Hello Everyone, Just thought id add my comments on the matter..
I have been a postman for 5 years now and the changes that i have seen since i have been there is quite remarkable. Im sure you can all remember when you was getting you post nice and early and even maybe use to talk to your postman and even get to know him.
Because of the amount of work we are forced to take out, most days postman cant even complete there round. Royal mail will not pay over time and believes we should stay out past our working hours for free!
And now there new mordernisation plan "absorption" means that when another postman is on holiday or on sick, we have to sort up there round and delivery it for free before we even start our own!
On an average day i take out about 110kg of mail, in all conditions. Its easy to make a mistake and easy for you to complain. Its hard to get the public on side when they dont know whats going on. Postman are getting bullied by managerment and the work load just keeps getting more and more. If we dont complete our round, it means we have to do it again the next day with tomorrows post. But if we cant complete with a normals day work, how can i complete with the extra bit i didnt complete the day before? And if Royal Mail wont pay over time when will it get done? Im contracted 6am til 2pm. How many of you would work 2 hours over your time for free, and when you have children to pick up from school?
Royal Mail's modernisation plan will mean the next two-three years could see up to 50,000 full-time jobs being cut, half of mail centres being closed and up to two-thirds of delivery offices being closed. So look around your office and imagine one third of people disappeared - or maybe the whole office as seen here in sydenham.
When Royal Mail says they have no plans to force anybody to go part time, or for compulsory redundancies, that isn't a guarantee they won't in the future - but that's what they want people to think now, so they don't feel threatened enough to go on strike.
Royal Mail continues to argue that postal workers are 25% overpaid and 40% underworked. That is why despite £321 million in profits, we got a pay freeze this year and managers got massive bonuses worth thousands of pounds. And if we don't stand up to them now, they might in the future decide to actually cut pay - what would stop them? Both Labour and the Tories are talking about cutting public sector pay in the next year, so Royal Mail will have the perfect excuse.
We do not want, to not finish our round and we dont wont to go on strike, but we have no choice. The last thing i wont to do is lose money at this time in the economic climate. If we dont stand up for our jobs now there will be no postal service. You will get later deliveries but do you honesly think the postman wont to be out later then he has to be. Its very easy to complain when the public dont know whats going on...
Thanks for reading
