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uk postal workers strike - an insider's view.
I joined Royal Mail 18 months ago as a postman, and i have enjoy the job - i would consider myself customer focused, organised and efficient. (although these are not skills measured by royal mail since its an industrial job, not a profession).
Im fed up with the newspapers, media and ignorant, ill-informed customers telling me what they believe to be true. I dont find it offensive if someone tells me that they think postmen are lazy people who want loads of money for doing no work, since thats what some of them are like. I just find it irritating that they don't read the WHOLE story before starting a discussion with me about my job. At the moment if you send something 1st class, 93% of the time it WILL arrive the next day. If there is a local strike, it will arrive the day after. I sell loads on ebay and i am getting a reliable service. The pictures you see in the media of 'backlog' could be any typical day in a delivery centre, just a bit more messy. I wish that the media would just take things in context and proportion. Royal Mail (some ignorant people refer to this as 'the post office' - it is not, that is a different business altogether) have had a tough time in the past 5 years:
A lot of people will assume that a postman goes in at 5am, sorts mail and it finished before mid-day. However Because of the times that it reaches the mail centres now, a typical day for the 60% of full time staff starts at 6am. Here is a typical day:
Royal Mail have spent the past 5 years 'modernising' the service. This has meant to a more efficient delivering system which has delivered massive savings and profit. For a typical postie, it has meant heavier (or more) bags (more parcels + magazines), longer working times and messy management of sickness and absence. When posties complain of 'Unfair Workload' they refer to the fact that the workload is not spread evenly accross the delivery office. If i have a really bad day with lots of parcels and catlogues etc, its tough luck - other people can go home early but you still have to deliver you duty in full. For a typical customer is has meant getting you post between 10am and 3pm (and not 7am - 11am as i remember in the old days), more red cards telling you that you were not in when we tried to deliver your parcel because for security and data protection we cannot leave ANYTHING on the doorstep (which i totally agree with) and more mistakes because part time staff do not get to prepare the duty they are delivering, which often leads to mis-sorted post. The changes royal mail are proposing involve LATER start times for Full Time staff, absorbing overtime work into your work day for no payment (so if you complete early, you still have to work until finish time - i totall agree with this too). It means for cutomers an even later deliver time which will be unacceptable for some businesses (11am - 4pm). Personally, i agree that there needs to be massive change however the union (CWU) and the 'management' have no cohesive dialogue, and Royal Mail WILL enforce the change they need to make a profit, with or without union engagement. I don't like the thought of posties having to start delivery of 11am, because i would really love to see a much ealier start return to the system. But i have no business argument - only word of mouth from customers, and of course my own personal view that it would be better for morale. However, ultimately to make a profit this is the model they need to create. Its a sad time for the postal service in the UK, it will be destroyed as we know it if the changes are made - there needs to be some compromise somewhere. For the time being, i will continue to do the best job i can do to keep customers happy. After all, its a service to be proud in - i am confident if you sent a letter with a 39p stamp from bristol to dundee, it would arrive the very next day. Last edited by Mike; 10-18-2009 at 04:42 AM. |
#2
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Re: uk postal workers strike - an insider's view.
If it makes any difference Michael, I love the USPS in America. Never had a problem with them mailing my stuff.
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