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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Royal Mail workers should not be striking

796 replies

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 00:55

They’ve already been offered a 9% pay raise and declined. Royal Mail is already making a loss. It’s a national service for the public which is now being severely disrupted by strikes, it’s appalling.

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EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 27/11/2022 19:48

Notjustanymum · 27/11/2022 07:05

Wages have been (generally) driven down, in real terms, to less than one quarter of their equivalent, 30 years ago. Much of this drive by Employers to pay their staff less was caused by the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, and the stupidity of Labour’s Gordon Brown, in topping up people’s income by Family Credit, thus relieving Employers of their responsibility to their workforces.
Naturally, raking in higher percentages of profit, while Government and Businesses put up the smokescreen of Austerity, became far more attractive to Shareholders, who now demand higher remuneration than those actually doing, you know, the work, that generates the profits.
The workers going on strike for fair pay and conditions are the beginning of the fightback against this unfairness, OP: unless everyone who works for a living at a low wage starts to realise that they’re being screwed over, and takes appropriate action, the majority of workers will be heading back to Dickensian levels of poverty very soon…

You're ignoring the fact that the NMW etc were introduced because of the ridiculously low wages some people were being paid. I knew people on a £1/hr. You can argue that Labour tried to fix a problem in the wrong way, but your can't deny there was a problem.

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:48

7upandup · 27/11/2022 19:41

@Conkersareback what people forget are these unskilled workers are regular members of society with families, mortgages, kids and make an honest crust.
Just because they don't sit behind a desk making big bucks or work in a hospital...just put up and shut up and let the big wigs of the company rob people out of their job and pay packet...because nobody gives a shit eh!? Cause it's not them or their loved ones it's happening to.

When you are let go after years and years of decent service, for an agency worker to come in, only to mug them off for crappier pay, terms and conditions. No, people won't accept that.

Honestly, some folk are so Tory about stuff and the tories are the problem. Rich and well to do happy as long as their pockets are lined.

Yes I work in an office and sit behind a desk but that does not make us cold hearted and mean like you are implying it does, I’m sorry but I don’t think it’s fair to say people with money are all cold hearted and mean

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7upandup · 27/11/2022 19:49

something2say · 27/11/2022 19:42

Is business more important than people? More important than the planet - our children - our health and happiness - our mental health? So many of us say we are burned out, tired, wanting to downsize and simplify. Yet we keep allowing business principles, which are more money / less workers / less cost / more efficiency etc - to our own collective detriment. It sickens me. Thankfully I have made it work and will be dead in thirty years or so. But I do so hope that one day the money mongers will see the error of their stupid, selfish, short sighted, money mongering ways. You can't eat money. It won't bring loved ones back and it won't save the planet we live on.

Yes!! Yes! This

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:50

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:34

I know, but my god they're some awful people on here! They're unskilled, they're therefore the dregs and deserve fuck all!

I have not said that unskilled workers deserve fuck all, you’ve gone and made that up

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Miajk · 27/11/2022 19:51

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:50

I have not said that unskilled workers deserve fuck all, you’ve gone and made that up

She isn't saying you said that?

Who's making things up now?

Florenz · 27/11/2022 19:52

user1471453601 · 27/11/2022 19:47

The only thing any worker really owns, wherever they work, is their labour. Why when every thing is rising in cost, is it unreasonable for a worker to raise the cost of their labour, in order to keep up with those prices?

depending on when and how much their last pay rise was, they are already selling their labour at least 1.1% below market value, and it's probably more.

It's not unreasonable for them to raise the cost of their labour but it's also not unreasonable the people employing them to expect their workers to adapt to the modern world and the changing demands of customers. It's entirely unreasonable of the employee to expect their jobs to remain unchanged for years, decades.

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:53

@Hitthehighseastoday are your hours 9-5? Ate they the hours you agreed to when you accepted the job?

Right, I now want you to do 10-9, what do you mean that doesn't suit your life, I'm not interested in your child care issues.

That's tough, just sort it out!

Have you now sorted it?

Ah well, now it's summer, I want you to go back to 9-3, I don't care if that fits in with your life, I'm not interested in your childcare issues.

I don't care if it's not what you agreed when taking the job!

You're unskilled and you'll do as I bloody tell you.

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:53

Miajk · 27/11/2022 19:51

She isn't saying you said that?

Who's making things up now?

Apologies then, I misread it

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Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:54

@Hitthehighseastoday yeah and you've misread the whole situation with postal workers!

FlamencoDance · 27/11/2022 19:54

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster’s request.

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:54

Florenz · 27/11/2022 19:52

It's not unreasonable for them to raise the cost of their labour but it's also not unreasonable the people employing them to expect their workers to adapt to the modern world and the changing demands of customers. It's entirely unreasonable of the employee to expect their jobs to remain unchanged for years, decades.

This is what I’ve been trying to say! You’ve said it better than I could

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Stillbrokenby2022 · 27/11/2022 19:55

Florenz · 27/11/2022 19:52

It's not unreasonable for them to raise the cost of their labour but it's also not unreasonable the people employing them to expect their workers to adapt to the modern world and the changing demands of customers. It's entirely unreasonable of the employee to expect their jobs to remain unchanged for years, decades.

Have you actually spoken to a postie about this? Their jobs have already changed a lot.

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:55

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:53

@Hitthehighseastoday are your hours 9-5? Ate they the hours you agreed to when you accepted the job?

Right, I now want you to do 10-9, what do you mean that doesn't suit your life, I'm not interested in your child care issues.

That's tough, just sort it out!

Have you now sorted it?

Ah well, now it's summer, I want you to go back to 9-3, I don't care if that fits in with your life, I'm not interested in your childcare issues.

I don't care if it's not what you agreed when taking the job!

You're unskilled and you'll do as I bloody tell you.

Actually my hours are not the same as I used to work years ago at this company no.

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Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:55

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:54

@Hitthehighseastoday yeah and you've misread the whole situation with postal workers!

No need for this rude passive aggressive comment

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7upandup · 27/11/2022 19:56

Well where is your compassion for the people that are on strike? Because I don't see it....some, not all...far from all actually because most people are decent humans...think that because they earn well or do a job that's respected in society that 'unskilled' workers should just put up and shut up and not complain...yet if this bullshit was happening in any other company they would not be putting up with it or just skipping out into another job which some posters make sound so easy!

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:56

7upandup · 27/11/2022 19:56

Well where is your compassion for the people that are on strike? Because I don't see it....some, not all...far from all actually because most people are decent humans...think that because they earn well or do a job that's respected in society that 'unskilled' workers should just put up and shut up and not complain...yet if this bullshit was happening in any other company they would not be putting up with it or just skipping out into another job which some posters make sound so easy!

Is this directed at me?

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Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:57

@Hitthehighseastoday it's not passive aggressive at all! It's direct and how I feel!

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:58

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:57

@Hitthehighseastoday it's not passive aggressive at all! It's direct and how I feel!

Do you work as a postie out of interest,

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Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 19:58

?

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Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:58

Actually my hours are not the same as I used to work years ago at this company no.

This makes no sense whatsoever!!

Did you accept the new hours when you went back to this job, did your hours change when you had agreed them?

Burgoo · 27/11/2022 19:59

Everyone has a right to strike if enough people want to. Should the Royal Mail? Hard to say. I can't blame anyone for demanding more than inflation right now. Who wants to be worse off?

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 20:00

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 19:58

Actually my hours are not the same as I used to work years ago at this company no.

This makes no sense whatsoever!!

Did you accept the new hours when you went back to this job, did your hours change when you had agreed them?

After I accepted a promotion my hours changed

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Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 20:00

@Hitthehighseastoday no I'm not a postie! If I was, I'd be even more angry at you!

If you care to go bs k through my posts, it states that I'm not!

are you a Tory voting, daily mail reader by any chance?

Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 20:01

Conkersareback · 27/11/2022 20:00

@Hitthehighseastoday no I'm not a postie! If I was, I'd be even more angry at you!

If you care to go bs k through my posts, it states that I'm not!

are you a Tory voting, daily mail reader by any chance?

For the record I did not grow up in a family with money

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Hitthehighseastoday · 27/11/2022 20:01

And was xety

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