24/07/24 Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[jimallen]

Hi, here's the Mount Pleasant bulletin of 24 July. The bulletin is taking its usual break, see you first week of September!

RESTRICTING XMAS OT?
On Processing we got a message from managers inviting
us to take part in a "scoping" (?) exercise for Xmas
“overtime blocks”. What about Xmas SA/Xmas
pressure? Are they changing the name, or are the
conditions? Or both? And why now already? It's only
July!

NERVOUS MANAGERS!
A WhatsApp voice message from the local union said we
should fill in the form before the 2nd of August without
fail, as casuals would be given that OT if we don’t apply
first... So are managers looking for Xmas casuals
already? Are they afraid they'll be short of hands come
November/December?

PERMANENT NOW!
Actually this doesn't make much sense. Aren’t casuals
being brought in routinely, right now, including on
Saturdays and Sundays? Managers can't do without
them, because they have cut so many jobs! In fact now
it's already the case that the casuals are needed
permanently, so they should actually be on permanent
contracts!

OUR OWN MEETINGS NEEDED
One more thing: WhatsApp messages from the local
union may keep us updated, and are well and good, but
wouldn't it be much better for us to have our own actual
meetings, where we can discuss what's going on?
Managers do it, in order to plan their attacks on our
conditions. We need to plan our counter attack...

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (AND THE FIRE)
PSA becomes an oven in the hot weather: shockingly, it
has no AC, no windows, no breeze, just one small fan in
the corner, recirculating hot air, which only the 2 or 3
people standing right next to it might even notice! Is
there any oxygen coming in? What's more, in the past, at
least squash and ice were available on very hot days. But
OK, we can find our own cold drinks and the cool breeze
outside!

TOO MUCH SUN?
We heard a manager was advising about "sun safety" - a
RM health and safety tick-box exercise that applies to
deliveries, but not so much to us in here, even lacking, as
we do, windows in some places! But when we asked
about something more relevant, that is, the heat inside,
the advice suddenly dried up. Too much sun will do
that...

PUSHING FOR MORE HANDS!
In their latest mis-re-alignment, managers told Parcel
Sorting Monster workers that we'll have to "assist" in
pushing "outward inland" Yorkies to the platform... The
job used to be done by platform workmates when there
were enough of them! Then it was done by workmates
"borrowed" from other areas. And now... on top of
everything else, they want us to do it?

ONLY ONE SOLUTION
In fact, there have never been enough workers for the
greedy PSMonster, so managers come up with all sorts
of silly ideas to try to compensate. For instance one of
them told us to move all Yorks meant for Glasgow,
Edinburgh, etc., from one side of the PSM area to another
side... He thought it would make the York-flow easier. It
didn't.

CAN'T DO WON'T DO
It just takes a couple of us cleaners to be off on holidays
or to be off sick, for the Elephant to come down all heavy,
waving his trunk around and demanding we "cover"! But
how? There is absolutely no way we can, on top of the
already overloaded duties which he allocated in the last
re-sign. Nor will we even try.

NO FOOD, NO WORK
Three weeks ago, the Night shift had no food for four
days because RM/Compass chose not to find a
replacement when the regular canteen worker went on
holiday. In the past they always got someone in to
replace her (or him). Certainly we can't do our jobs
properly if all we have to eat is vending machine "food"...

A DEATH FORETOLD?
The prospective new owner of RM, Daniel Kretinsky told
the BBC he'd commit to the USO "as long as I'm alive"!
(Actually, in writing, only 5 years...). He also promised no
compulsory redundancies, but only for the next 4
months!
He's clear what he wants: an RM parcels division to
beat Amazon, and it looks as if he'll succeed with his bid.
But we're clear too: the only way we'll defend our Ts&Cs
is to fight, all out, whoever owns the business.

HE'S ON THE OTHER SIDE
Dave Ward's problem with Kretinsky is that he’s a
"foreigner". When of course he's just a boss like any
other - and will have to be fought like any other boss.
But that’s a fight Ward isn’t up for (surprise, surprise).
This is what he said: "We have to be understanding of
the circumstances surrounding Royal Mail… the
company needs to grow its revenue… and the workers
have to be on board with that". Well, we aren't.

DELIVERIES ARE A PUBLIC SERVICE
Oh and by the way, Royal Mail's revenue grew 10.6%
between April and June this year! This was mainly due
to the election (postal votes, polling cards etc.). Yes, a so
good and assured chunk of these profits came out of
public taxes! No wonder Kretinsky wants to keep the
USO. But of course he'll also want to "trim" it... We shall
be ready for him.

[Tman]

General strike....yawn. Change the refrain.
Regarding the Amazon employees, if only 49.5% voted for union recognition, then it's a no.
Clearly the Wolfies and maths aren't well-acquainted.