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 would support them if they actually provided a decent service. Some of them can't even post a letter in the correct street let alone correct house number.
And don't bother complaining you will just get a mouthful of abuse!!

Gosh the absolute awfulness of some people on here. Race to the bottom indeed!
Absolutely 100% behind the posties and other strikes going ahead.
Re RM and the people on strike. This is also about changes to terms and conditions. They signed up for x and are now expected to do y. The whole family generally works around this re childcare other partners working hours etc.
it will be financially devastating for many if some of these changes are implemented E.g childcare costs, loss of one partners earnings.
There is ( or rather was) a benefit to having a regular postie who knows the area to the community. Lost wallets, ambulances being called, alarms raised if something doesn't look right.
The I don't earn that much, I have to work Christmas, I haven't got holidays, I don't get paid sick pay, let's use EVri type replies are just saying I get shit pay so should you and I am happy my children will be living with these types of shit job opportunities in the future.
I personally think my children deserve fair employment terms which value them regardless of what job they do, enables them to eat without relying on a foodbank and have access to housing and healthcare.

When you think of all the alternatives we have today they’ve done well so far to not face this earlier. They seem to have put in other services like insurance and now a pick up, probably others which is good.

Private companies have to adapt. It’s hard as unionised ones that used to be public sector might have a different culture

I live near a massive Royal Mail building. It seems every single car beeps when they go past. So lots of people support it.

l live in a Northern Labour voting city. Not that Labour seem to support strikes anymore….

@mrsbrightside1308 nobody is living beyond their means in this country! The price of food is sky high! Fuel, childcare, clothes, heating bills, and so much more!

People who are striking aren't striking for more money because they want luxury holidays, home renovations or designer clothes ffs.

@wildpeaches the views are very disturbing and short sighted.

A low pay, high cost economy is bad for everyone but the every rich.

Ppl complain about poor service and not connecting the dots of underpaid/resourcing that often causes it.

I wonder how those same ppl felt about the British Gas or P&O workers losing their livelihoods with the jobs completely downgraded?

Awful bloody comment.

It takes a long time to get to know a route thoroughly. Where my DP works, most of the posties are moved around and put on different walks constantly, due to staff shortages. There’s very little consistency, and a lot of agency workers.

Senior management demand constant increases in productivity, but won’t pay for it, and are always looking for ways to further worsen their terms and conditions. No wonder they can’t keep staff. The posties are demoralised, underpaid and undervalued. Blame senior management, not the poor bloody posties.

@wildpeaches I had honestly forgotten about the covid kits. It was knock and leave. Some of these elderly people had seen no one. Many ambulances were called. I think there are a number of absolute shits on here that think because they are 'skilled' their job is worth more. We all demand good service but it shouldn't be at the cost of others. And before anyone gives me a kicking my DH is a graduate but chose a local job to help with the children (now grown up). He does most of the Sundays to allow people with young children to have a life.

The wider gap you have between rich and poor, the less economical growth occurs and the harder a recession will be

the rich can only spend so much, spread the wealth further and fairer and the economy will grow much faster and stronger

TBF, with the profits being made hard working staff should be able to have holidays and save for renovations.

The CEOs are getting all this off the back of workers labour. It’s not like increasing wages will = a bankrupt company.

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I support them .

It takes a long time to get to know a route thoroughly. Where my DP works, most of the posties are moved around and put on different walks constantly, due to staff shortages. There’s very little consistency, and a lot of agency workers.

but people just think agency staff can walk in and take over the jobs…

The tories have done a great job convincing people that it is unreasonable to want good pay and conditions. As long as we are disapproving of each other, we are not holding to account a system which treats the majority of people who work for a living like shit.

Exactly @ivykaty44

For example, how many GP appointments are being taken due to poverty/COLC (respiratory due to poor housing, ailments due to poor diet/hard dirty work, depression due to stress of poverty)?

Prob quite a few I bet.

low wages/high cost has so many knock on effects for us all.

My postie DP is also a graduate. They aren’t the unskilled thickos some on this thread would have you believe.

Like you say, it’s a good job for people with kids. DP can finish in time to pick DD up from school on the days when I’m at work. But not for much longer if RM have their way. We’ll be screwed then. 😖

Ps - would rather have my postie delivering to me any day. there are a few who cover the route and they are all lovely. As opposed to gig economy delivery drivers who are in such a hurry to get to their next drop off they mishandle to parcels or leave the gate open (my puppy nearly got run over as a result of that). I dont buy from companies that use delivery other than RM but you cant control what other people use when sending you stuff.

I find it interesting that people think noone wants to be a post person. I’ve been on their jobs list for a couple of years as it would be far preferable to my current job (and better pay).
They email me occasionally with what jobs are available and there hasn’t been any in my area in that time, not even in my county.

Very well put.

Solidarity!

My husband has loved being a postman but with the changes he will no longer be able to do the school run so we would have to pay out childcare costs, add to that to a lower than inflation pay rise, we can’t afford for him to do that job any longer. Plus the impact on family life mandatory Sunday working will have.

I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe there is any county in the UK where there’s been no postie job advertised in 2 years. When I lived down south the adverts were constant. Now I’m in the rural north of England, they’re less frequent but still several a year within a 20 minute commute from our village. DP’s DO gets an influx of new starters every so often, but most of them leave pretty quickly when they find out what it’s really like, leaving agency workers to fill the gaps.

As a private company, I hope they lose the right to call it Royal from now on.

I support every worker’s right to strike.

Never say never.....who knows what your employers/business will do regarding your Ts&Cs/trading in the future.

I well the people that send the junk Mail must think it's worth it, or they wouldn't send it?