Posties face speed-ups
Dec 11 2008 14:09
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7776425.stm
BBC wrote:
Postal workers say the problem centres on a Royal Mail computer system called Pegasus Europe Geo-route, which calculates the optimum post load that can be delivered by staff.But they complain that the pace set is impossible to achieve.
dead labour dominating the living... interestingly i saw this about 5 minutes after re-reading a picket line interview we did with striking posties in brighton in 2007.
Striking Brighton Posties wrote:
There’s also been a gradual increase in the intensity of work, it used to be you could have a brief chat with people at the door when doing your round, now it’s all speed, speed, speed.
the union stitched up that struggle, calling rolling one-day strikes, then calling them off as good will for negotions with bosses who had sworn to break the posties like thatcher broke the miners, isolating wildcats which tired to carry on the struggle, ultimately leading to a vote to accept what was basically an unchanged offer after weeks of demoralising demobilisation and waiting. and waiting. and now here we are today, with workers getting sacked for not keeping up with a machine-set pace.
Dec 11 2008 21:32
#2
gwry wrote:
at the Bromley by Bow mechanised sorting centre, Ghanaians have organised a seperate union, which also recruits black British posties (but not white!)
shit. is that because of perceived racism in the CWU, or are they just a bunch of racists?
Dec 11 2008 21:54
#3
When you say union, do you mean a sort of unofficial workers group? (Because of course a registered union would not be able to discriminate on grounds of race)
Dec 11 2008 23:35
#4
Well, from a collegue of mine who transfered there, and whose background is West Indian, told me last week( confirming what I had heard elsewhere) that they collect dues. This is in my book,is a dangerous development.I am sure that they are not officially recognised, but they serve to divide the work-force. But maybe we should think in American terms now, that this is 19th centuary USA for many who come here, and they need to organize ethnically! We could have a union for Muslims, Africans, Philipinos, Poles and "Whites?" . All united under the banners of the CWU! Yeah right..
Dec 11 2008 23:43
#5
That doesn't sound good... does the CWU have self organised groups? My UNISON branch has self organised groups for black and LGBTQ workers
Dec 12 2008 10:57
#6
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7779070.stm
strike planned for the 18th, although I got an email two days back saying that it would be 24 hours beginning on the 15th.
There is no way we are going to speed up. Posties in my office already run around like idiots. Some even come in early to start preparing their own delivery, in their own time. Another minority, who have deliveries close to the offfice go out during their morning break to deliver 20% or so of their mail. The union tries to tell them to stick to the times on the 318 (job description), but they just ignore what people tell them. The management love them as it enables them to cut more duties (jobs) and give more work to those who remain.The pressure on the job is without a doubt getting worse and worse.The union is fucked, and has less and less credibility amongst the membership. Here in North London 25% of delivery offices have no representation at all, and at the Bromley by Bow mechanised sorting centre, Ghanaians have organised a seperate union, which also recruits black British posties (but not white!).