Postal Strike? Options

[Strafin]

We used to have a postman who after a year we gave a card and small gift to at Christmas, we got a card from him every year after that, but he always spelled the road name wrong on our address I don't know if it was his little joke or not.

[Blake]

I am looking forward to the Royal Mail's privatization.

I hope the owner de-unionises the staff. From what I hear, they sound like a bunch of pinko zealot Tony Benn style dinosaurs.

There will I am sure be caveats to provide services to rural areas. We can have our cake and eat it but only if the service is privatized.

[Darren]

I hope the owner de-unionises the staff. From what I hear, they sound like a bunch of pinko zealot Tony Benn style dinosaurs.

Interesting you say that as Tony Benn was Postmaster-General 1964-1966. Even today he is a strong supporter of a Nationalised Post Office.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...11/comment.post

From Wikipedia

"In the 1964 Government of Harold Wilson, he became Postmaster General; during his time in that position, he oversaw the opening of the Post Office Tower, and the creations of the Postal Bus Service and Girobank. He proposed issuing stamps without the Sovereign's head, but this met with private opposition from the Queen. Instead, the portrait was reduced to a small profile in silhouette, a format that is still used on stamps today"

[Iommi]

I am looking forward to the Royal Mail's privatization. I hope the owner de-unionises the staff. From what I hear, they sound like a bunch of pinko zealot Tony Benn style dinosaurs. There will I am sure be caveats to provide services to rural areas. We can have our cake and eat it but only if the service is privatized.

Yes, with their foreign call centres, cheap imported labour that has no clue of where anywhere is, a steady decline in rural area access (as is being done at the moment to make the company more 'saleable') and a never ending spiralling cost of postage. Meanwhile, the fat cat owners are sailing down to the Med to watch the Monaco Grand Prix... can't wait.

[Blake]

Yes, with their foreign call centres, cheap imported labour that has no clue of where anywhere is, a steady decline in rural area access (as is being done at the moment to make the company more 'saleable') and a never ending spiralling cost of postage. Meanwhile, the fat cat owners are sailing down to the Med to watch the Monaco Grand Prix... can't wait.

You have a very cynical and pessimistic view on the prospect. I see the glass as half full, not half empty. I think it is a certainty that the service will become private. Even lefty extremists like Peter Mandelson are in favour of such.

[JeffG]

Even lefty extremists like Peter Mandelson are in favour of such.

Odd that. I always thought him to be pretty far to the right of the Labour party. But anyone who can mistake mushy peas in a northern chippie for guacamole can't be all bad

[Rose8]

We used to have a postman who after a year we gave a card and small gift to at Christmas, we got a card from him every year after that, but he always spelled the road name wrong on our address I don't know if it was his little joke or not.

I can see the funny side of that (whether he did it on purpose of not), either way .... funny. Oh to have posties like that still eh.

[Darren]

They are still out there, but most the ones from my time have retired now.

[Hugh Saskin]

You have a very cynical and pessimistic view on the prospect. I see the glass as half full, not half empty. I think it is a certainty that the service will become private. Even lefty extremists like Peter Mandelson are in favour of such.

Yeah - just like the politicians told us about the great benefits that railway privatisation was to bring. Odd that, now, you can't find anyone who will say it was a cracking good idea.

[Hugh Saskin]

I am looking forward to the Royal Mail's privatization.

I hope the owner de-unionises the staff. From what I hear, they sound like a bunch of pinko zealot Tony Benn style dinosaurs.

There will I am sure be caveats to provide services to rural areas. We can have our cake and eat it but only if the service is privatized.

Just seen this - exactly what the proponents of railway privatisation said would happen. In reality, we're stuck with a monster. All the old cobblers about competiton and the benefits that would bring us. 12 years on - who else is running a train service to London???

[lordtup]

I am looking forward to the Royal Mail's privatization.

I hope the owner de-unionises the staff. From what I hear, they sound like a bunch of pinko zealot Tony Benn style dinosaurs.

There will I am sure be caveats to provide services to rural areas. We can have our cake and eat it but only if the service is privatized.

Be wary of what you wish for . If the government can't control what is , ostensibly , still a treasury run function what chance once a foreign ownership takes over . Services will certainly suffer , particularly in rural areas .

Militancy amongst the workforce is symbolic of weak management not some conspiracy theory relating to power mad individuals .

Royal Mail's problems stem from a lack of vision in a changing communications world , and until they put someone in charge who can run a large company as opposed to being an old school friend of the minister , they will continue to have a union lead problem .

As in most things the prognosis is sound , the treatment ambiguous .

[Iommi]

Notwithstanding that the RM was for a long time a massive cash cow. Unfortunately, the RM (GPO) couldn't reinvest for monopoly type reasons.

[Darren]

Royal Mail has a problem. It's business model is still very much the same as when created over 300 years ago - deliver letters and packets to any point in the UK for the same price regardless of distance. This makes selling it off much more difficult.

Compare that to BT which was rapidly sold off (along with the rest of the family silver) in 1984. BT has gone from strength to strength as the telecoms sector has become more important.

[Iommi]

Compare that to BT which was rapidly sold off (along with the rest of the family silver) in 1984. BT has gone from strength to strength as the telecoms sector has become more important.

BT to axe 15,000 staff as annual losses swell BT, the telecoms giant, said today it will cut another 15,000 jobs over the next 12 months after making a full-year loss of £134 million due to continuing problems within its Global Services division.

BT loses lead to Telefónica in UK market Spanish giant Telefónica is now the largest provider of telecommunications in the UK, according to figures from the regulator, Ofcom. The incumbent, BT, has sunk to second place in terms of connections

[Darren]

There's more to a business than money. How many posting on here use a BT for their broadband?

Many of the engineering jobs have gone because equipment is now much more reliable than the old Stowger switches of years ago, along with improved remote management. The weak link is the physical cable that get dug through blown down.

Ultimately, Royal Mail relies on a small army of people to walk up and down the path of each house in the UK. Unless of course you want to start collecting your mail each day?

[Strafin]

There's more to a business than money. How many posting on here use a BT for their broadband?

I suspect everybody because they have the monopoly, maybe not anyone who's on Virgin fibreoptic though.

[Darren]

I suspect everybody because they have the monopoly, maybe not anyone who's on Virgin fibreoptic though.

No they haven't.

Cable and Wireless
Global Crossing

Both have nationwide high speed, high capacity fibre networks. They have just chosen to to open them up to the household consumer. Not to mention Kingston-upon-Hull

BT has had to introduce LLU to increase competition on the house to junction box leg.

The UK could have had one of the worlds best internet networks if it wasn't for Government interfering in the 1970's. BT offered to build a full fibre-to-the-house network but were refused because of competition worries. Were are now paying for that folly along with the decision of some bright spark in the DTI who ruled that copper was too expensive and to use aluminium instead, despite aluminium being a much poorer conductor.

[lordtup]

No they haven't.

Cable and Wireless
Global Crossing

Both have nationwide high speed, high capacity fibre networks. They have just chosen to to open them up to the household consumer. Not to mention Kingston-upon-Hull

BT has had to introduce LLU to increase competition on the house to junction box leg.

The UK could have had one of the worlds best internet networks if it wasn't for Government interfering in the 1970's. BT offered to build a full fibre-to-the-house network but were refused because of competition worries. Were are now paying for that folly along with the decision of some bright spark in the DTI who ruled that copper was too expensive and to use aluminium instead, despite aluminium being a much poorer conductor.

Another example of pillocks in high places

[Hugh Saskin]

BT to axe 15,000 staff as annual losses swell BT, the telecoms giant, said today it will cut another 15,000 jobs over the next 12 months after making a full-year loss of £134 million due to continuing problems within its Global Services division.

BT loses lead to Telefónica in UK market Spanish giant Telefónica is now the largest provider of telecommunications in the UK, according to figures from the regulator, Ofcom. The incumbent, BT, has sunk to second place in terms of connections

Anyone else remember those simple days when we dialled 192 and used directory enquiries? Came the sell offs, the rip offs, and now we are left with the spiv outfits that charge us dear for what used to be a free service

[Strafin]

Anyone else remember those simple days when we dialled 192 and used directory enquiries? Came the sell offs, the rip offs, and now we are left with the spiv outfits that charge us dear for what used to be a free service

I'm happy to be corrected but wasn't 192 a bigger rip off than all the news ones which is why directory enquiries were opened up in the first place?