Postal Strike, Or was it ? Options

[lordtup]

I see Newbury's postmen were out delivering our bills and junk mail today despite the supposed industrial action .

3 cheers for their resolve to ignore their union and get on with their job .

[GMR]

I see Newbury's postmen were out delivering our bills and junk mail today despite the supposed industrial action .

3 cheers for their resolve to ignore their union and get on with their job .

Yes, I had a delivery today. The trouble was even though they are working not all the post it getting through to them.

[Alfred Einstein]

The most pointless strike since records began. Nobody knows why they went of strike and nobody even cared or noticed. In fact it was a relief not to have to kick a pile of junk mail out of the way as I left for work for a couple of days.

Or at least it would have been if I'd noticed. Which I didn't.

[Iommi]

The most pointless strike since records began. Nobody knows why they went of strike and nobody even cared or noticed. In fact it was a relief not to have to kick a pile of junk mail out of the way as I left for work for a couple of days. Or at least it would have been if I'd noticed. Which I didn't.

So how did you know to post your inane, albeit funny, comment then?

[Alfred Einstein]

So how did you know to post your inane, albeit funny, comment then?

They mentioned it on the news. Otherwise, would anyone other than the little old ladies who took cakes to the picket lines have actually noticed?

[Iommi]

They mentioned it on the news. Otherwise, would anyone other than the little old ladies who took cakes to the picket lines have actually noticed?

Yes...we didn't get any post bills this morning.

[gel]

Yes thanks so much to our local posties who have decided not to act like lemmings, as it seems majority elsewhere have.

[Iommi]

I found this article interesting, found on Paul Walter's blogg.

Paul Walter's Blogg: http://www.liberalburblings.org

Original article: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n18/maya01_.html

Saturday, October 24, 2009
Royal Mail: Granny Smith doesn't matter anymore

Here's a very illuminating article in the London Review of Books. It's been written by a postman of five years standing. He demolishes the constant refrain from Mail managers and Mandelson that "figures are down":

Mail is delivered to the offices in grey boxes. These are a standard size, big enough to carry a few hundred letters. The mail is sorted from these boxes, put into pigeon-holes representing the separate walks, and from there carried over to the frames. This is what is called 'internal sorting' and it is the job of the full-timers, who come into work early to do it. In the past, the volume of mail was estimated by weighing the boxes. These days it is done by averages. There is an estimate for the number of letters that each box contains, decided on by national agreement between the management and the union. That number is 208. This is how the volume of mail passing through each office is worked out: 208 letters per box times the number of boxes. However, within the last year Royal Mail has arbitrarily, and without consultation, reduced the estimate for the number of letters in each box. It was 208: now they say it is 150. This arbitrary reduction more than accounts for the 10 per cent reduction that the Royal Mail claims is happening nationwide.

Doubting the accuracy of these numbers, the union ordered a random manual count to be undertaken over a two-week period in a number of offices across the region. Our office was one of them. On average, those boxes which the Royal Mail claims contain only 150 letters, actually carry 267 items of mail. This, then, explains how the Royal Mail can say that the figures are down, although every postman knows that volume is up. The figures are down all right, but only because they have been manipulated.

And he reports a distubring shift in the raison d'etre of the Royal Mail:

Like many businesses, the Royal Mail has a pet name for its customers. The name is 'Granny Smith'. It's a deeply affectionate term. Granny Smith is everyone, but particularly every old lady who lives alone and for whom the mail service is a lifeline. When an old lady gives me a Christmas card with a fiver slipped in with it and writes, 'Thank you for thinking of me every day,' she means it. I might be the only person in the world who thinks about her every day, even if it's only for long enough to read her name on an envelope and then put it through her letterbox. There is a tension between the Royal Mail as a profit-making business and the Royal Mail as a public service. For most of the Royal Mail management – who rarely, if ever, come across the public – it is the first. To the delivery officer – to me, and people like me, the postmen who bring the mail to your door – it is more than likely the second.

We had a meeting a while back at which all the proposed changes to the business were laid out. Changes in our hours and working practices. Changes to our priorities. Changes that have led to the current chaos. We were told that the emphasis these days should be on the corporate customer. It was what the corporations wanted that mattered. We were effectively being told that quality of service to the average customer was less important than satisfying the requirements of the big businesses.

Someone piped up in the middle of it. 'What about Granny Smith?' he said. He's an old-fashioned sort of postman, the kind who cares about these things.
'Granny Smith is not important,' was the reply. 'Granny Smith doesn't matter any more.'

So now you know.

[lordtup]

I found this article interesting, found on Paul Walter's blogg.

Paul Walter's Blogg: http://www.liberalburblings.org

Original article: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n18/maya01_.html

Saturday, October 24, 2009
Royal Mail: Granny Smith doesn't matter anymore

Here's a very illuminating article in the London Review of Books. It's been written by a postman of five years standing. He demolishes the constant refrain from Mail managers and Mandelson that "figures are down":

Mail is delivered to the offices in grey boxes. These are a standard size, big enough to carry a few hundred letters. The mail is sorted from these boxes, put into pigeon-holes representing the separate walks, and from there carried over to the frames. This is what is called 'internal sorting' and it is the job of the full-timers, who come into work early to do it. In the past, the volume of mail was estimated by weighing the boxes. These days it is done by averages. There is an estimate for the number of letters that each box contains, decided on by national agreement between the management and the union. That number is 208. This is how the volume of mail passing through each office is worked out: 208 letters per box times the number of boxes. However, within the last year Royal Mail has arbitrarily, and without consultation, reduced the estimate for the number of letters in each box. It was 208: now they say it is 150. This arbitrary reduction more than accounts for the 10 per cent reduction that the Royal Mail claims is happening nationwide.

Doubting the accuracy of these numbers, the union ordered a random manual count to be undertaken over a two-week period in a number of offices across the region. Our office was one of them. On average, those boxes which the Royal Mail claims contain only 150 letters, actually carry 267 items of mail. This, then, explains how the Royal Mail can say that the figures are down, although every postman knows that volume is up. The figures are down all right, but only because they have been manipulated.

And he reports a distubring shift in the raison d'etre of the Royal Mail:

Like many businesses, the Royal Mail has a pet name for its customers. The name is 'Granny Smith'. It's a deeply affectionate term. Granny Smith is everyone, but particularly every old lady who lives alone and for whom the mail service is a lifeline. When an old lady gives me a Christmas card with a fiver slipped in with it and writes, 'Thank you for thinking of me every day,' she means it. I might be the only person in the world who thinks about her every day, even if it's only for long enough to read her name on an envelope and then put it through her letterbox. There is a tension between the Royal Mail as a profit-making business and the Royal Mail as a public service. For most of the Royal Mail management – who rarely, if ever, come across the public – it is the first. To the delivery officer – to me, and people like me, the postmen who bring the mail to your door – it is more than likely the second.

We had a meeting a while back at which all the proposed changes to the business were laid out. Changes in our hours and working practices. Changes to our priorities. Changes that have led to the current chaos. We were told that the emphasis these days should be on the corporate customer. It was what the corporations wanted that mattered. We were effectively being told that quality of service to the average customer was less important than satisfying the requirements of the big businesses.

Someone piped up in the middle of it. 'What about Granny Smith?' he said. He's an old-fashioned sort of postman, the kind who cares about these things.
'Granny Smith is not important,' was the reply. 'Granny Smith doesn't matter any more.'

So now you know.

I have no reason to question this appraisal at all . In fact it highlights what a lot of us have suspected for some time that we are all being conned by a spin happy regime of control freaks .
Let's hope that someone with a degree of common sense sorts it out and we can return to having a postal service for the people , not the corporate fat cats .

[Biker1]

"I have no reason to question this appraisal at all . In fact it highlights what a lot of us have suspected for some time that we are all being conned by a spin happy regime of control freaks .
Let's hope that someone with a degree of common sense sorts it out and we can return to having a postal service for the people , not the corporate fat cats .
angry. :angry:gif"

Does this also include the rail system, the electricity supply, the gas supply, the telephone system, the water supply and - oh yes the car industry and the coal industry - oh no they have gone haven't they!!??

I wonder why?

[Andy1]

"I have no reason to question this appraisal at all . In fact it highlights what a lot of us have suspected for some time that we are all being conned by a spin happy regime of control freaks .
Let's hope that someone with a degree of common sense sorts it out and we can return to having a postal service for the people , not the corporate fat cats .
angry. :angry:gif"

Does this also include the rail system, the electricity supply, the gas supply, the telephone system, the water supply and - oh yes the car industry and the coal industry - oh no they have gone haven't they!!??

I wonder why?

We don't live in the 60's or 70's, it would be nice to have a postal service for the people and not the fat cats. However, more and more corporates have shifted to other forms of Mail delivery and are unlikely to move back to Royal Mail, therefore this will have a knock on affect to the consumer side of the business.

I was made redundant from my first job, later this turned out to be a blessing, however I paid my fees to a Union who later told me I was too young to get redundancy pay, they were happy to take my money but gave me no help. Unions have played a huge part messiing this Country up as well as the Government.

Every body out - The bacon sandwiches are cold.

[regor]

Sooner or later this dispute will come to an end. I have little doubt that both sides will claim some success - they always do.

However, I hope that those scabs and blacklegs who did not support the industrial action will have the decency to refuse to accept any gains made on behalf of their striking colleagues.

[Bloggo]

Sooner or later this dispute will come to an end. I have little doubt that both sides will claim some success - they always do.

However, I hope that those scabs and blacklegs who did not support the industrial action will have the decency to refuse to accept any gains made on behalf of their striking colleagues.

Although I admit I don't understand all of the arguments of both sides about this strike what I do know is that the Royal Mail postal service has been dealt a blow that I believe it will not recover from in the same form as it is now as the public and businesses will be discovering the miriad of alternatives that are available and once they adopt these, they won't go back to the mail system.
It has not affected me one iota as I have gone to electronic mail for many transactions.
It is clear that the Union does not have the full support of it's members and maybe they should have gained this first before taking strike action.
It seems to me to be a great pity that the Royal Mail as an institution may not survive this.

[Darren]

However, I hope that those scabs and blacklegs who did not support the industrial action will have the decency to refuse to accept any gains made on behalf of their striking colleagues.

Wow. Not related to Arthur Scargill are you?

"scabs and blacklegs"? I prefer "decent, hardworking individuals who put customers, service and dedication in front of union hardliners who fail to see the elephant in the sorting office."

[Bloggo]

Wow. Not related to Arthur Scargill are you?

"scabs and blacklegs"? I prefer "decent, hardworking individuals who put customers, service and dedication in front of union hardliners who fail to see the elephant in the sorting office."

Nicely crafted reply Darren. The other side of the argument succinctly put.

[Andy1]

Sooner or later this dispute will come to an end. I have little doubt that both sides will claim some success - they always do.

However, I hope that those scabs and blacklegs who did not support the industrial action will have the decency to refuse to accept any gains made on behalf of their striking colleagues.

What gain, the only gain will be to the jobless queues, when Royal Mail goes under due to massive loss in business. Pay the strikers by cheque and send it to them by Post.

[regor]

Crickey! That was just like poking a stick in wasps nest.

Electronic mail - super idea, now how can I send this small parcel? Star trek matter transporter? Err no, looks like the post office again.

Who ruined the post office? Well what about the management decision to remove the second post, concentrate on inner city business deliveries and leave domestic deliveries to some time in the afternoon.

Use an alternative carrier? OK if you are a business sending bulk mail. Have you tried to send a package as an individual? Difficult, time consuming and expensive. Last time I did that the staff did not believe that Ulster was part of UK and tried to charge me as if it was a non EU (rest of Europe) address same as Ukraine or Belarus.

[Bloggo]

Crickey! That was just like poking a stick in wasps nest.

Electronic mail - super idea, now how can I send this small parcel? Star trek matter transporter? Err no, looks like the post office again.

Who ruined the post office? Well what about the management decision to remove the second post, concentrate on inner city business deliveries and leave domestic deliveries to some time in the afternoon.

Use an alternative carrier? OK if you are a business sending bulk mail. Have you tried to send a package as an individual? Difficult, time consuming and expensive. Last time I did that the staff did not believe that Ulster was part of UK and tried to charge me as if it was a non EU (rest of Europe) address same as Ukraine or Belarus.

No, I have not tried to send a parcel other than Royal mail but I'm certain that should the Royal mail stop doing it because strike action or any other reason then the void will be filled fron the commercial sector and it will be "business as usual".
I think the Union should call it off before they kill the golden goose.

[Iommi]

I'd be disappointed if the RM fold, the private versions are tedious to use and there isn't the 'personal' touch with knowing your postie - which is often handy. Mind you, the RM management are not really interested in the 'Granny Smith' side of the business anyhow.

[dannyboy]

No, I have not tried to send a parcel other than Royal mail but I'm certain that should the Royal mail stop doing it because strike action or any other reason then the void will be filled fron the commercial sector and it will be "business as usual".
I think the Union should call it off before they kill the golden goose.

The Royal Mail business tariff for sending parcels to the USA is £2.97 a kilo + 16p per item . UPS, DHL etc simply cannot compete with those rates & never will.