UK: Do you feel the Postal Workers are actually going to achieve anything?

Question

Stike action again!

My husband was a postal worker for 13 years so I feel have some authority on this. He too was caught up in the strike action and was pressured into striking against his will, (for fear of repurcussions), he left, and still it goes on....

It is crippling small businesses, important post is not reaching people on deadlines, people who have used special or recorded delivery have wasted their money, and when they return to work they are only going to have to clear up the devastation they have caused.

Strike action achieves nothing and I fear will only split the countries support and turn a large majority of us against the workers.

Duirmurd: For the record, I am a qualified nurse and was a senior staff nurse for 12 years. I NEVER once agreed with strike action. I purposely joined the RCN as they were against strike action, and as I stated my husband was a post man through this period so there is no need to lecture me on living on a low wage and poor, ever changing conditions.

My brother offered for me to go into the property development business and decorate houses for him for double the wage. I of course chose the option to work for him. Not everyone has that much luck so you have to seize it.

Answer 1

Hello Pip,

A strike by public sector workers, especially postal workers always achieves something.

They disrupt the daily lives of small businesses and the public, as you have already said.

People who need their payments regularly. IE the unemployed, sick, pensioners etc could find their payments delayed or not placed in their bank accounts on the due date, thereby causing them hardship.

Children whose birthday it is don't get their birthday cards delivered on their birthday

Those of us (the public) who have done nothing to deserve such treatment are always the ones to suffer.

I have no doubt that those on strike will make a killing too. They may lose a couple of days pay, but when they go back they will make that up and a lot more besides in overtime to clear the backlog.

They should be thankful they have a job. Their hours are not as bad as the NHS sector and I would not mind betting that their wages are on a par, if not better than NHS staff.

I personally have no time for any worker who holds a whole nation and the public to ransom for their own ends when it is not the publics fault.

Poseidon

Answer 2

At the end of the day I do not think the strikes will achieve anything favourable for the workers but unless workers make a stand (as a last resort) then incompetent management will ride rough shod over the workers time and time again. The Post Office has been complacent in the past thinking they had a monopoly on the postal service and this attitude has finally caught up with them. Of course it is the workers fault-it is always the workers fault-surely management cannot be to blame! It was the evil Maggie Thatcher who endorsed the principle that management is always right and that workers should just be thankful for having a job irrespective of working conditions and rates of pay. She more or less told workers if you do not like it go elsewhere because there were many other people waiting to jump into their jobs. She knew this as she created a huge employment base. The trouble with this country is that they reward incompetent management with golden handshakes and reward hard working employees with the dole. When job losses come about it is the workers who lose their jobs not the hierarchy. Sometimes people have to make a stand no matter what the outcome.

Answer 3

The postal workers' strike will achieve nothing for the members of the Communication Workers Union who are now on strike.

Companies who rely upon Royal Mail to deliver their goods to customers, will simply switch to alternative methods of delivery. Royal Mail is not alone in the field of delivery of goods etc to customers.

Either RM modernise, which means closing down old and out of date sorting offices etc or it will go under and before you know it there will no longer be any Royal Mail.

I sometimes think that some Unions are still living in the past and think they can just shove us around. Well, we're not having it. There is an election in the offing, maybe not until the Spring, but people do have very long memories in UK and they might be persuaded to vote Tory in quite large numbers, especially if the Conservatives will guarantee to do something positive about annoying strikes.

Answer 4

Yes, they will and they do have the right to go on strike. They are fighting for pay and conditions to be maintained not eroded. One day it will be yr job under threat and I assume then that you have not joined a union and obviously you will be very vulnerable to the whims and wishes of your employers.
Well I reckon RM's about the cheapest service going that delivers to all parts of the United Kingdom. Not all companies will or r going to do that. Private companies will not deliver for the same price letters etc to all parts of the UK. Thats just for starters. RM hierachy want to "modernise" the service meaning that the public will not get quite such a good service and will pay more as well. Whilst they pay themselves big bonuses.
I have been speaking to and know a lot of
Posties and its not just about basic wages, but pension is a big issue. Also the middle managers are not happy about the pension issue either and they may come out on strike as well.

And as for employment of foreigners, to try and provide a cheaper service, that has happened a lot on RM already and so perhaps thats why letters and parcels go adrift because they cannot read the language properly and also they do not know the areas as a local postie would.

Answer 5

they might achieve something, but is it right and is it fair if they do? lots and lots of workers in the UK earn less for doing more hours. do they go on strike? The postal workers know they can hold the country to ransom and that's why they strike. Their 24 hr strikes didn't really bother anyone so now they are stepping things up a bit purely to increase the disruption to the public. I think the longer this goes on the less public sympathy they will get.

Answer 6

I'm waiting for hospital appointments to come through the post.My husband needs to book time off work in order to go with me.I'm expecting to get called into hospital anytime for a small op, and people in work with my hubby are booking time off leading up to Christmas.It could get very awkward if nobody is willing to swap holidays.This postal strike has a huge knock on effect and I think that the public will have little sympathy for postal staff when important letters and parcels aren't received in time.We are still paying the same amount of postage, yet the service is being messed with.If you're not happy with your work/pay, you look for another job.And in my experience, it's easier to get another job if you are already employed.

Answer 7

Its not just about Postal Workers alone its about Public workers in general are having dire working practices imposed on them, face huge job losses, and are under a practical pay freeze. In the comming months many workers in the public sector could well be saying "we have had enough" and taking some form of Industrial action. In the longer term, this country is heading for real social incohesion as the divide between the haves and the have nots ever increases.

Answer 8

I am not behind Royal Mail at all. They are only going to end up doing themselves harm. We need a good competitor out there who can compete for Royal Mail's business then you'd see people turning to the new "stable" company.

Remember British Telecom used to have the telcom monopoly - look at how many providers there are out there now and BT have had to totally slash their charges due to it - the same will eventually happen to Royal Mail in the not too distant future I hope!!

Answer 9

If the union do nothing as you are suggesting,then soon or later we will not have a national postal service and thanks to Mrs. Thatcher we will have a privatised everything ,which we have to pay for even more, and the a work force who are being paid peanuts by the rich bosses, who are getting richer everyday. As one said if the good people sit aside and do nothing the evil will grow and grow.

Answer 10

I cannot claim to know their whole story, but if they carry on striking they will cripple their business. If that happens, the postal service will be fully deregulated other businesses will step in. Then the strikers will have no jobs.