PEC agreed yesterday to make Royal Mail a fresh offer to suspend this week's planned strikes and implement a period of calm until the 16th Jan, subject to a joint statement

[sweepster70]

It’s just a job folks.

Admittedly until recently a half decent one.

My opinion is the 23/24 will finally break many people especially in Network/ Mail Centres..

Why would it break Network drivers. They are probably one of the smallest but strongest within Royal Mail. That's all we see on our picket line, not many indoor staff bother.

[DiamondSmiles]

They are not working, that’s obvious to everyone now surely.

So what's the alternative?

A work to rule is an attractive idea, but would be intolerable for many part-timers who have done full time hours for years. It's also problematic in other ways.

We don't know that strikes aren't working. I'm not convinced myself that the one days strikes amounted to a hill of beans, but the two dayers have caused huge delays.

If we cave in then ST wins. If we don't cave in, maybe he wins anyway. It's not a great situation. The only thing we can really be sure of is that ST will say anything that he feels will help serve his agenda and cannot be trusted to do anything he promises to.

There is no alternative. It's like a broken record listening to the same people say that the strikes aren't working. Of course they are, they're the only thing holding this entire attack, on our job security and terms, back.

[priority102]

There would have been more chance of someone with only one leg winning a backside kicking contest than RM agreeing to all that, and well Dave Ward would have known that when he sent it.

Even if the strikes were called off, it would only be slight damage limitation at best, Christmas will still be written off as a MASSIVE failure, not only from back logs but from both temporary and permanent loss of business, along with so many totally demoralised and stressed out staff obviously only doing the bare minimum instead of working their clogs off like previous years out of personal pride.

Arguably the 3 biggest events of RM's yearly calendar - Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas have been cast aside by the board, so heaven help everyone come January 2nd when even in normal times they turn the thumb screw.

[Trumanity]

final throw of some heavily weighted dice methinks !

I see the CWU Communications Director is earning his money again. Anyone heard of proof reading for typos before submitting letters?

"I would also urge you to stop boasting about you £1.7 billion war chest to take on the
union and instead use that money to invest in our members and a joint growth..."

Amateurs

And of course Mr Thompson knows ....how to... write....properly doesn't he?

I think he is the biggest amateur of the lot.

[Halfhappy]

Yet again continued attacks on Angard workers.

This is the reason why even as union members, they are crossing picket lines and cancelling membership of the CWU. They feel they are being stabbed in the back. The CWU need their support to win this dispute.

Even the Royal Mail contracted Christmas Casuals are being kept on after Christmas.
It is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back trying to convince Angard workers to change their minds and not cross picket lines, but can you blame them?

Again, absolutely false narrative, the option for Angard staff to be made into permanent RM staff is simply not there. What is there is the reduction in permanent staff, whilst continuing to use agency staff, ergo permanent staff being replaced with temporary staff. The agency staff I've seen cross the picket, are none of the usual Angard staff where I am.

[britwrit]

Financially, the big danger for Royal Mail is the three months after Christmas. Businesses won't be forced to use them anymore, and after this disaster, won't be inclined to. So you have what is usually a quiet period turned into a blood-letting.

This is where not delivering the post hits. It made sense - I suppose - on a short-term financial basis. But it's a continuing advertisement day after day that the company is unreliable, going into every home in the country.

[richietns]

There would have been more chance of someone with only one leg winning a backside kicking contest than RM agreeing to all that, and well Dave Ward would have known that when he sent it.

Even if the strikes were called off, it would only be slight damage limitation at best, Christmas will still be written off as a MASSIVE failure, not only from back logs but from both temporary and permanent loss of business, along with so many totally demoralised and stressed out staff obviously only doing the bare minimum instead of working their clogs off like previous years out of personal pride.

Arguably the 3 biggest events of RM's yearly calendar - Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas have been cast aside by the board, so heaven help everyone come January 2nd when even in normal times they turn the thumb screw.

What you trying to say...we shouldn't fight back or are you ANOTHER union hater.

[sindba]

They are not working, that’s obvious to everyone now surely.

So what's the alternative?

A work to rule is an attractive idea, but would be intolerable for many part-timers who have done full time hours for years. It's also problematic in other ways.

We don't know that strikes aren't working. I'm not convinced myself that the one days strikes amounted to a hill of beans, but the two dayers have caused huge delays.

If we cave in then ST wins. If we don't cave in, maybe he wins anyway. It's not a great situation. The only thing we can really be sure of is that ST will say anything that he feels will help serve his agenda and cannot be trusted to do anything he promises to.

There is no alternative. It's like a broken record listening to the same people say that the strikes aren't working. Of course they are, they're the only thing holding this entire attack, on our job security and terms, back.

Spot on.

Ditto all the people saying we've lost once Christmas is over, as if we do nothing the rest of the year. We deliver upwards of 3 million parcels every single day. If the service is continually unreliable due to to strikes, that's a lot of unhappy customers and a lot of growing pressure on RM.

[employee1]

ST and his cronies are trying to devalue the union and ultimately remove it from the workplace and have full control over pay, conditions etc. and generally devalue all of us and our jobs.
People need to see through his scheme... It's not difficult to see.
No point in getting angry at the union. The union support us and our cause and work for the greater good of us all. Remain calm, and be objective.

[LouBarlow]

They are not working, that’s obvious to everyone now surely.

So what's the alternative?

A work to rule is an attractive idea, but would be intolerable for many part-timers who have done full time hours for years. It's also problematic in other ways.

We don't know that strikes aren't working. I'm not convinced myself that the one days strikes amounted to a hill of beans, but the two dayers have caused huge delays.

If we cave in then ST wins. If we don't cave in, maybe he wins anyway. It's not a great situation. The only thing we can really be sure of is that ST will say anything that he feels will help serve his agenda and cannot be trusted to do anything he promises to.

There is no alternative. It's like a broken record listening to the same people say that the strikes aren't working. Of course they are, they're the only thing holding this entire attack, on our job security and terms, back.

They aren’t holding anything back. All these changes will be implemented in the new year through executive action. They were never going to push them through before Christmas.

[priority102]

What you trying to say...we shouldn't fight back or are you ANOTHER union hater.

I will treat that comment with the contempt that it deserves.

I am completely behind the union and workforce, but anyone with half a brain would see that if the board had suddenly agreed to all that it would have been seen as one of the biggest white flags being waived ever. Even IF they had agreed to it - could even you see them sticking to it???? ????

[justanumber]

It’s just a job folks.

Admittedly until recently a half decent one.

My opinion is the 23/24 will finally break many people especially in Network/ Mail Centres..

Why would it break Network drivers. They are probably one of the smallest but strongest within Royal Mail. That's all we see on our picket line, not many indoor staff bother.

[richietns]

What you trying to say...we shouldn't fight back or are you ANOTHER union hater.

I will treat that comment with the contempt that it deserves.

I am completely behind the union and workforce, but anyone with half a brain would see that if the board had suddenly agreed to all that it would have been seen as one of the biggest white flags being waived ever. Even IF they had agreed to it - could even you see them sticking to it???? ????

So you just constantly throw out negative comments to help royalmail with there plans pleased your not a union leader jesus we would of been gone already,we all know thompsons ploughing through its not rocket science.

[richietns]

They are not working, that’s obvious to everyone now surely.

So what's the alternative?

A work to rule is an attractive idea, but would be intolerable for many part-timers who have done full time hours for years. It's also problematic in other ways.

We don't know that strikes aren't working. I'm not convinced myself that the one days strikes amounted to a hill of beans, but the two dayers have caused huge delays.

If we cave in then ST wins. If we don't cave in, maybe he wins anyway. It's not a great situation. The only thing we can really be sure of is that ST will say anything that he feels will help serve his agenda and cannot be trusted to do anything he promises to.

There is no alternative. It's like a broken record listening to the same people say that the strikes aren't working. Of course they are, they're the only thing holding this entire attack, on our job security and terms, back.

They aren’t holding anything back. All these changes will be implemented in the new year through executive action. They were never going to push them through before Christmas.

Should we just sit back and do nothing then.

[YourBoy]

Financially, the big danger for Royal Mail is the three months after Christmas. Businesses won't be forced to use them anymore, and after this disaster, won't be inclined to. So you have what is usually a quiet period turned into a blood-letting.

This is where not delivering the post hits. It made sense - I suppose - on a short-term financial basis. But it's a continuing advertisement day after day that the company is unreliable, going into every home in the country.

Other UK delivery services are in the process of upscaling to absorb Royal Mail's parcel marketshare, which as you say will continue into 2023 and beyond as the strikes continue.

I (my business) stuck with RM throughout first few strikes in October/November but kept receiving emails from my customers along the lines of; "Royal Mail are rubbish, they're always on strike, why does your company keep using them when you are aware of how unreliable they have become?'

So after a number of those emails I decided to surrender to the customer, and we now ship all UK parcels with UPS. It certainly costs the customer more in shipping fees than RM parcels did, but my customers are aware that there's a cost to qaulity ratio in play. As a result, I've not had a single delivery related complaint from a UK customer since transitioning over to UPS.

I can see RM streamlining in coming years (AKA downsizing due to a lesser demand for their services).