next day. I'm not one to judge people but from every single Royal Mail employee I have seen they have either been late, damaged mail, leave houses out or just don't knock hard enough.

You may think that what I have seen is little but when you pay for next day guarantee delivery you expect it to be there the next day, why would I pay for it?

 

[rapidman17]

My old man is a postman and has been for the past 15 years. Like most of the other posties in his office he's a bloody hard worker, often carrying around the weight of two kids on his back and more often than not in sh*tty weather conditions.

Thing is though, he never grumbles. Everyone in his office who signed up to be a postie knows the work involved and accepted the pay. The major problem here is that the management and unions (the people who are supposed to stand up for them) make huge changes to the business operations without even consulting the workers. Every change they have made in the past 15 years has been for the worse, often taking away benefits, changing hours, imposing stupid rules that hinder their jobs.

You will never even begin to grasp the concept of what is actually going on and what the strikes are for by reading the media, unless you speak to the people that do the job. They're probably not asking for a pay rise at all..more likely asking for money that has been taken away from them in some way shape or form.

If everyone in the post office got sacked tomorrow and replaced with the currently unemployed this country would die within a matter of days.

Very fair point.... striking is the only way to get any attention and ensure some sort of reform, esp seeing as they are making changes without talking to those at ground level. Im sure if it were us in that same situation we would all do the same....

 

[TopSecret]

It was much the same during the miners strikes. Those who didn't live in pit villages, or know people who did, didn't realise the massive effects the pit closures had on these areas. They also didn't have a clue how it felt to have their whole way of life threatened. So they couldn't fully understand what all the fuss was about. Until your job is threatened or your standard of living is under threat because of changes to your job, you never will understand.

Strikes have always been the only true way that the working class can have their voices heard. It's never something a union, or the workforce, will walk into lightly and it's nearly always for something which is worth fighting for.

 

[Youngie1337]

Very fair point.... striking is the only way to get any attention and ensure some sort of reform, esp seeing as they are making changes without talking to those at ground level. Im sure if it were us in that same situation we would all do the same....

I would rather ask for a meeting instead of being centre of attention, just because I signed up for a job that I knew the work would be hard but yet I want to complain because there is more work. So the police sign up to the force because they think they're going to be dealing with 1 charge per day, yet the next day they deal with 10 and get home late. I have yet to see them strike and complain because they can't handle the job.

 

[TopSecret]

I would rather ask for a meeting instead of being centre of attention, just because I signed up for a job that I knew the work would be hard but yet I want to complain because there is more work. So the police sign up to the force because they think they're going to be dealing with 1 charge per day, yet the next day they deal with 10 and get home late. I have yet to see them strike and complain because they can't handle the job.

Youngie, can I ask where you work? I have worked for quite a few large companies, and if I asked to meet with the directors I would have been laughed out of the office. Same applies if I started compalining about wages etc. As for the police, they are not allowed to strike, that's probably why they havent done so.

It isn't about the work being hard either, how would you feel if you worked 40 hours a week and then they cut you down to 20? Or maybe if your pay was reduced, whilst the board of directors took a healthy bonus and pay rise? Or maybe there were health and safety issues which was putting employees at risk? These are just some of the things that strikes have been fought over before.

The Health & Safety At Work reforms were largely down to pressure from unions and strikes, as were the amount of hours we are expected to work in a week. Then there are the wages we get. All have been infuenced by strike action.

 

[FarFarAway]

The police cannot strike, it's actually illegal iirc

lol stu beat me to it. Can't remember which act it is though, my Law A level was too long ago

 

[rapidman17]

I would rather ask for a meeting instead of being centre of attention, just because I signed up for a job that I knew the work would be hard but yet I want to complain because there is more work. So the police sign up to the force because they think they're going to be dealing with 1 charge per day, yet the next day they deal with 10 and get home late. I have yet to see them strike and complain because they can't handle the job.

Yh but in your case i'm sure the police were listened to and were able to implement change through meetings/discussions etc.

Here it looks like the situation is much different... 15 years and still no change is a long time....

Edit:lol thnks kempez

 

[Youngie1337]

I work for a small photography company programming and web developing Java apps. where I work closely with the boss and 2 other people. We get along well and can talk, and this is my second real job. The other one was harsh and I couldn't ask for a meeting no lol.

I'm only talking from my experience that the ones who have been around here do not deserve a rise since they don't do their job. I'd be more than happy to give them a rise if they was to work a little bit harder, I guess it might just be me.

Where ever you work you will always want better pay or better standards. People moan about what they haven't got but nothing is mentioned about the things they do have and never mention the positive. Let's go back to the original post work where they walked or bicycled, none of this fancy red van stuff.

Work - great job raise

Don't post on time - I will moan more and more .