Last post for Royal Mail?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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It began under Labour, then the Tories took up the baton, and this week the ConDems will cross the finishing line.

The race to privatise the Royal Mail – our Royal Mail – is almost run. In the House of Commons this Thursday (9th June), the Postal Services Bill will receive its third reading and become law.

In the same week that our privatised, incentivised, commercialised energy ‘market’ delivered yet another bombshell to hard-pressed householders, our mainstream politicians will effectively sanction the sell-off of Royal Mail.

And then what?

The Postal Services Bill clears the way for the markets, the vultures, to tear Royal Mail to pieces. There’ll be some rich pickings no doubt – and these will land in private hands. The taxpayer, as with Northern Rock and others before, will be burdened with whatever’s left.

Across Europe, largely thanks to EU/government supposedly pro-business ‘competition’ rules, postal are services are being ‘modernised’ in this way. Not because there’s less mail to deliver (there’s around a 4% per annum decline at Royal Mail) but, as in other industries, to facilitate a race to the bottom for wages and conditions.

When industry giants such as TNT come in to drive down costs, our postal workers and their customers will pay the price: we will lose our daily mail (unfortunately not THE Daily Mail); postal workers with decent pay and conditions will lose out to hire-and-fire casual labour.

Yet the case for privatisation, for the destruction of services and livelihoods, just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

‘Modernisation’ (a vacuous term rendered even more meaningless through its excessive use by Tony Blair) is already happening. Thousands of jobs have been lost in recent years due to the roll-out of sorting (walk sequencing) machines and extra vans (although many postal workers are still expected to use their own cars and pay their own mileage to carry the Royal Mail!). Even Slash and Burn Postal Services PLC would struggle to find more cuts – and still meet the Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation (USO).

And that’s the crux. The USO is enshrined in law: the Royal Mail MUST deliver mail to every UK address every working day (five for parcels). So how long would that law last when the private lobbyists get to work?

It’s often claimed that Royal Mail needs an ‘injection of capital’ (think banks) to survive and thrive – a live-saving act that can only come from the private sector (think banks).

Really? That’s very generous of them. It could help support the Royal Mail’s supposedly ailing pension scheme.

And where might this ‘injection’ come from? How about New York-based investment company BlackRock? After all, the company already has a stake in Royal Mail pensions – but it also just happens to be one of the largest holders of voting rights on the board of TNT!

Regardless of this conflict of interests, we are told that competition will benefit customers. Yet, evidence from across Europe (where Royal Mail is among the cheapest operators) demonstrates the opposite. If the German and Dutch experiences are anything to go by, we can expect declining standards, increased prices and chaotic competition.

Just like our railways then?

[Lounge Lizard]

"we will lose our daily mail (unfortunately not THE Daily Mail)"

[red 86]

we will be just like rover was all the best parts sold offand whats left will be flush down the toilet.R.I.P ROYAL MAIL

[happyhippo]

take what you can from Royal mail for as little work as possible, its the management motto. I say lets follow there example as this company is now dead and buried all thats left is the last will and testament who gets what time will tell. One thing im sure of is we the workers who put effort into the helping the deceased in life will be entitled to nothing, expect more work for less pay or the door.

[Sharkeyes]

If TNT become the 'new owner', ALL Royal Mail managers will be sacked, All Royal Mail un its will be run into the ground, sold off and eventually 'disposed of'.
WHY?
Quite simply it's modern hostile business. There is no way that the new owner will want bosses from there enemy working for them in the same manner. They will want 'REGIME CHANGE' putting in their own loyal brainwashed well paid career climbing 'yes men!'
They will invest in their own sites ahead of ours, thus running ours into the ground, claiming that they are out dated and run down, a thing of the past. This will be the excuse used to destroy what little of Royal Mail that will be left. Eventually the crown and Queens head WILL disappear altogether when new EU legislation decrees that no postal company can use 'national symbols' only company logo's.
We have witnessed something that people used to be hanged for, shot by firing squad etc.
Yes my friends, our own MP's have committed 'TREASON' by signing awasy another part of our SOVEREIGNTY.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, THIS IS A DECLARATION OF WAR! wAR against the people of the UK, against the Crown, and against our jobs by a faceless regime in Brussels backed by a 'puppet' coalition doing its dirty work.
Time to start going to church my friends, just like 'solidarity' in Communist Poland. We can not sit back and let this happen. fascism thrives when people do nothing! :vcfo

[OnAFlyer]

The USO will be a distant memory within a few years. The ones that are left will be delivering probably 4 days per week, meaning a third of jobs could go.

It would save a fortune and instantly make RM VERY profitable.

[barbario]

If TNT become the new owners, i am taking VR ,and i am off.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If TNT become the new owners, i am taking VR ,and i am off.

If TNT become the new owners I am off before they sign the dotted line. They will make the attacks on out T&Cs over the 10 years look like a storm in a teacup by comparrison, also they will not engender any corporate loyalty from us in fact the reverse is probably true.