Why do you think the unions are unhappy?
They are representing workers in an industry in decline where the only answer is less jobs for their representatives...
You didn’t pay over the odds – you paid for a face to face service to get the correct postage etc
£4.85 online via the RM website. £8.95 (ish) from the PO.
Took about 30seconds.
So no, I didn't pay extra for to get the correct postage, I already knew what it was. But the RM website was an utter horror show. I hope the PO make the difference.
‘Uncooperative unions’. You know that the union’s job is to represent its members, don’t you?
Absolutely, it's a shame a lot of unions don't get this. In this scenario looking after their members means making sure there is a sustainable business there for those that continue to have jobs, ensuring working conditions and are reasonable. For those that are going to inevitably lose their jobs the unions role is their to make sure it's done legally and preferably with as much support an compassion as possible. That may mean enhanced payouts, extended notice periods, support with retraining and searching for new roles.
Not accepting the inevitable only accelerates what's coming and making it a lot harder. Did the union movement learn nothing from Scargill's destructive rampage in the 80s. Mining was going to die anyway, the UK was not very efficient either. Mining communities were ripped apart and pits closed a lot sooner than they may have done otherwise robbing the communities of the time to adjust to new realities. He played the big man, took Thatcher on and lost, or at least the people he represented did. The postal workers are in a similar position although instead of arguing with a PM they are denying the realities of the business landscape they have even less control over. Accelerating the destruction of their industry is not looking out for the members interests.
The bit Im struggling with is if the RM made such a big loss that they need to make redundancies how come they were able to give the shareholders £400m in dividends and the CEO a £140k bonus for delivering such appalling results. I presume in RM / Government circles thats the unions fault too
such a big loss that they need to make redundancies how come they were able to give the shareholders £400m
Cos that's how business works, no shareholders, no business (and incidental all our pensions). Even if the business isn't making a loss it wouldn't keep on people it doesn't need, if the investment and automation has removed jobs you don't keep paying the people you don't need, it's not a job creation scheme.
As for the CEO, they must have hit what ever targets they were given and the shareholders must be happy with what they or doing otherwise they'd be replaced.
For a number of jobs…. yes. It’s more efficient, cheaper (and we all want stuff to be cheaper) and better quality.
Please give examples.
Some are – I always do – you’re not forced to do it.
But why wait in a queue of people with trolleys just to buy 4 things? There aren’t any petrol pump attendants any more – are you complaining about that also?
My local Sainsbury's have moved to all self service tills except the cigarette counter, where it's 5 items or less. So if you have a trolley full, you have to stand in line anyway. Not all the SS tills work, they are frequently out of order. Queues are now much longer than before. Any problems, and there's just one member of staff having to deal with all customers. We had to wait nearly 10 minutes on our last visit, because that staff member was having to deal with several other customers with issues, and all we needed was for her to verify our alcohol purchases. You have to place every single item on a bagging area (which I presume checks weight), and can't start actually bagging anything up until all items have been scanned. So what used to be a 10 minute wait max, from joining the queue for a till to walking out will all purchases bagged up, actually took around 25 minutes. Please explain how that's 'more efficient'. Also; please explain how this system helps those who are sight impaired, have learning difficulties or just can't use the technology.
They kinda have. What’s happened is that the cost savings/efficiencies have allowed prices to be kept down.
There will be savings, but there will also be costs incurred for the self-checkout facilities. Overall it will save money (see above) and make the experience better for those that want to use it.
Any savings will be dwarfed by price rises in energy and food costs.
Plus, as all supermarkets (or most of the big ones) are doing the same, any cost savings are taken up keeping prices down to compete.
But prices are actually rising. And the experience for customers is generally worse. I can't imagine what it's like for staff, but thankfully I am lucky enough not to have to work there.
But for those apologists of tory policy/anti-unionists, there's something you seem to be unaware of/have ignored, and that is the impact to our society. So if people lose their jobs, how will they pay their mortgages, feed their families etc? How will they buy goods in order for the economy to keep moving? If increasing numbers of people become unemployed and reliant on benefits, who foots that bill? Where does that money come from? Shareholders?
Cost of everything; value of nothing...
Did the union movement learn nothing from Scargill’s destructive rampage in the 80s... He played the big man, took Thatcher on and lost, or at least the people he represented did... Accelerating the destruction of their industry is not looking out for the members interests.
It's an amusing viewpoint. Revisionist bollocks lifted straight from tory propaganda, but amusing nonetheless. So Scargill was to blame for the destruction of many mining communities, rather than Thatcher's ideological hatred of working classes and in particular Labour voters (plus her desire to help further enrich the already wealthy ruling elites) ? So unions are to blame for the decline of industries, rather than the exploitation of cheap foreign resources and labour (in countries with often appalling human rights records)? How funny.
You were joking, right?
The solution to poorly performing public entities is not privatisation, it’s running them properly.
Amen.
RM have told the CWU today during long overdue talks that it will be taking new entrants in on 20% less conditions and will be using owner drivers.
