To think Royal Mail workers should not be striking

[Hitthehighseastoday]

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.

I mean royal mail as a company no longer has a monopoly on deliveries, if anything they're being left behind. If the powers that be offered a more competitive service for users then the conditions of the workers would probably naturally rise as they once more became more profitable- as is strikes just put businesses off using them, I know a lot have switched since strikes. If they were the only provider I can see strikes being effective, as is just puts people off using them.

But the thing is, while RM was sold, it was sold with a service guarantee around delivery of letters. They HAVE to deliver mail 6 days a week and HAVE to meet the stamp timeliness e.g. First class post has to get anywhere in the UK from where its posted within 2(?) working days.

It's not ever going to be able to compete with a private company like DPD with that noose around its neck.

Either we accept its a profit making organisation that is no longer a public service and drop the service guarantee or accept that the service guarantee is essential and therefore it should be owned by the Govn (or at least ran at a loss and I can't see anyone but the Govn wanting to do that?!)

Do you work? If your hours were changed, would if mean your life would have to change, it terms of say childcare? Or your hobbies?

Laughs in public sector.

Of course @berksandbeyond they're all happily losing money, jumping for joy about it!

You do know workhouses have been abolished?

Some people can't afford to strike. Could argue that it's invalidating their claims they don't get paid enough when they can happily lose so much money from strike days?

that has nothing to do with crossing a picket line or shortage of workers

a union works collectively & the members act on the vote if the majority as one

I think your snobby attitude is terrible. Its not exactly an easy job walking around in all weather's is it? I wouldn't want to do it. The RM is a vital service..... and the other silly comment amount "manning ventilators" is snobby too.

People rely on important letters from the hospital it has a knock on effect when people don't get their appointment via post.

Sorry don't understand?

Do you even have a clue why they are striking? It’s not just about pay rise. But silly of you to make such statements when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about!

Unskilled? Hum. You need 5 GCSEs (maths and English) and absolutely no criminal record. You wouldn't believe how hard that is for my DH to get staff to meet that criteria. No college leaver would bother to take a job on £22k. Most posties work two jobs or 20 hours overtime to afford a family.

@Conkersareback I worked in retail for many years during school and university and funnily enough I never made 22k doing it. Working very unsociable hours, starting at 7am on Boxing Day, for minimum wage.

If you don't like your pay, get another job. If you think you're that hard done by, and completely irreplaceable, then leave.

And I say that as someone who got made redundant during the pandemic. It's a dog eat dog world out there. We are almost all replaceable.

The striking workers are just signing their own death warrants and the 'key worker' rhetoric is getting boring now frankly

What don't you understand? You say this as if others haven't had their terms and pay eroded- the outrage was real silent.

Also on the important letter front, realistically there are specific demographics that can't access emails etc easily, whilst i agree they shouldn't be abandoned is it really worth propping up a service just for them? Or is it better to scale down and accept RM isn't the best service for the majority of people.

how sad if 5 GCSES and no criminal record is considered skilled 🫠

That's the point, they're showing us how valuable they are! Interesting isn't it, that some of the most indispensable jobs are the ones that pay the least, and nobody thinks it's important until they stop doing it, then we realise how essential these services are.

I'm in full support of anyone striking at the minute, CEOs and shareholders make too much money off the backs of underpaid overworked operational staff - it's not right.

The employer is as much to blame, if not more so, for this strike, in fact any strike.

The 9% is over 18months, so is 6%, half the inflation rate.

Their CEO got a 140k bonus in June but apparently they are losing money??? total pay 730k.

Posties are on around £12ph.

There are a lot of people who signed up to work there in a pre digital era. Postal volumes are plummeting and the model has to change. This goes way beyond pay. Pay rises need to be linked to a massive change in working practices and if they can’t happen then the future of their jobs is bleak.

Very well said.

You worked part time, so what's the comparison?

I don’t think they are showing how indispensable they are. We get a fair bit delivered here and it’s packages from delivery companies. I haven’t received an important letter beyond email or online bill / phone call / text for a while

I’ve sent a few things, that is required. So usage / need is lower these days although still there, just at lower level

A yes, a wonderful race to the bottom.

@Conkersareback because RM workers are not on minimum wage.. like a lot of other unskilled jobs are in retail / hospitality

I always wonder if the folk doing the old ‘if they don’t like it leave, why should they get more’ crowd also believe too many (working) ppl are on benefits.

This is how it happens. Wages eroded to the point that ppl cannot survive without too ups.

The issue is it’s often not because of business failure, but over extraction of profit. Many employees are being exploited in the name of profit.

Our postman is very nice and friendly, most of the Mail he delivers is junk, loads of advertising that all goes in the bin. Very unenvironmental! The post people have to carry loads of heavy bags most of which is this annoying rubbish.

most of our actual important correspondence is done on line. We give money to charity so don’t send Xmas cards. Couriers bring most of online orders.

we are lucky to have a post office in our wonderful village shop, but we really use it.

If you don't like your pay, get another job.

and that’s what people have done, that and gone to their homelands and not returned

which is why every other business is struggling to get staff

hospitality is now paying 20% above NMW in some places to try to attract staff which equates to £24k full time

this will cause problems if it’s own, you’ll complain when you don’t get your parcels as no one wants to deliver them any more. Fuel prices increase and inflation rises, private companies will lose their drivers as they move to better paid jobs doing other unskilled work

@berksandbeyond it is the level of pay and benefits that put new starters off. If only 57% of school leavers achieve 5 GCSEs you are recruiting from a smaller pool. A level leavers will seek a graduate training scheme or university. RM use to pay more for higher qualifications. Not so now.

100 per cent support them.