Postal Strike Looms

Stormproof · Post by **Stormproof** » 08 Mar 2008, 18:22

Postal strikes loom
Sat, March 08 2008

By Jane Meredith, Reporter
Email: newburytoday@newburynews.co.uk
Phone: 01635 564632
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A dispute over Royal Mail workers' pensions could end in a new wave of postal strikes

THE POSSIBILITY of a new wave of postal strikes loomed this week following a dispute over the pensions of Royal Mail workers.
Royal Mail has announced a decision affecting the pension scheme offered to its employees, including increasing the retirement age from 60 to 65 from April 1, 2010, and closing the plan to new members from March 31 this year.
South East Regional Secretary of the Communication Worker's Union (CWU), Terry Jackson, said the union would be consulting members on the issue between March 10 and March 25, the results of which would indicate if members wanted to take any strike action.
"Only after the consultation will there be a possibility of strike action," he said.
Royal Mail pointed out it was currently making an annual Â£850m contribution towards the pension fund in the face of increasing competition.
It reiterated last autumn's announcement that unions agreed to support the changes as part of wider agreements on pay, modernisation and pension reform.

Daniel Dunglas Home · Post by **Daniel Dunglas Home** » 09 Mar 2008, 18:33

We're all going to have to accept some changes to the scheme as its presently unsustainable with pensioners living longer and competition biting hard for the first time.
Having said that it was the government that screwed us all over in the first place then allowed market liberalisation earlier than on the continent and the employers took 'pension holidays' when things were going well.
What do you do ?

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 09 Mar 2008, 18:35

Daniel Dunglas Home wrote:We're all going to have to accept some changes to the scheme as its presently unsustainable with pensioners living longer and competition biting hard for the first time.
Having said that it was the government that screwed us all over in the first place then allowed market liberalisation earlier than on the continent and the employers took 'pension holidays' when things were going well.
What do you do ?

GO BACK AND GET A BETTER DEAL THAN THIS ONE!.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 09 Mar 2008, 18:37

Daniel Dunglas Home wrote:We're all going to have to accept some changes to the scheme as its presently unsustainable with pensioners living longer and competition biting hard for the first time.
Having said that it was the government that screwed us all over in the first place then allowed market liberalisation earlier than on the continent and the employers took 'pension holidays' when things were going well.
What do you do ?

Well unless you are a mug, looking forward passively to being mugged I suggest you vote no and then withdraw your labour

Daniel Dunglas Home · Post by **Daniel Dunglas Home** » 09 Mar 2008, 19:01

Thats a great couple of intellectual arguments there-NOT.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 09 Mar 2008, 19:03

Daniel Dunglas Home wrote:Thats a great couple of intellectual arguments there-NOT.

Got any better suggestions Einstein? I'm all ears

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 09 Mar 2008, 19:08

Daniel Dunglas Home wrote:Thats a great couple of intellectual arguments there-NOT.

FOR IT IS BETTER TO TAKE ACTION AND LOSE ONE'S LIMB THAN TO LET IT FESTER AND KILLITH THE WHOLE OFF THE PERSON!.

jemima · Post by **jemima** » 09 Mar 2008, 23:09

It'll be better if we have some definite counter-proposals. I'd say that the government should use all RM profits, except those reinvested in the business, to rectify the deficit and that it shouldn't expect to take any cut until the pension fund is healthy. If that doesn't improve the situation within a couple of years, then think again about the changes. In the meantime, to improve the predicted outlook, increase the retirement age to 62 from 2010, but allow slightly augmented contributions from those posties close to retirement who want to take their full pension at 60. Ideally I'd like to see higher management grades paying a greater percentage of their salary to obtain pension benefits than posties pay, since they're the ones whose salaries increase the most during their careers. Closing the fund to new starters seems rather drastic; perhaps the new starters could have an increased retirement age of 65.

I'd like to know what the CWU think we should aim for.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 09 Mar 2008, 23:42

What makes you think the pension fund is short of cash? Not trusting the word of folks who tell you traffics down, I hope. Cos every day that one is blown out of the water,or maybe it's just on my walks

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 09 Mar 2008, 23:43

Anybody notice their pouches getting lighter?

Night Tonic · Post by **Night Tonic** » 09 Mar 2008, 23:59

Agree with Jemima. Fine blowing the solidarity trumpet - if anything vaguely tuneful comes out. If we're to stand ANY chance of success we have to have a concrete counter-proposal. Relying on walkouts alone and THEN deciding what to do - huh, they'll laugh at us. RM will just switch on the coffee machine and dig in again. Brown won't cough up - anyone that thinks the government will stick its hand in its pocket is living in cloud cuckoo land. The fact that they should is irrelevant - they just won't. It would set a precedent for all those with bombed out private pensions that are still putting pressure on government to get their money back.

If anyone has a plan that is realistic and likely to succeed then fine, but not heard one so far - not even from CWU HQ. All we have so far is a ballot which asks whether we like it or not - but nothing else.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 10 Mar 2008, 00:09

Night Tonic wrote:Agree with Jemima. Fine blowing the solidarity trumpet - if anything vaguely tuneful comes out. If we're to stand ANY chance of success we have to have a concrete counter-proposal. Relying on walkouts alone and THEN deciding what to do - huh, they'll laugh at us. RM will just switch on the coffee machine and dig in again. Brown won't cough up - anyone that thinks the government will stick its hand in its pocket is living in cloud cuckoo land. The fact that they should is irrelevant - they just won't. It would set a precedent for all those with bombed out private pensions that are still putting pressure on government to get their money back.

If anyone has a plan that is realistic and likely to succeed then fine, but not heard one so far - not even from CWU HQ. All we have so far is a ballot which asks whether we like it or not - but nothing else.

You truly are a bit of an enigma.

To paraphrase" no point trying to do anything; there's absolutely nothing we can do about anything:it's all hopeless, we're all doomed"

Yet you still muster the enthusiasm to post your pearls of wisdom,don't know how you find the energy,or why?

Night Tonic · Post by **Night Tonic** » 10 Mar 2008, 00:26

No - you said that not me. But what do you envisage? Mass walk out and they all buckle??? Wheres your plan? Where will the money come from? If you can't answer these questions, how can you lead? These are reasonable questions and on most people minds right now.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 10 Mar 2008, 00:53

As I said, "to paraphrase" don't think it was an unfair representation of what you've posted, anyone is free to review your previous contributions if I've twisted your words it will be obvious to one and all.
Lead?A revealing comment, got a bit of an authoritarian mindset I see, sorry pal me and my multiple personalities have formed an anarcho syndicalist commune

Night Tonic · Post by **Night Tonic** » 10 Mar 2008, 00:58

No answers then. Our union rep faces the same problem.