Managers take strain as workers continue strikes
ROYAL Mail managers have been taking the strain while workers manned the picket lines.
Workers took part in a 24-hour strike yesterday after talks between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the postal service broke down on Wednesday.
However, to combat the strike, managers were drafted in to Royal Mail's Llansamlet sorting office to drive mail to delivery centres and take care of high-priority and special post.
The CWU called the industrial action — the third 24-hour strike in seven days — in protest at working hours, treatment of staff and the threat of modernisation.
Speaking from the picket line outside the sorting office on Swansea Enterprise Park yesterday, secretary of the CWU's South Wales regional branch, Les Evans said: "It's a last resort for the postal workers who are proud of their jobs and want to continue.
"The strong feeling with members is they have been left in an impossible situation."
One postman, who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions, said: "We are backing the union 100 per cent. What people don't understand is this has a lot to do with our pension fund and the Government has taken £800 million out of the pot.
"They are also not replacing workers when they leave, or 40-hour week workers are leaving and they are being replaced with 30-hour week workers.
"The job has become unrealistic. We enjoy what we do and we're proud to do it — we provide a valuable service, but it's no longer appreciated — my morning round is a seven-mile walk."
Another postman at the picket line in Llansamlet yesterday, said he'd been overwhelmed by public support. "We've had coffee brought to us by other union members, and drivers are honking their horns in support," he said.
Royal Mail has condemned the strikes, and bosses have called on the union to come back to the negotiating table.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "As part of our contingency to keep the mail moving, we have managers working in our operations.
"Some of these managers will be processing mail in our centres serving Wales, in Swansea, Cardiff, Shrewsbury and Chester, and some people will be driving vans. In Swansea Mail Centre, where delivery and collection postmen are also out on strike, managers will be delivering as many Special Delivery and Royal Mail Tracked premium services as possible."
Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail Letters, said Royal Mail was willing to talk for as long as it took to resolve the current dispute and get everyone back to work.
Mr Higson said: "We have repeatedly asked for a common sense approach that allows a strike-free Christmas while we talk about the future, yet even that seems too much for the CWU to accept."
He said: "The central issue remains the CWU's opposition to Royal Mail's essential modernisation plans, without which the company simply does not have a future.
"We know we have a long way to go, but our door is open for further talks and we remain hopeful common sense will prevail."
However, Mr Evans said he was hopeful an agreement could be reached.
"People have families to support and mortgages to pay — they don't want to go on strike," he added.
"We are hopeful we can reach an agreement before taking any more action."
Mr Evans dismissed comparisons between Royal Mail workers and miners, who spent months on strike in the 1970s and 1980s, saying: "I think we've moved on since then."
It was expected businesses would be badly affected by the strikes, however, a DVLA spokesman said its service had been largely unaffected.
He said: "DVLA is closely monitoring the situation to make sure it does all it can to minimise disruption to its customers. The DVLA's electronic services, which include an online and phone service to renew vehicle tax or declare a vehicle off road, help motorists to ensure their vehicle is taxed on time.
"Online applications can also be made for a first provisional driving licence, renew, update, exchange or replace a driving licence. We are working with enforcement bodies to highlight difficulties motorists may face as a result of industrial action."
The strike at the sorting office ended at 4am today. However, workers at sub-offices in Pontardawe and Mumbles were continuing to strike today.
On Saturday, postal workers at delivery centres, including offices near Neath train station, in Eagle Street, Port Talbot and also in Llanelli, Carmarthen and Gorseinon, will go strike from 6am.
Throughout the strike, there will be limited delivery and collection of mail in the majority of Welsh post codes. Priority will be given to special delivery and Royal Mail tracked items. In Swansea, SA1, SA2, SA5 and SA7 will be affected tomorrow. Post Office branches and Parcelforce have been operating as usual.
48 Comments
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by leighton, swansea west
Monday, November 02 2009, 10:23PM
“i think the postmen should have a brass band march through swansea in fav of them, i also think they should strike with full pay and have double the pension rate, iv decided they are very good and we need them, iv also decided that if u people on here dont like it ,then thats just tuff sh i t”
by m.pryce-jones, swansea
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:59PM
“Well placed posts labori make.(etc)
16:14 and john cast-ell nedd.
Just Facts no drivel
In my opinion we should get behind the postmen and stop the privatisation and MAKE DAMDWELL SURE that their pension and others are brought up to date!”
by Labori Makes the World go Round, Fred's Shed
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:17PM
“Saving Ryan's Privates[or is it Pirates].As a Collateral Debt Obligation trader ,or Credit default derivatives trader if you prefer..i WORK ALL HOURS CREATED TO MAXIMISE MY BONUS.
It is your hard earned money and pension funds I'm risking and trade in the certain knowledge that good ol HMG will bail me out when things go wrong or pearshape [extra £30 billion recently announced ].
ROYAL MAIL HAS ONLY A MEASLY £10BILLION BLACK HOLE IN THE PENSION SCHEME AND are just amateur Risk takers and modernisers ,not even in the same league as my patron saint Fred the Shred ..who by the way knew a thing about risky mortgages..Not so sure he knew a lot about Christmas though,unless you count the Boards decision to let him walk away with a £16 million pound personal pension pot ..Hope the divisional director of Couriers scabbing on Royal Mail are queing up for Government support when they find they cannot compete with the Universal Service Obligation to deliver to every home in the UK for the price of a FIRST class stamp..
Well done posties,Well done Leeds bin men,Well done BA stewards and well done us "traders" who only have your finances at heart.!”
by John, castell nedd
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:14PM
“So you¿d like to see firms being allowed to sack anyone who withdrew their labour. Sounds a bit communist China to me. By the way you can use a private mail firm, they charge twice as much as the royal mail.
You are clearly one of these people who believe in the free market. David Cameron was always saying ¿The free market knows best¿. He has now stopped saying this since capitalism virtually collapsed back last year, and had to be bailed out by the various governments around the world.
Sadly in this country we have found out to our misfortune that privatization doesn¿t work. Virtually all of our utility companies are now foreign owned, and we pay some of the highest bills in Europe.
Our car industry(rover) was sold off, and is now no more. Water, gas, electricity all in the hands of our overseas masters. Our railways sold off and still cost us over £6b a year in subsides. Steel industry owned by the Indians. Our coal industry privatised as now virtually gone. BAA now Spanish owned, once it use to pay tax to the UK government. Now it doest, know why?. Because the Spanish borrowed the money to by the company, and now use the profits to pay back the loan, thus no longer paying ant tax”
by SDavies, South Wales
Monday, November 02 2009, 3:59PM
“John - Castell Nedd or should I say, attention seeking troll Castell Nedd.
Privatise the Royal Mail and we would all be complaining would we? I am really beginning to doubt it. For one, a private firm wouldn't tolerate its staff blackmailing the whole country and it wouldn't let its staff get away with such blatant p!ss taking moaning about pay and conditions when they have been getting away with quite simply anything they damn well feel like for years. ... and they know it.”
by John, Castell Nedd
Monday, November 02 2009, 3:06PM
“Ryan now if you¿ve got any sense you will leave this firm that you work for. They don¿t pay a pension because they think their workers are not worth it. What¿s more they will sack anyone who steps out of line. It¿s because of firms like this IE poorer payers, who threaten not to pay at all if targets are not met that we have trade unions today. Our forefathers fought for working conditions for people like you.
Never mind in 2012 this firm you work for will be forced to pay into a pension for you”
by Ryan, Swansea
Monday, November 02 2009, 2:58PM
“John, you were implying that I was a board Director if you remember. I was making it clear that I wasn't, my point about working for a family run business was supposed to intimate that that as it is wholly family owned, there are no external shareholders outside of the family. Though I appreciate you probably need things made very clear to you.
This week John, I am on holiday and back in Swansea to work on my wedding so I doubt you contacting my company will do much good.
Again, you have personally attacked me without knowing me and have yet again failed to address my point.
I'm asking nicely, one more time, please stop the personal attacks when you don't know what you're talking about.”
by John, Castell Nedd
Monday, November 02 2009, 2:42PM
“You haven¿t a clue. Since when do you have to be shareholder to be a director.
You are full of the brown stuff. That¿s why you get treated like a piece of garbage.
Hay and by the way what is the name of the firm you work for I would like to tell them that you spend all of your time chatting on here instead of getting on with your work. You wouldn¿t last 5 minuets as a postman with all your skiving”
by Ryan, Swansea
Monday, November 02 2009, 2:35PM
“Oh God she's back.
I'm a Divisional Director not a board Director, therefore not a shareholder and therefore unable to influence my family run business over their decisions to pay pensions. It is not financially viable for the business to do this.
I take my work and my team seriously and therefore will go the extra mile in tough times.
Therefore, if i go on strike I would get sacked. Not only this, but I would be letting people down.
Stop making presumptions, have a shower and go and do something positive today. Your continuous personal attacks on me for voicing what are widely agreed points are nothng short of annoying.”
by John, Castell Nedd
Monday, November 02 2009, 2:25PM
“Tell me how can a company director go on strike?. You say if you ever dreamt of going on strike you would be sacked. As you are on the board of your company, wouldn¿t you be sacking yourself.
I ask you again why don¿t you as a director pay yourself a pension, you can claim tax back on this. Form your understand my guess is that you¿re the company janitor, forking every hour under the sun for the minimum wage. Probably a tory voter because they let your mum and dad buy their council house.
You clearly are a liar and not a very good one.”