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War of words amid postal strike


khay
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The Royal Mail has accused the Communication Workers' Union of talking "cobblers" as a 48-hour strike hits mail services.

The war of words flared as Royal Mail boss Adam Crozier rubbished the main postal workers' union's suggestion that the firm treats its staff as "slaves".

 

Talking to BBC Radio 4 Today's show, Mr Crozier said the Royal Mail expected its workers to work their paid hours.

 

The row came as up to 130,000 CWU members strike over pay and pensions.

 

Postal workers began the 48-hour strike early on Monday after eight days of talks between the Royal Mail and CWU union officials ended without an agreement.

 

I am very disappointed that this phase of intensive talks has not resolved the dispute when real progress has been made

 

Brendan Barber

TUC

 

'Flexibility at stake'

 

"Flexibility is the main issue at stake," Mr Crozier told the BBC.

 

Earlier, the CWU had said that some of its members would come to work at 6am, do a full day's work and at the end a manager could arbitrarily say whether they had worked hard enough for them to go home.

 

"I call that slavery," said Dave Ward, CWU General Secretary.

 

But Mr Crozier denied this kind of working practice ever happened.

 

He added: "We are simply asking people to work the 37 hours and 20 minutes they are getting paid to work and if they have to work longer, then of course they get paid overtime.

 

"For the union to say they can't accept that is frankly not a tenable position."

 

'Continuous disruption'

 

Meanwhile, the CWU said a further week of "continuous disruption" to all services would begin next Monday if the dispute was not resolved.

 

The latest 48-hour strike means households and businesses face another week of little or no mail with a warning of severe disruption during the strike and for some time after.

 

HAVE YOUR SAY

I appreciate they do a lot of work but the strike could lead to more job losses

 

Kim Wood, Macclesfield

 

 

Send us your comments

 

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, who chaired the negotiations, said he would be keeping in close touch with both parties to "continue to seek to find a way forward".

 

"I am very disappointed that this phase of intensive talks has not resolved the dispute when real progress has been made and we have been edging towards an agreement," he added.

 

On Monday night, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) said additional action would start next Monday when mail centre and airport staff would go on strike.

 

Action would also be taken by delivery staff and other employees later in the week, the CWU added.

 

Differences remain

 

Royal Mail management and the CWU are at loggerheads over plans to cut workers pension benefits in exchange for a 6.9% pay increase over two years.

 

"Royal Mail's proposals also include flexibility proposals that mean, among other things, that postal workers will not know what job they are doing from one day to the next," a union spokesman said.

 

The union has refused to accept these conditions, while Royal Mail described union demands as "unrealistic".

 

Business groups have warned that the walkouts are causing immense disruption to the economy with reports suggesting the stoppages could cost the firm up to £260m.

 

It is feared that costs will rise over the longer term as customers switch to other postal suppliers and electronic forms of communication.

 

CWU members also staged a 48-hour walkout last week in a row with the Royal Mail over the firm's modernisation's strategy.

 

Royal Mail argues that reform of the business is vital to ensure it can compete effectively in a fully liberalised market but unions say the proposals will cost 40,000 jobs.

 

 

:razz:

Edited by khay
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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :razz:

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :razz:

 

You can either sell a guitar or your arse.....the choice is yours my friend.

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

You can either sell a guitar or your arse.....the choice is yours my friend.

 

Hmm :razz:

 

Tough...

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :razz:

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

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One thing I will say is the Royal Mail is better than any of the other companies used by people who sell stuff on the web. At least the former will have a collection depot within 30 miles of your house.

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

 

Yeh i know.

 

Im just saying they've made it worse :D

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

 

Yeh i know.

 

Im just saying they've made it worse :D

Have you looked under the door mat?

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

 

Yeh i know.

 

Im just saying they've made it worse :D

Have you looked under the door mat?

 

The Loan website isnt working now :D

 

They reckon its over crowded because of...

 

drum roll please...

 

 

 

THE FUCKING POST STRIKE :D

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:razz:

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

 

Yeh i know.

 

Im just saying they've made it worse :D

Have you looked under the door mat?

 

The Loan website isnt working now B)

 

They reckon its over crowded because of...

 

drum roll please...

 

 

 

THE FUCKING POST STRIKE :D

 

 

ANOTHER fucking excuse for my girlfriend tonight then....... :D

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I can understand the reasons behind the strike, it's the fucking knock on effects of the striking that really fuck me off. I know that's the point, but ultimately though you can't blame people for being fucked off about thier mail not arriving. Especially if it's important. People all over the place are waiting on important documents, from legal to financial to anything. Not receiving these on time, or indeed after what happened to me last time, never actually receiving them, can have serious knock on effects. Some companies or banks are sympathetic of that, some arent.

 

It's whos door the blames put at that causes all the shit.

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Fucking wankers.

 

I need a letter from the student loan people to sign and send back so i get my loan,

 

the fuckers about three weeks late anyway (the loan)

 

and the letters fairly late too! Looks like im going to be skint for a while :D

 

Aye because guys who have paid into a pension, all the years they have worked which they were meant to get at 60 now only to be told sorry mate we are not paying up until you know hit 65, should really give two fucks that a student wants his beer tokens..

 

:D

 

Food/Beer/Existence tokens tbf,

 

Tokens that are nearly a month late as it is.

 

I never implied they should give a fuck....

Well, they've only been on strike since Friday.

 

Yeh i know.

 

Im just saying they've made it worse :D

Have you looked under the door mat?

 

The Loan website isnt working now B)

 

They reckon its over crowded because of...

 

drum roll please...

 

 

 

THE FUCKING POST STRIKE :D

 

So its the postmens fault now that the loan website has a shitty server... :razz:

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The pay is sorted, the pension malarky is sad if true but not fixable by a strike.

 

At the end of the day, they are fucking the whole country up over not being able to go home when their bag is empty, not when their paid time is up.

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Whilst they are trying to look after their own jobs etc they are actually also fighting to retain a level of service. People constantly bitch and whine about getting their mail later well if the top dogs have it their way it you won't be getting it until late morning/afternoon. As well as later deliveries they are cutting jobs, reducing collections and i think its around 2500 closures of post offices. The CWU are not only fighting to look after peoples pay or for pay increases but to also maintain a standard.

 

Yes it can be argued that striking is not the way forward but if it doesn't get challenged many out there who are complaining about the level of service they are currently getting are going to get one hell of a surprise as the standard is only going to get worse.

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Whilst they are trying to look after their own jobs etc they are actually also fighting to retain a level of service. People constantly bitch and whine about getting their mail later well if the top dogs have it their way it you won't be getting it until late morning/afternoon. As well as later deliveries they are cutting jobs, reducing collections and i think its around 2500 closures of post offices. The CWU are not only fighting to look after peoples pay or for pay increases but to also maintain a standard.

 

Yes it can be argued that striking is not the way forward but if it doesn't get challenged many out there who are complaining about the level of service they are currently getting are going to get one hell of a surprise as the standard is only going to get worse.

 

 

Well, I for one think they're a bit late if they are claiming to protect service. I don't think anyone really cares after the point was crossed that you didn't get your mail until after leaving for work. All of which was agreed by the union. As for closing post offices, I don't think anyone can argue they are shutting profitable offices, that argument has been done to death I think, and won't be changed by striking either.

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My post arrives around 2 pm normally. This means I always have to pick up parcels, like everyone else, on a Saturday morning. The queue often has more than 30 people in it and I have waited for 40 minutes in it in the past. There are two miserable blokes itching to slam the window shut at 1pm no matter how long you have been queuing.

 

And what's more, upon 'attempted' delivery the postperson gives you the time it takes for them to scribble illegibly on the card before moving on, if the bell goes on saturday I am sprinting to the door, beer and ball sack flying about aal awar.

 

sack them all and bring in the army I say, wasted in Iraq.

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On more than one occasion, on having a weekday off, I have seen the bloke get out the van without the parcel, card ready in hand. He puts it through my box, no knocking or anything.

 

What's that all about?

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