So how many of you are screwed because of Royal Mail staff taking ANOTHER "strike"?

[Soulsurfer]

Originally Posted by Revvin

Postal workers need to get out into the real world not that union led little world you live in which has led you into this mess. Anyone who reads the news will have read of the work practices going on in sorting offices up and down the country where staff who complete their tasks and have nothing to do will sit around idle and refuse to help other departments or if they do they expect overtime for it while they are still working their actual contracted hours! thats just one of many so called 'spanish practices' that has brought the Royal Mail to near collapse. I'd be happy to choose my own postal provider just as I do with my electricity or gas and let the Royal Mail compete on service. This is 2009 not 1970, open your eyes and see your union chiefs living the good life off your backs while their actions slowly help destroy the mail service.

So I'm expected to work over my contracted hours without pay am I just because my managers tell me I have to? Also due to staff shortages not only do we have to complete our own delivery round, we are also expected to do part of another round aswell. All this without pay if we exceed our contracted hours (which happens very often). I do live in the real world and I see first hand what goes on within Royal mail, not just what the media tells me. My eyes are open thank you, I see and know what I know from being a Royal mail employee. Your right though, screw the union, we should work for free because we are told to. Thank you for opening my eyes.

[Revvin]

Originally Posted by Soulsurfer

So I'm expected to work over my contracted hours without pay am I just because my managers tell me I have to? Also due to staff shortages not only do we have to complete our own delivery round, we are also expected to do part of another round aswell. All this without pay if we exceed our contracted hours (which happens very often). I do live in the real world and I see first hand what goes on within Royal mail, not just what the media tells me. My eyes are open thank you, I see and know what I know from being a Royal mail employee. Your right though, screw the union, we should work for free because we are told to. Thank you for opening my eyes.

You either didn't read or chose to ignore what I actually posted that postal workers who finished their given tasks would rather sit idle and not help another department or if they do they expect overtime while actually still working their alloted shift, effectively expecting triple pay. Maybe you would not have to deliver other rounds if you agreed to work to the new planned routes that your union blocked because of old fashioned demarkation lines. You're stuck in the 70's where you strike at the drop of a hat and the union's resist any change. I don't believe you work overtime for nothing, you'll either be paid or have the time given back, basic employment laws protect you from that. Save me you're bleeding heart so many in the Royal Mail have milked the system for all its worth and brought it to the woeful state its in now. I don't see you denounce the "spanish practices" your OWN Chief Executive talked about trying to stop but the unions resisted. I know two postal workers very well so I'm not just getting my story from the media even if the media are quoting your own Chief Executive, but hey I guess he doesn't know what he's talking about either. You acuse me of posting stories from the media but you'll just come back with some union line fed to you.

[Revvin]

Soulsurfer, don't think I'm against workers rights because I'm not but your union will lead you down the road to the oblivion of the Royal Mail as we know it now. Deregulation will come and the unions will no doubt blame it on the politicians, likely to be the Conservatives at the next general election which will make it even easier for the union mandarins to lay blame at their door. The union bosses are every bit as bad as the MP's when it comes to noses in trough's. According to figures I've seen Billy Hayes earns £84,000 a year with £15,000 pension contributions. Derek Simpson the head of the union that covers my industry earns £200,000 a year after his salary, pension and expenses are totalled up plus use of a grace and favour luxury house. These men are every bit as out of touch as the politicians, dinosaurs in a modern world. His union have done little for me and my fellow workers on site and as a a manager.

[redtiger02]

Move to America, we'll take anybody.

[Soulsurfer]

Revvin, I can assure you that many of my colleagues in my office including myself have been expected to work over our hours without pay. As a result of this one of our managers is being taken to a tribunal. Why would I come back to you with some fed union line? I haven't mentioned anything said by the union, in fact for the record I'm not even in the union. I have simply stated MY experiences of working for Royal Mail. I'm not bleeding my heart out to you, I'm telling it as it is from my eyes and experience. Even if we had agreed to the new routes, we would still be expected to cover other rounds too as we are short staffed and they refuse to take on more people.

I work part time 22.5 hours a week for them and my job is to turn up, bag up and deliver the mail. I'm given 4.5 hours per day to do this. Trouble is like so many of the other part timers, we turn up and the round hasn't even been prepped. We are then expected to sort the mail and redirections before doing our actual job. This means there is no way we are going to finish unless going well over our hours, which they moan about and say we can't claim it as overtime. I can rarely afford to work over my hours as it is let alone for free as I would then be late for my 2nd job.

As I recall I don't believe I accused you or anybody of posting stories from the media.

Back on topic though, 'No' my order wasn't screwed up because of the strike I chose to buy it in store instead.

[Revvin]

There are employment laws against employers doing that but sadly there are no laws against the practices the union's demand and thats expecting to be paid overtime when simply asked to help another department whilst actually working normal contracted hours and it did go on regularly. When the management tried to change that you guys went on strike..again. That seems to be the only course of action you guys know and its no wonder the public lose sympathy for your cause. I've lost no end of mail and so its no surprise to me that the international company my partner works for no longer uses the Royal Mail but opts for a private courier because of the ammount of important mail going missing. As fo the comment about the media, you passed this comment: "I see first hand what goes on within Royal mail, not just what the media tells me"

But to also stay on topic no my IL-2 was not held up by the mail strike because I sensibly opted to buy it locally for a few pounds more but my copy of Supercar Challenge which was suppossed to arrive Friday finally turned up today.

[Soulsurfer]

Originally Posted by Revvin

As fo the comment about the media, you passed this comment: "I see first hand what goes on within Royal mail, not just what the media tells me"

Indeed I did, but there is no accusation there now is there

[Revvin]

Originally Posted by Soulsurfer

Indeed I did, but there is no accusation there now is there

Nice try but too late for you to back pedal, you quoted my post where I referenced people reading the news about the so called 'spanish practices' then went on to say "I see first hand what goes on within Royal mail, not just what the media tells me" Its quite clear what you were implying

Good luck with the tribunal though if its true what the managers were trying to do, as I said you have employment laws on your side to fight that and no real need to strike every time the wind changes.