Someone On Our Side

[bristolchris]

We must fight to save post
Comment | Read Comments (2)

Recent letters about the postal strike highlight two questions - do we want a universal public postal service and, if so, how do we make sure we have one?

Fifteen years ago, we had various daily collections at specific hours, two daily deliveries and Royal Mail was making a very healthy profit.

Then liberalisation happened, which we were told would improve the service.
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The results? The Federation of Small Businesses recently surveyed its members - 48 per cent of them report that their post arrives later since the introduction of the single daily delivery, 31 per cent say the service has worsened, and 43 per cent say costs have gone up.

Early or unpredictable collections from post boxes mean that if you miss one, you have to wait a whole day.

Just three per cent think the service has improved.

The FSB also notes that the Government first made the Post Office network unprofitable by removing benefits and pension payments (which amounted to 40 per cent of its income) from it, then closed post offices because they were unprofitable.

More closures are planned.

Royal Mail says that 30,000 job cuts are needed to "modernise" because private competitors are more efficient.

This is inaccurate at best.

Private companies are not more efficient - they simply do a lot less and, the FSB reports, cherry-pick their customers.

They don't serve rural routes, small businesses or private individuals, they don't process the post and they don't deliver it. Royal Mail does all this for them.

If they did, they would suddenly be faced with the costs that Royal Mail faces and their profits would dwindle. Instead, they are allowed to undercut Royal Mail.

If, as a result, we have a worse service, who does liberalisation benefit?

The taxpayer carries the costs and the private companies pocket the profits.

The current strike is happening because the Communication Workers' Union has been left alone to defend the service.

It damages small businesses, but the proposed cuts would further reduce the service and damage us even more.

If you want a public postal service, please write to Royal Mail asking it to enter meaningful negotiations with the CWU, lobby your MP for an urgent review of the damaging impact of liberalisation and demand an immediate change to Postcomm's competition rules.

DONA VELLUTI, President, Oxford and District Trades Union Council

4:30pm Tuesday 3rd July 2007
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http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/letters/ ... e_post.php

[dogfood]

Can we distribute this to all the drops on our deliveries?

[bristolchris]

Can we distribute this to all the drops on our deliveries?

You could be in trouble, check with your A/Rep, be CAREFUL.

[Bikedo]

I've been telling my customers (small businesses) the gist of this for the last two weeks and I get a positive responce. Just mention the railways and any other deregulated business.

[stud muffin]

perhaps packet drivers should work there hours

[stud muffin]

to much skiving in the vans walk postman carrying the drivers

[bristolchris]

perhaps packet drivers should work there hours

We Do, Do you, he`s back next week , do you you want me to tell him what you said?

[kinmad4it]

perhaps packet drivers should work there hours

Some don't even manage half in our office. Then get overtime while still within their hours for doing what they should be doing anyway.

[frankie]

A number of my customers ( I deliver to firms) have asked me what we are actually striking for. So I told them! Now I have a bit more support and they don't get on my case so much now!

[stud muffin]

if reps pulled there fingers out instead of having breakfast with management we might all get a result mentioning no names chris

[stud muffin]

i wonder sometimes if the union knows whats its all about, they seem to have there heads in the clouds

[bristolchris]

perhaps packet drivers should work there hours

Some don't even manage half in our office. Then get overtime while still within their hours for doing what they should be doing anyway.

kinmad4it, Hi `stud muffin` is a bit of a Pratt, and was only taking the Piss. There may be packet drivers who as you say do not work their hours in your D/O. IN OURS THEY DO.

[vigilante]

The current strike is happening because the Communication Workers' Union has been left alone to defend the service.





couldn't have put it better myself.
we are fighting to save the service for the public, dumb and dumber are hell-bent on running it into the ground,
then he (voldemort) will try and get a good whack of money before he leaves to rape another company