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Post by Bazza on Jun 29, 2007 6:33:15 GMT -5
Thought I'd put this up since I work for Royal Mail as a postman and think that people should know why us postmen are out on strike at the moment.
Postal workers have become increasingly disillusioned over the pay offer of 2 per cent, which effectively amounts to a pay cut, as inflation stands at 4.5 per cent and continues to rise.
But the decision to take industrial action is more than about pay. Royal Mail wants to close 2,500 post offices and cut 40,000 jobs. It plans the destruction of the Post Office network, particularly in rural areas, and further privatisation of services, including handing over offices to WH Smith.
Royal Mail management had also been intimidating staff in the run-up to the strike ballot and threatening active trade union leaders.
This morning, commencing with the early shift, the first national postal strike for 11 years kicked off.
Reports from around the country are showing that support amongst 150,000 workers is extremely strong. Speaking on Radio 5 Live the Royal Mail Chairman, Allan Leighton said, “There is no work being done in Royal Mail today”.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast General Secretary, Billy Hayes called for urgent, fresh negotiations and demanded that Allan Leighton come to the negotiating table. “We have no strikes for the next 7 days, so Royal Mail needs to use that window of opportunity to talk seriously about improving their offer on pay and working with the Union on major change. Royal Mail must start listening to their workforce”.
The strike will continue for 24 hours and end when early shift workers return to work tomorrow. The Union’s Executive will be meeting next Tuesday, 3rd July. If there are no fresh and meaningful negotiations they are likely to set dates for more strikes.
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strike
Reds Strike The Blues
Posts: 79
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Post by strike on Jun 29, 2007 12:13:19 GMT -5
All the Best Bazza. The first 6 months are the worst. Seriously I do hope you win.
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Post by Bazza on Jul 5, 2007 3:57:08 GMT -5
The Communication Workers Union will make a press statement announcing further strike action by Royal Mail postal workers today (Thursday) at 3pm. The statement will be made at CWU Head Office in Wimbledon. www.cwu.org/
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strike
Reds Strike The Blues
Posts: 79
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Post by strike on Jul 7, 2007 14:49:09 GMT -5
Good luck to all in the CWU who are taking action, though I have to say that its only all out until you win that will win. Keep On Keepin' On as some one once said.
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strike
Reds Strike The Blues
Posts: 79
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Post by strike on Jul 23, 2007 11:57:52 GMT -5
How is the strike action going Bazza? Any progress?
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Post by Bazza on Jul 23, 2007 15:54:40 GMT -5
How is the strike action going Bazza? Any progress? It's on going. There's more industrial action planned in the next 3 weeks with different functions on strike at different times. In Boro only around half a dozen postmen & women have cross the picket line during the days of the strike. But Royal Mail has employed around 20 agency staff who are working at another office they have opened up in Boro.
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scotto
Reds Strike The Blues
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Post by scotto on Jul 23, 2007 23:13:54 GMT -5
Best of luck in your collective efforts.
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Post by Bazza on Jul 24, 2007 19:32:25 GMT -5
More bad news for postmen. The following article was in the Mirror newspaper (Tuesday 24th July 2007).
EXCLUSIVE: Secret Royal Mail plan to axe final salary scheme..and save £1.5billion
By Clinton Manning Business Editor 24/07/2007
ROYAL Mail workers will have their pensions slashed unless they work five years longer under secret plans revealed by the Mirror today.
The move would cost staff members thousands of pounds a year. Some could see their retirement pay halved.
In addition the posties' final salary scheme would be closed to new members from next year.
Last night, on the eve of two weeks of pay strikes, union leaders vowed to fight the "hammer blow" proposals. Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: "This is a savage attack on pay and conditions.
"Our members aren't going to roll over and accept this. It will only galvanise support for strike action."
The radical plans - which would hit workers at Royal Mail, Post Office and Parcelforce Worldwide - are in a 24 page document leaked to the Mirror.
They are designed to tackle a £6billion shortfall in the pension fund by saving £1.5billion over five years.
The age staff could retire with full pensions would be raised from 60 to 62 next year and 65 from 2010.
Future rises in pensionable pay would be capped at the inflation rate.
Lump sum payments would also be hit. A worker aged 50 today with 30 years' service could have expected a one-off payment of £29,826. This would be cut to £25,515.
The document says: "These changes would gradually reduce Royal Mail's overall pension costs and therefore reduce the future risk to our business, jobs and existing pensions."
It stresses that no decisions have been made and the proposals are to form a basis for consultation. But it also says keeping the existing scheme is not an option.
Many companies have closed final salary schemes to new recruits, including BT, BA, Barclays and HSBC.
But few have taken such punishing action against existing employees, hitting 167,000 workers in one go as Royal Mail are doing. Firms to have taken such a step include Rentokil, ITV, Yorkshire Bank and the Co-op.
Mr Ward said: "It's a stitch-up. They may say they're consulting but that's a charade. It's clear from the work in producing these plans that they're determined to drive them through."
The Royal Mail pension scheme is one of the UK's biggest with more than 450,000 members.
Existing pensioners and senior management would be unaffected.
Union leaders blame past management for the black hole in assets.
For 10 years bosses took advantage of the right to a "pensions holiday", paying nothing into the scheme.
Royal Mail, which has recently lost a string of contracts, said: "There is no formal proposal yet in play."
YOUNGER WILL BE HIT WORST
WHILE all staff will suffer as a result of the changes, younger workers who have joined the business since 1987 will be the biggest casualties.
A 30-year-old with 10 years' service could currently expect to retire with a pension of £15,260 a year.
This would be slashed to £8,764 if the proposals were pushed through.
A new recruit starting at the age of 20 would expect a pension of £17,186 when he retired.
This will plunge by more than half to just £8,575 according to Royal Mail's own figures.
Older workers, who joined before 1987, would be less severely hit as the money they have already paid into the scheme would be protected.
So a worker aged 50 today with 30 years' service who would have retired on £9,942 a year would see that cut to £8,505.
MANNING'S VERDICT
THIS plot to swipe big chunks of posties' pensions is a shameful disgrace.
When workers join the business they sign up to a life of hard graft. They must be prepared to get up at ungodly hours in all weathers to get the mail through.
They know they will not earn a fortune. But, until now at least, they could look forward to a reasonable retirement at 60.
Now management are threatening to rip up their side of that bargain.
This is not simply a kick in the teeth for workers. It is also a betrayal of the duty of care to the public.
Bosses cannot hope to provide the efficient service they need to compete with rivals if workers' morale is rock bottom.
Staff are already hugely hacked off by attempts to force them to accept a below-inflation pay rise worth a paltry £8-a-week before tax.
Tempers are going to be even more frayed - and support for the fortnight of strikes more solid - when staff learn of the latest outrageous plans.
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strike
Reds Strike The Blues
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Post by strike on Jul 25, 2007 11:10:50 GMT -5
Its bloody outrageous!! Just listen to your Redskins! Nothing has changed, and in fact its getting a lot worse. So much for 'New' Labour'. Anyway, the postal workers have my full support, for what its worth. Keep on keepin' on.
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Post by BovineJuice on Aug 2, 2007 16:24:52 GMT -5
Disgraceful. They shouldn't be allowed to change rules for existing staff. Changing for future staff is one thing, that way people make the decision when they join whether they want the terms and conditions offered (and recruitment will be affected accordingly) but you can't clobber people who have already signed up.
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strike
Reds Strike The Blues
Posts: 79
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Post by strike on Aug 8, 2007 4:28:48 GMT -5
I see in today's 'Mirror' that they are now encouraging postal workers to be SCABS. Shame on them. To be honest I think full strike action is the only response. All the best to the strikers.
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Post by Bazza on Aug 9, 2007 5:36:59 GMT -5
I see in today's 'Mirror' that they are now encouraging postal workers to be SCABS. Shame on them. To be honest I think full strike action is the only response. All the best to the strikers. Those posters are all round our office. The managers keep going round asking people to work and the other week were taking staff into their office 2 at a time to try to get them to work during the strike. So far at my office only around 6 out of 200 postmen & women have cross the picket line. I saw this rubbish in a paper today - "Although basic pay for postmen and women is £323 a week, the average full-time postman and woman earns £440 – above the national average. The simple fact is that rivals pay their people 25% less than Royal Mail and they are 40% more efficient than Royal Mail."
Huw Roberts, Director of Welsh Affairs, Royal Mail Group£440 a week? I wish I was on that. I earn around £1000 a year more than most postmen/women as I work on a machine. But I still pick up around £100 less than the £440 that Huw Roberts quotes as what the average postman/women picks up.
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Post by Bazza on Aug 9, 2007 19:16:46 GMT -5
This is the latest news -
09 August 2007 POSTAL STRIKES SUSPENDED
Following a meeting held today between Royal Mail and CWU a Joint Statement has been agreed that means detailed discussions will take place on all the relevant issues between the two parties.
As a result the next wave of Postal strikes due to commence today after 19.00 hrs are suspended.
The Joint Statement is as follows:-
Joint Statement – Royal Mail Dispute
At a meeting today between Allan Leighton, Adam Crozier, Billy Hayes and Dave Ward, it was agreed:
- that both parties commit to talks on all the issues between them, hosted and facilitated by the TUC. Both sides commit to reach an agreement by 4 September.
- that, during this period the talks are on a confidential basis with no media or internal briefings unless explicitly jointly agreed. The CWU Executive and Royal Mail Board will receive regular updates on progress and would also be expected to undertake this confidentiality clause.
- that, for that period, Royal Mail will not serve notice or take any unilateral action to impose changes by executive action.
- that, for that period CWU will suspend industrial action.
- that, the signatories to this joint statement will review the process as and when necessary.
The statement is signed by Allan Leighton and Adam Crozier for Royal Mail and Billy Hayes, General Secretary and Dave Ward Deputy General Secretary for CWU.
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scotto
Reds Strike The Blues
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Post by scotto on Aug 19, 2007 17:51:15 GMT -5
Good news! Let's hope the rolling strikes gave CWU some leverage at the bargaining table.
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Post by Bazza on Sept 10, 2007 4:37:15 GMT -5
This is just off the press on the CWU website -
News 10 September 2007 Royal Mail National Dispute
Talks between the Union and Royal Mail concluded without an agreement being reached on Sunday evening. Royal Mail informed the Union that the period of calm is over and they will now prepare to run the business and move change forward. The Union informed Royal Mail that we were prepared to continue with the talks and extend the period of calm. Given the seriousness of the situation the PEC will be provided with a full report which will cover Royal Mail’s final offer at a Special PEC meeting due to take place this afternoon (Monday). The PEC will also be considering our next steps.
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