View Full Version : No postal service until next Thurday
Matblack
04-10-2007, 12:44
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7027142.stm
I don't know if people realise but the latest move by the CWU is a 48 hour strike which started at noon today and another on Monday.
This will effectively mean no post until next Thursday.
Its all very well having a unionised work force but with deregulation of the industry we are going to start seeing other carriers capitalise on situations like this and the unions will have no one but themselves to blame when they lose jobs. :(
MB
Totally agree with you there Matt.
I wonder why they are even bothering to stop the strike at noon on Saturday and restart at 0300 on Monday. I'm not sure if the reason is legal or financial, but the cynic in me thinks the latter.
I can understand them being concerned over job losses, but screwing your employer is no way to go about preserving them. So much for not wanting to cause inconvenience too. :/
Admiral Huddy
04-10-2007, 12:54
Agreed.. but all the time there's no serious competition they can get away with it. Same goes for the railway workers and alike. 21st century and were still in the hands of the bloody unions. So 70s. Most of my family work for Royal Mail and do not want this to get out of hand but at the same time realise something has to be done. All of them agree that striking is not the answer.
No serious competition? Well, actually there is, but the problem with them is that they still rely on Royal Mail for the part from the destination sorting office to the final address. That's how they can undercut RM so much - no local delivery organisation to worry about.
Admiral Huddy
04-10-2007, 13:08
What competition?
Well my business is knackered until next week. Surely by effectively holding a 6 day strike they're just creating a monstrous backlog for themselves?
What competition?
OK - only for large(ish) contracts, but then that's where Royal Mail got a sizeable chunk of money from. They wouldn't touch domestic stuff (it's not even profitable for RM).
The reason they are going to work is that its 1.5 time on saturday and 2X on Sunday. Thats the reason! This is a real pain in the butt :/
Matblack
04-10-2007, 14:07
By all accounts its illegal to call a week long strike so by doing these two back to back 48 hours they cause maximum disruption :angry:
MB
Tossers. I've got stuff coming in the post too.
leowyatt
04-10-2007, 14:40
No you haven't..
snigger ;D
The postal service where I live is so crap that to be honest, a couple of 2 day strikes won't make much bloody difference. It takes on average 4 working days for stuff to reach me. Bastards.
Admiral Huddy
04-10-2007, 14:42
No you haven't..
haha
The thing is that RMSD suffers.. Last time I went to the post office to send something and they refused to take on any RMSD for a few days after the strike. Good job the recipient was understanding.
Yup - no doubting the premium services suffer - people will switch to couriers instead.
I got post at 2.10PM today. I used to get post at 8AM sharp. Shows how bad it's getting. Mind you, I'm surprised I got that given the strike had already started.
Well my business is knackered until next week.
You and me both mate. In fact, it will affect our cashflow so much I might not get any wages next week. Bunch of tossbags.
I have a few things already sent from retailers but not turned up today....so thats another week's wait :(
Matblack
04-10-2007, 15:38
You and me both mate. In fact, it will affect our cashflow so much I might not get any wages next week. Bunch of tossbags.
I get the impression that many business use cheques and royal mail as just another way of extending the credit period. Its just so easy to use BT or BACS these days and its cheaper than a first class stamp (free in the case of a standard BT). I'd hate to be a small business these days and be forced back into the stone age by clients who refuse to use the 'easy' way :angry:
MB
Suddenly I understand why people like Amazon changed their delivery methods. I'd at least want someone reliable.
I love the Royal Mail, I really do. I just can't believe how bad things have become.
People may not like Margaret Thatcher, but right now I think we could do with someone with Thatcherite mettle to stand up to the unions and tell them to STFU. Gordon Brown may have the fortitude for it, but as the Labour party is mostly funded by the unions, he wouldn't dare, and Campbell is just plain too soft.
Biggest problem with this idea is how much damage that would do to the country in the process, but right now it seems like a choice of slow lingering pain or a quick dose of utter chaos and get it over with.
What competition?
Well TNT for a start. Leon said that the phones went absolutely mental yesterday with people wanting to send stuff, because it had been in the news on they were mentioned as one of RM's competitors. I think RM probably make most of their money by the large contracts they have with various companies, rather than the letters etc. sent by the public.
On the letter side, TNT do a lot of sorting for various large companies (ever seen "TNT Mail" on an envelope?). They then deliver it to the Post Offices, and the normal posties deliver it. Basically, they carry out all the "value add" where the money is made, and then palm it off onto RM to finish off.
I don't think there's any competition for mail sent by the public, which is why we're getting hurt by this so much because we really do have very little option for sending letters and stuff at the moment without paying a huge price for the privilage.
Stan_Lite
05-10-2007, 08:58
People may not like Margaret Thatcher, but right now I think we could do with someone with Thatcherite mettle to stand up to the unions and tell them to STFU. Gordon Brown may have the fortitude for it, but as the Labour party is mostly funded by the unions, he wouldn't dare, and Campbell is just plain too soft.
Biggest problem with this idea is how much damage that would do to the country in the process, but right now it seems like a choice of slow lingering pain or a quick dose of utter chaos and get it over with.
Whenever there's a hint of trouble with unions, people start harking back to Thatcher and how she tamed the unions. Yes, she crushed the unions but in a brutal and vicious way with little or no thought for the hardship caused.
I agree that the CWU are out of order and are being no less brutal in their methods but the last thing this country needs is another Thatcher. Whether a Labour Prime Minister is the right person to ask to clip the unions' wings further is doubtful, due to the funding issue - maybe Gordon Brown has the balls, Tony Blair certainly didn't.
Matblack
05-10-2007, 09:04
I think the answer is to increase the cost of postage to something nearer the realistic cost i.e £2 for a first class letter. This would make people seek alternatives; for example using the internet for moving money about, and the phone for banking the UK would develop technologically overnight as those without net access bought phones which allowed them to make such transactions and people were more likely to demand broadband.
The Royal Mail can't survive without subsidy unless they charge a decent price for the job they do thats just economics. :dunno:
MB
Whenever there's a hint of trouble with unions, people start harking back to Thatcher and how she tamed the unions. Yes, she crushed the unions but in a brutal and vicious way with little or no thought for the hardship caused.
And she stopped school milk. :(
Cow.
I think the answer is to increase the cost of postage to something nearer the realistic cost i.e £2 for a first class letter.
This would be a massive problem for a lot of businesses if postage hit prices like these.
I feel for the RM as they are stuck in a certain position. They HAVE to deliver to every address in the UK, other companies like TNT don't, so they can pick off the good, profitable customers (business) whilst ignoring the less profitable (normal personal post).
Matblack
05-10-2007, 10:44
This would be a massive problem for a lot of businesses if postage hit prices like these.
I feel for the RM as they are stuck in a certain position. They HAVE to deliver to every address in the UK, other companies like TNT don't, so they can pick off the good, profitable customers (business) whilst ignoring the less profitable (normal personal post).
Ahhhhhh, now I should have expounded on this idea.
I think you could give businesses a quite reasonable bulk discount.
I really think we need to encourage electronic communications and use RM etc for actual transfer of goods, which seems to be an area where people are willing to pay a decent price for and people can compete.
MB
I sent 3 dvds in sleeves to Dawn - 48p. No profit there...
They're still tossers for going on strike, I want my new toys. :(
RM need to watch out - they are going to start losing big contracts.
This was in our latest corporate publication:
http://ukrm.org/lopez/Post.jpg
However, when it comes to losing the whole lot....
We took over 25,000 calls today, and a similar level yesterday. I have never seen anything like it. Our Service Level (number of calls answered within 3 rings) which is normally 90% or above dropped to under 25% at one point in the day, though we clawed it back to about 45 by the close of business. We abandoned over 2000 calls and when I left today there were still over 20 calls holding and queries untouched since midday.
Our network cannot cope under the strain of freight put on it by the strike actions - hubs and depots are operating over and above normal capacity as it is - so it will be a long while before TNT or any other courier is capable of taking over the whole shebang from RM.
Leon...when are we going to see you in the TNT magazine? I bet it's on your todo list :D
I got post today. :huh:
Though it was via UK Mail (a.k.a. Business Post), so probably bypassed most of the trouble.
Leon...when are we going to see you in the TNT magazine? I bet it's on your todo list :D
It is :o I need to find a niche :p
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7037052.stm
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7032582.stm
leowyatt
10-10-2007, 12:46
No post here in Merseyside :angry:
EDIT: Ah just read that first link ;D
Our local office have been told to start an hour and a half later than normal from now on....which means I can't collect our full post in the morning before coming into work :angry:
This is getting ****ing ridiculous.
Thats just great :/ It has been a long standing thing that when you have done your round you go home. However everyone else has to work the hours they are bloody paid for. They are damn sharp on paying overtime at RM, its not like people are missing out. Infact I know of a few posties that used to stuff their letters back in the postbox if they couldn't be bothered that day.
No sympathy at all over this. They lazy gits will strike randomly at any time. While I was working there, they cleared off on strike and it was the agency workers that were keeping the chelmsford office running on a number of occasions.
Desmo, first post here is now at around 12pm if it turns up at all :/ Gone are the 7-7:30 post that you used to get
Blackstar
10-10-2007, 13:22
Our post doesn't arrive normally until between 10 and 11 making it crap if you are waiting for something before work. We got post today but there wasn't anything for me. :(
Yup - like I've said before I used to get it at 8AM sharp. Now I'm lucky if it's turned up by 1PM. Admittedly most of that isn't the postie's fault - it's down to the ever increasing size of their rounds (anyone remember the days of two deliveries per day - wasn't that long ago either).
I can understand waiting for a delivery...but I'm going to collect this form the sorting office...but it's not even being sorted by 10am now :/
Admiral Huddy
10-10-2007, 14:43
I maybe wrong but I still don't think that TNT are competition for RM.. Competiton means that there has to be a choice for the consumer. I'm talking general postage here.. I can't go to a TNT office on the high street buy a TNT first class stamp and pop into a first class TNT box. despite who RM sub-contract to.
I have a client who has paid me last week and the cheque is sitting somewhere in the system.. not happy.
The striking is nothing short of bullying tactics.
I have a client who has paid me last week and the cheque is sitting somewhere in the system.. not happy.
Lucky you....I'm not getting any wages this week as all of our cheques are anywhere but here.
LeperousDust
10-10-2007, 15:56
I'm not exactly complaining, but i got post today, so are we all ok now? I've literally got tonnes of stuff i'm waiting for... One of the few times i'm actually relying solely on Royal Fail.
We had a delivery this morning, it was 90% junk mail. :(
Oh, and did I forget to mention the strikes next Monday?
LeperousDust
10-10-2007, 16:06
=/
I should point out that blaming the failure to sort mail by 10AM on the workers is totally unfair. RM has removed the options for flexibility (previously granted by the current management) that allowed workers to both start and finish early. I can't really complain about them wanting to finish early as I do that myself sometimes - the benefits of being on flexi-time with no-one looking over your shoulder to make sure you do all the hours. Like the postmen, if I do all the work required of me, then that's all that matters regardless of how long it takes (last week I was about 20 hours over due to working the weekend, this week I'm probably going to be 5-10 under due to several doctors appointments).
I think both sides need taking to the Big Brother house and getting locked inside with no food until they sort it tbh.
I think both sides need taking to the Big Brother house and getting locked inside with no food until they sort it tbh.
Battle Royale island tbh.
I maybe wrong but I still don't think that TNT are competition for RM.. Competiton means that there has to be a choice for the consumer. I'm talking general postage here.. I can't go to a TNT office on the high street buy a TNT first class stamp and pop into a first class TNT box. despite who RM sub-contract to.
I have a client who has paid me last week and the cheque is sitting somewhere in the system.. not happy.
The striking is nothing short of bullying tactics.
You are quite right. In Holland however, you can go and buy a TNT stamp and put it in a TNT Post box.
Whether they are going to do the same in the UK I don't know.
Hmmmm. If my company choose to change the working hours, we have to suck it up or leave. DOn't see why they should be any different to be honest - if they don't like it, there's plenty of other jobs out there. I'd imagine that people are taking the proverbial and so they're losing the right to do it. There's nothing unusual with standardizing working hours to make sure that people are actually working while they are there. And we're talking about 30mins to 1 hour here chaps, not being asked to completely change their working routines.
I think you missed my point. People seemed to be blaming the postmen for not having mail sorted before 10AM (Sorry Desmo, just picked on your example), when in fact that's got a lot more to do with the Employer saying that postman may no longer start early.
Our local office have been told to start an hour and a half later than normal from now on
No problem Mark :)
I understand that it's not the workers choice. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough in my original post.
SidewinderINC
12-10-2007, 12:37
A man in a RM uniform just pulled up opposite my house in his car, got out and opened the boot and started sifting through mail and putting it in his red bag to deliver I assume :p
Never seen mail get posted this way on my street, it's always cyclists.
The backlog must be huge if its requiring him to use his car!
leowyatt
12-10-2007, 12:41
The backlog must be huge if its requiring him to use his car!
Yeah and I bet his being paid a pretty penny to do it too :angry:
SidewinderINC
12-10-2007, 12:45
I saw him move a load of the mail from the boot to the backseats...
Sorting it for the next street or stealing it, I never trust posties.
A man in a RM uniform just pulled up opposite my house in his car, got out and opened the boot and started sifting through mail and putting it in his red bag to deliver I assume :p
I think it's quite common these days. I see loads of them loading up their own car in the mornings on a regular basis.
A man in a RM uniform just pulled up opposite my house in his car, got out and opened the boot and started sifting through mail and putting it in his red bag to deliver I assume :p
Never seen mail get posted this way on my street, it's always cyclists.
The backlog must be huge if its requiring him to use his car!
I know a couple of posties and one of them had about 14 bags to deliver in 1 day after the strike, the other had 10.
/OT, Leon which TNT depot are you at if you don't mind me asking? Just wondering if it's the same one we use at work or not.
I know a couple of posties and one of them had about 14 bags to deliver in 1 day after the strike, the other had 10.
/OT, Leon which TNT depot are you at if you don't mind me asking? Just wondering if it's the same one we use at work or not.
I'm based centrally at Depot 113 which is Lount PDC (Hub) where we deal with every depot in the country.
Which depot covers you?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7038899.stm
So a deal has been made. Hopefully that'll stop the wildcats as well.
I'm based centrally at Depot 113 which is Lount PDC (Hub) where we deal with every depot in the country.
Which depot covers you?
Nuneaton.
Nuneaton.
I enjoy dealing with Nuneaton, the girls who control the drivers in Nuneaton are ace. They're a pretty tight depot considering it's relatively small.
Blackstar
16-10-2007, 18:05
Our little postman has a RM van and always wears shorts. But we've been getting post since last Wednesday so i can't fault him.
ARGGGHGHH"H"H"H"H" omg RM rararrr!!!
RM make my couriers do ****ing idiotic things!!!
ARGHGHGHGHGH!!!
BB x
Our little postman has a RM van and always wears shorts. But we've been getting post since last Wednesday so i can't fault him.
That's great, but if the sorting office are still on strike it's pointless. Looks like things are running smoothly your way though.
Had a letter yesterday addressed 5th October. I've got stuff I really need to post out, but I'm worried about it getting lost. It's bloody ridiculous!
LeperousDust
17-10-2007, 13:51
That's great, but if the sorting office are still on strike it's pointless. Looks like things are running smoothly your way though.
Had a letter yesterday addressed 5th October. I've got stuff I really need to post out, but I'm worried about it getting lost. It's bloody ridiculous!
Same i want to post some things, but the backlog means things are bound to go missing (even moreso than usual) i think i'd rather wait than risk it tbh...
I'll see your letter of 5th October and raise you one from the 3rd. Fortunately it was about something I already knew there was a problem with and dealt with it by phone.
The letter came from Liverpool so it's probably been delayed by both the official and wildcat strikes. Still, 14 days is beyond a joke IMO.
If you wanted the offer, then might be worth contacting them anyway as they'll be geting a lot of customers in that situation.
That sucks. There's nowt more I can say than that really. Whoever is to blame you have very little comeback. :(
Liverpool posties have just voted to go back to work - tomorrow
The damage is already done. :/
Sister of Feek posted two identical envelopes to us about ten days before the strikes started.
Both were the same, both had the same number of photographs in and both had the same postage on them.
YMFs one was delivered two days after she posted it.
LMFs one was carded to us yesterday for underpaid postage.
WTF?
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