Comparable market sector pay.

[Smoothbackground]

When I started in 2001 our pay was well over double what the minimum wage was at the time.

Now I expect someone on minimum wage who knows how to fully game the system in terms of "in work" top up benefits and tax credits will have considerably more than a posties take home pay after all deductions.

Tax credits are almost a thing of the past. Most if not all claimants have been migrated to Universal Credit.

It can be a cliff edge for benefit claimants in work. Earn £200 per week and your Universal Credit fully pays your £400pw rent, yet earn £205 per week and your UC pays none! (These figures are just plucked from the air as I don’t know the precise current earnings threshold or how it tapers.)

What is your point here? You seem to be earning waaaay over the threshold according to some of your posts.

I am currently earning waaaay over the threshold.

My point? Life events can place any one of us — you and me both included — in the humbling experience of living hand to mouth and existing on Universal Credit. People who manage to half pull themselves out of it and find a job shouldn’t be labelled as “gaming the system”.

Try telling that to someone who is struggling daily on £12.24ph in a delivery office smart guy.
Every single new start at my DO is working 2 or 3 jobs to make up the money. £300 odds p/w is not a survivable wage.

Two or three jobs? Really?? It may be that my own contract is an anomaly in including it, but I had thought Royal Mail new-style contracts prohibited the taking of a second job, let alone a third, without written permission from the company. And why aren’t these new starter colleagues of yours looking to go full time with these second or third imaginary jobs that pay so much more than RM?

[Smoothbackground]

Would LOVE to know why you are so PRO-ROYAL MAIL, other than the reason of having a cushy London wage, well liked job?

Because like you — someone who left the job, only to return a short time later, realising very quickly that the grass ain’t no greener on the other side — I know a good thing when I see it. Oh, I’m not in London btw.

[Smoothbackground]

Would LOVE to know why you are so PRO-ROYAL MAIL, other than the reason of having a cushy London wage, well liked job?

Because like you — someone who left the job, only to return a short time later, realising very quickly that the grass ain’t no greener on the other side — I know a good thing when I see it. Oh, I’m not in London btw.

the grass is always greener when it comes to employment

Always greener? Why did you come back then? Do feel free to clear off asap!

[Barnacle]

Quite a few at ours do another two jobs, usually food delivery and taxi work on a night. If you need the money, you need the money.

[LouBarlow]

Maybe companies paying minimum wage should be made to pay their workers more instead of relying on people needing to game the system to survive and feed their families at taxpayer expense?

I feel like you are blaming the wrong people here.

Many corporations and businesses receive state assistance this way, including Amazon, which contributes relatively little in UK taxes compared to its earnings.

I've long believed that a more equitable tax system would involve imposing a uniform basic rate on everyone—individuals, businesses, and organizations alike—while eliminating all loopholes. This approach would simplify administration and potentially increase government revenue if set at the right level. The only downside might be that tax accountants could find themselves out of work.

Or just force the biggest companies in the world to pay their workers more, so they don’t need tax-payers money to subsidise their earnings. Working poor are the biggest drain on the welfare state, disregarding pensioners obviously, not the work-shy or those gaming the system.

[Smoothbackground]

Would LOVE to know why you are so PRO-ROYAL MAIL, other than the reason of having a cushy London wage, well liked job?

Because like you — someone who left the job, only to return a short time later, realising very quickly that the grass ain’t no greener on the other side — I know a good thing when I see it. Oh, I’m not in London btw.

What is your hourly rate again? Still Weighting...

I'll weight...

Well, you do profess to be a “big guy” so it does kinda figure that you’d be big on the weighting aspect

[Mike G]

When I started in 2001 our pay was well over double what the minimum wage was at the time.

Now I expect someone on minimum wage who knows how to fully game the system in terms of "in work" top up benefits and tax credits will have considerably more than a posties take home pay after all deductions.

Maybe companies paying minimum wage should be made to pay their workers more instead of relying on people needing to game the system to survive and feed their families at taxpayer expense?

I feel like you are blaming the wrong people here.

Of course people are gaming the system and choosing to work minimal part time hours in order to receive optimum in work benefits... that's after choosing to have kids they can't afford in the first place.

In fact I had colleagues in RM earning above minimum wage who insisted on staying part time even though permanent full time contracts plus guaranteed overtime (SA) was available to them, because they were better off claiming TC/UC

[Smoothbackground]

Well, you do profess to be a “big guy” so it does kinda figure that you’d be big on the weighting aspect

Can you explain what this statement is supposed to mean please?

You’ve made repeated unsolicited posts which reference me and which say things like “Still weighting to hear?” and referring to me as a “big guy” — even though I’m a petite middle-aged woman. In my witty response I’m similarly playing with words — I think they call them puns.

[LouBarlow]

Well, you do profess to be a “big guy” so it does kinda figure that you’d be big on the weighting aspect

Can you explain what this statement is supposed to mean please?

You’ve made repeated unsolicited posts which reference me and which say things like “Still weighting to hear?” and referring to me as a “big guy” — even though I’m a petite middle-aged woman. In my witty response I’m similarly playing with words — I think they call them puns.

Ignore him. He has nothing in his life so has to rejoin a forum he was banned from to continue to obsess over a job he doesn’t even do any more. It is pathetic.

[norris9]

Probably early days, but when do they start discussing the next wage increase? March?

do we typically get a 2% pay rise each year? excluding the strike deal.

[LouBarlow]

Ignore him. He has nothing in his life so has to rejoin a forum he was banned from to continue to obsess over a job he doesn’t even do any more. It is pathetic.

I'm not sure why you keep accusing me of being some other member of this forum but it's a bit ridiculous to be honest.

Sorry CarryingMGMT. I’m not accusing you of being a member. You are a banned member so sad as to rejoin a forum that doesn’t want you here.

[Smoothbackground]

Ignore him. He has nothing in his life so has to rejoin a forum he was banned from to continue to obsess over a job he doesn’t even do any more. It is pathetic.

I'm not sure why you keep accusing me of being some other member of this forum but it's a bit ridiculous to be honest.

It can’t be that ridiculous as I think exactly the same thing.

[Smoothbackground]

Ignore him. He has nothing in his life so has to rejoin a forum he was banned from to continue to obsess over a job he doesn’t even do any more. It is pathetic.

I'm not sure why you keep accusing me of being some other member of this forum but it's a bit ridiculous to be honest.

It can’t be that ridiculous as I think exactly the same thing.

It wouldn't surprise me if you were both the same person.

I think that was also a suggestion you made when posting under your CarryingMgt alter-ego! I could identify the very many similarities of syntax, sentence construction, greengrocer apostrophes, use of emoticons etc which lead me to the conclusion you were previously registered as CarryingMgt, but it would be futile and a needless waste of my time as it is no part of my role to be policing forum members — that is for the admin and mods.

[LouBarlow]

Ignore him. He has nothing in his life so has to rejoin a forum he was banned from to continue to obsess over a job he doesn’t even do any more. It is pathetic.

I'm not sure why you keep accusing me of being some other member of this forum but it's a bit ridiculous to be honest.

It can’t be that ridiculous as I think exactly the same thing.

It wouldn't surprise me if you were both the same person.

I think that was also a suggestion you made when posting under your CarryingMgt alter-ego! I could identify the very many similarities of syntax, sentence construction, greengrocer apostrophes, use of emoticons etc which lead me to the conclusion you were previously registered as CarryingMgt, but it would be futile and a needless waste of my time as it is no part of my role to be policing forum members — that is for the admin and mods.

Utterly bizarré

Yes you very much are. It was obvious from your very first post. As mentioned above, your posting style is identical and you are even naive enough as to instantly target the same people you were banned for stalking before. When you come back (yet) again after your alter-ego is banned, be more subtle about it, don’t instantly post in the same manner as led to your previous banning. Take time before resuming your creepy obsessions.

[SMS1969]

Probably early days, but when do they start discussing the next wage increase? March?

do we typically get a 2% pay rise each year? excluding the strike deal.

Next increase is due in April, I expect them to give us no more than 2% as this is the inflation figure at the moment, you know, just like they did last time, when it was 11%, oh, hang on a minute
Ts&cs will no doubt be attacked again.