Posties leave it out...

[Pavilionaire]

I'm an accountant and my personal experience of the current strike is that today I've finally received £1,731 of cheques that were dated-stamped 28 Sep, so posted 11 days ago. Not good for my cashflow.

At the end of this month is HM Revenue & Customs deadline for paper Tax Returns to be submitted. I've got to send stuff out, get it back, then get it in to HMRC, all around this strike.

Not to mention limited company accountants and all the other compliance paperwork that needs to be in by a deadline.

We've asked both the local postmaster and our postie to tell us how long mail might talk to get delivered and they'll simply can't give us any idea.

We already do a lot of stuff electronically, but I'm emailing my clients all of the stuff I'm posting them just so they know I'm doing my bit on time.

I have a lot of goodwill for the postal service but I don't think things will ever be the same after this. These disruptions will definitely result in my business putting less stuff in the post and doing more stuff electronically - great for the environment but bad for postal jobs.

I can't believe that management and workers can't grasp that it's disastrous for both of them personally in terms of lost business.

 

[Storer68]

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communications Workers' Union, told delegates the government had a "moral obligation" to finance the deficit, which he said was caused by Royal Mail's decision to take a a 13-year "pensions holiday" between 1990 and 2003,, while postal workers continued to pay their pensions contributions.

The pensions deficit, estimated to be as large as £10bn, was draining off funding necessary to improve postal services and protect jobs, said Hayes.

 

[folkestonesgull]

The Daily Mash - PAT AND JESS TRADE INSULTS OVER STRIKE ACTION

 

[beorhthelm]

..I'm trying to think of the 1970's 'comedy' were the workforce went on strike over the smallest thing. .

you might be thinking of Carry on At Your Convenience which makes some funny and true observations of the obsurdities of union relations.

its good to see an unbiased inside veiw. I get the impression that theres probably alot of mangers involved that never worked on the floor so to speak so dont understand the underlying systems. they probably mean well, just dont understand what they are trying to reform, just going by some visio diagram version.

 

[Clive Walker's slaphead]

This strike is purely a last battle betwwen the union and Royal Mail. The big boys at the top of the CWU know that times have changed and see this as a last go at at having a battle whilst Royal Mail know that it is an employer's market nowadays. Royal Mail will be banking on people breaking the strike because they they can't afford it and also know that it is wrong in the current climate. If that happens it will be the end of the CWU. Could be a bloody fight before that happens though

 

[Stat Brother]

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communications Workers' Union, told delegates the government had a "moral obligation" to finance the deficit, which he said was caused by Royal Mail's decision to take a a 13-year "pensions holiday" between 1990 and 2003,, while postal workers continued to pay their pensions contributions.

The pensions deficit, estimated to be as large as £10bn, was draining off funding necessary to improve postal services and protect jobs, said Hayes.

In the interested of being balanced, it's a shame the union didn't mention that 2 of it's members sit on the commitee that made that decision.

This strike is purely a last battle betwwen the union and Royal Mail. The big boys at the top of the CWU know that times have changed and see this as a last go at at having a battle whilst Royal Mail know that it is an employer's market nowadays. Royal Mail will be banking on people breaking the strike because they they can't afford it and also know that it is wrong in the current climate. If that happens it will be the end of the CWU. Could be a bloody fight before that happens though

Yep.
This has very little to do with us posties, it's just a blinking competition.
The management want to smash the union before privatisation.
The Union want to bring down the management, cos if they don't they will be gone before privatisation.

 

[bhaexpress]

Interesting, I worked for GDNet, one of the competition. I'd just like to say that from an IT point of view they were just about the worst company I have ever worked for. I might add that about two years later I worked in a very similar capacity for the Post Office. Actually, their IT was pretty good and a hell of a lot better than GDNet.

Draw your own conclusions from that.

 

[hitony]

Just watch whats happening right now. Most of the big firms that use the Royal Mail are looking elsewhere.

Soon there will be no Royal mail to strike against, and the workers will loose everything including their pensions.

The company I now work for, spends well in excess of 150k a year on postage, today myself and the owner had a meeting with the regional business manager of Royal mail, we explained that we to would have to look elsewhere if there were to be a strike that lasted much longer than a couple of days, as our business would be so badly affected, in all fairness she was very sympathetic and showed alot of concern, and we also understand that she can do nothing about it.

 

[Stat Brother]

The company I now work for, spends well in excess of 150k a year on postage, today myself and the owner had a meeting with the regional business manager of Royal mail, we explained that we to would have to look elsewhere if there were to be a strike that lasted much longer than a couple of days, as our business would be so badly affected, in all fairness she was very sympathetic and showed alot of concern, and we also understand that she can do nothing about it.

Save yourself the time and start looking now.
There's years of mistrust and resentment to wade through before any actual talking is being done.

All I can hope is your meeting is being responsibly reported back, to BOTH parties, or else it's just another round of finger pointing.

To hear Amazon and Ebay saying we are looking at alternative distributors leaves me cold, cos it's my job these people are pi$$ing around with.

 

[bhaexpress]

To hear Amazon and Ebay saying we are looking at alternative distributors leaves me cold, cos it's my job these people are pi$$ing around with.

Two things here, unless they can find a way to email stuff they have no hope. GDNet have no chance of being able to do anything about it as they haven't got anything like the infrastructure. And look at it this way, they'll need lots of people with postal experience to help them try to take over the Post Office business. They should pay more too.

Win, win ? No, I doubt that anybody will too happy at having to pay the extra that anybody like GDnet will charge them.

 

[Stat Brother]

Two things here, unless they can find a way to email stuff they have no hope. GDNet have no chance of being able to do anything about it as they haven't got anything like the infrastructure. And look at it this way, they'll need lots of people with postal experience to help them try to take over the Post Office business. They should pay more too.

Win, win ? No, I doubt that anybody will too happy at having to pay the extra that anybody like GDnet will charge them.

Nobody will ever be able to take over the final mile, but everything else is up for grabs, which still effects us posties, at the bottom of the food chain.

 

[SICKASAGULL]

British Rail used to deliver parcels from their goods depots by road vehicles until strike action resulted in their customers using other firms to transport their goods,when the strikers resumed work they found long term contracts had been signed which led to many goods depots closing down causing large scale redundancies.
The large online firms like Amazan are not going to be mucked about with and with the post traffic declining due to e/mails and texting our posties should bear this in mind.

 

[beorhthelm]

Nobody will ever be able to take over the final mile

theres plenty of companies delivering parcels the last mile, and thats where the money is anyway. maybe noone can do letters the last mile, but then with online banking, online bill payment and so on, theres increasingly less need for it either. apart from junk mail and polling card, i cant remember the last thing i got in the mail that i couldn't have got by email.

 

[bhaexpress]

theres plenty of companies delivering parcels the last mile, and thats where the money is anyway. maybe noone can do letters the last mile, but then with online banking, online bill payment and so on, theres increasingly less need for it either. apart from junk mail and polling card, i cant remember the last thing i got in the mail that i couldn't have got by email.

This is quite true, however it will 'spoil' Christmas for all those who think that getting Christmas Card from somebody they no longer talk to is a big deal. I must admit life would be a lot simpler (and cheaper) if more organisations accepted email.

Mind you, whilst a lot of people have a computer not everybody does.

 

[Seasider78]

I'm an accountant and my personal experience of the current strike is that today I've finally received £1,731 of cheques that were dated-stamped 28 Sep, so posted 11 days ago. Not good for my cashflow.

At the end of this month is HM Revenue & Customs deadline for paper Tax Returns to be submitted. I've got to send stuff out, get it back, then get it in to HMRC, all around this strike.

Not to mention limited company accountants and all the other compliance paperwork that needs to be in by a deadline.

We've asked both the local postmaster and our postie to tell us how long mail might talk to get delivered and they'll simply can't give us any idea.

We already do a lot of stuff electronically, but I'm emailing my clients all of the stuff I'm posting them just so they know I'm doing my bit on time.

I have a lot of goodwill for the postal service but I don't think things will ever be the same after this. These disruptions will definitely result in my business putting less stuff in the post and doing more stuff electronically - great for the environment but bad for postal jobs.

I can't believe that management and workers can't grasp that it's disastrous for both of them personally in terms of lost business.

A very valid point and there are countless small businesses out there with significant cash flow problems and late received cheques and payments leave many on a knife edge.

Whatever the posties gripe this is not the time to be striking. Many people face redundancy, longer hours and tougher conditions in their own work as companies tighten their belts to survive. Lets hope it gets resolved swiftly as the longer this goes on the less sympathy the public will give and like some have pointed out the more businesses will seek alternative methods to the postal service

 

[Uncle C]

I must admit life would be a lot simpler (and cheaper) if more organisations accepted email.

I am currently using a Solicitor and this is one profession that has always hung on to the use of letters to somehow justify their high costs.

Yesterday they switched to e mail. Another nail in the coffin for RM.

 

[Stat Brother]

Strike action starts, Thursday with the drivers, and us posties told to strike on Friday.

Personally, as said in this thread, I think it's all sh*te, both management and union, while we are stuck in the middle.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I am currently using a Solicitor and this is one profession that has always hung on to the use of letters to somehow justify their high costs.

Yesterday they switched to e mail. Another nail in the coffin for RM.

Dont solicitors use DX for important paperwork , documents and letters ?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

In the interested of being balanced, it's a shame the union didn't mention that 2 of it's members sit on the commitee that made that decision.



Yep.
This has very little to do with us posties, it's just a blinking competition.
The management want to smash the union before privatisation.
The Union want to bring down the management, cos if they don't they will be gone before privatisation.

I suspect the pension deficit is around £10bn to put it on par with the deficit of the BT scheme. Mandy , Princess of Darkness has stirred it all up again with the P word which now looks inevitable once the Tories get in at the next election.

 

[Stat Brother]

Remind me what did happen to BT's scheme, was it just cancelled?

The thing is come Privatisation, the Union will be gone, all this will look stoopid and Crozier et al will we wandering off into the sunset with the worlds biggest ever pay off/bonus'.