This is Royal Mail's Last Chance - Dave Ward

[clashcityrocker]

Perhaps it seems highly unusual for a trade union leader like me to write a column for the Daily Mail City pages, but these are unusual times.

I lead the Communication Workers Union which represents 110,000 posties.

We are fighting to save one of the most iconic companies in the UK.

Let me get straight to the point: the privatisation of Royal Mail is one of the biggest scandals of recent times.

Hundreds of millions of pounds a year that once went back to the Treasury now go to the pockets of mainly rich and often offshore shareholders.
More at link:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/t ... 5e40&ei=90

[tramssirhc]

Patriotism - the last chance saloon for the CWU.

[Redshadow]

I'm sorry but after 21yrs of this job,I have to say that going forward I have little to no interest in the future of the company.
I will continue to turn up and do my required work and will start and finish at my correct times until told otherwise
I am more than happy to have my shares purchased and have a few grand extra in the bank and if/when the company folds/trys to change my contract/makes me reduntant then so be it I will cross that bridge when it comes

[Valentina@1]

I'm sorry but after 21yrs of this job,I have to say that going forward I have little to no interest in the future of the company.
I will continue to turn up and do my required work and will start and finish at my correct times until told otherwise
I am more than happy to have my shares purchased and have a few grand extra in the bank and if/when the company folds/trys to change my contract/makes me reduntant then so be it I will cross that bridge when it comes

[moon71]

I'm not scared anymore. Thinking DPD do a better job an match royal mail anyway.

[TopperGas]

"Therefore, the CWU has developed a plan to restore the universal service obligation to deliver postal services to all addresses for the same price, to the same standard"

What is that plan, the same as RM have recently supplied to OFCOM, which is likely to lead to 1,000's of job losses or an entirely different plan?

As far as the dividends going to shareholders isn't that what privatisation is all about, if not, then who'd bother buying the shares when they were first offered for sale?

[Redshadow]

It's all just nonsense really,just like you hear from the leaders of any political party or organisation.

I am just amazed that Mr.Ward and the rest of the C.W.U leadership are so wrapped up in their own hubris that the millionaires and billonaires who run the country and are interested in buying this already privatised business will even pay them anything more than lip service.

I mean is this the same plane as us becoming an extra emergency service during the pandemic or the one that they had during the last round of industrial action that as far as I can recall they never even revealed to the membership or is it something new and so secret that they don't even know themselves yet?

[postslippete]

Unusual times indeed. IDS is facing a £600 million Supreme Court showdown with competitor Whistl over the alleged abuse of its monopoly position. This was over a decade ago though and Royal Mail was fined £50 million by OfCom.

However, Whistl are claiming damages which meant it had to significantly reduce its workforce and operations? Apparently the claim is now in excess of £600 million and accruing interest at £50 million per year

https://www.ft.com/content/11bf8c04-79c ... 3505d36f65

[arkus12]

I'm sorry but after 21yrs of this job,I have to say that going forward I have little to no interest in the future of the company.
I will continue to turn up and do my required work and will start and finish at my correct times until told otherwise
I am more than happy to have my shares purchased and have a few grand extra in the bank and if/when the company folds/trys to change my contract/makes me reduntant then so be it I will cross that bridge when it comes

I thought that it's only me doing and thinking exactly the same, but looks like RM made us work and think in this way. Yes, I do the same with 0% motivation to save RM.

[scoobydo79]

Oh My God. Dave doesn’t get it does He? RM have a plan for the future and it doesn’t need His input. They weren’t interested in the last dispute and they arnt interested now unless he wants to help them sell it to Us

[TopperGas]

It's all just nonsense really,just like you hear from the leaders of any political party or organisation.

I am just amazed that Mr.Ward and the rest of the C.W.U leadership are so wrapped up in their own hubris that the millionaires and billonaires who run the country and are interested in buying this already privatised business will even pay them anything more than lip service.

I mean is this the same plane as us becoming an extra emergency service during the pandemic or the one that they had during the last round of industrial action that as far as I can recall they never even revealed to the membership or is it something new and so secret that they don't even know themselves yet?

Didn't they eventually suggest delivering prescriptions would save all our jobs, even though the local pharmacists near me seem to have just retired type people delivering them as part time jobs.

[Mr Rush]

Hell huff! And he'll puff! And he'll... umm... ballot? BAHAHAHA

[Acca Dacca]

I would imagine that a share in the company's fortune is pretty low on the list of postal worker's priorities

Job security, our terms and conditions intact, a manageable workload and a decent work/life balance are all more important.

Thats what I want. Not sodding shares.

[goneaway]

Unusual times indeed. IDS is facing a £600 million Supreme Court showdown with competitor Whistl over the alleged abuse of its monopoly position. This was over a decade ago though and Royal Mail was fined £50 million by OfCom.

However, Whistl are claiming damages which meant it had to significantly reduce its workforce and operations? Apparently the claim is now in excess of £600 million and accruing interest at £50 million per year

https://www.ft.com/content/11bf8c04-79c ... 3505d36f65

Also, will Royal Mail have any financial liability in respect of matteers arising from The Post Office Scandal? Appreciate that Post Office is now a separate entity to Royal Mail, but for a substantial period at the start of the scandal early in the new milennium, Post Office was controlled by Royal Mail. Or did any liabilities pass to Post Office when they separated from Royal Mail, prior to Royal Mail's privatisation?

[postslippete]

Also, will Royal Mail have any financial liability in respect of matteers arising from The Post Office Scandal? Appreciate that Post Office is now a separate entity to Royal Mail, but for a substantial period at the start of the scandal early in the new milennium, Post Office was controlled by Royal Mail. Or did any liabilities pass to Post Office when they separated from Royal Mail, prior to Royal Mail's privatisation?

Probably not. The government owned both Royal Mail and the Post Office before they were separated in 2012, with RM later being privatised. When the government sold off Royal Mail they also took over our liabilities i.e. our history pension deficit of over £8 billion. We have often complimented the Post Office well in the past but the two companies have always been different businesses run under different management. The Horizon system was only installed (to the best of my knowledge) in Post Offices which were run by sub-postmasters. During the inquiry a few of the past RM senior management that were interviewed like Adam Crozier said he wasn't aware of the large number of prosecutions being launched by the Post Office and the text messages by Moya Greene to Paula Vennells suggesting that "she must have knew" will surely stand in Royal Mail's favour in covering their tracks.