Postal Strike

[smurfchops]

Is it over??

[goodgoalie]

Not resolved yet, but I don't think there are any more strikes planned at the moment.
Still a huge backlog of mail to sort out, though.

[rockyracoon]

Not as yet, but they are to ballot for another round, I believe.

[rowanwitch]

All they are doing is driving people to other carriers, or other methods of communicating. In the end the only people who will use royal mail will be old people and small business on places like eBay and etsy who can't negotiate good deals.

[Hopkirk]

The union is doing for its members what car factory unions did for British Leyland workers in the 70s.

[237SJ]

I would still rather use Royal Mail than a lot of other companies. Every single day there are people on facebook looking for their parcels that have been mis-delivered by Evri. In some villages with just house names, the postie is the only person who knows how to find the right address - courier companies just dump the parcel on the wrong doorstep and drive off.

[Gromit]

rowanwitch
// All they are doing is driving people to other carriers //

I want to send a birthday card from Land's End to John o' Groats. Royal Mail will charge me 68p. Please tell me which carriers can compete with that, and how much they charge.

[Tilly2]

My postlady says she's exhausted from having to deliver the backlog.

[bobbinwales]

gromit of course noone can compete with that but that represents a fraction of deliverys, and anyway were talking parcels.... but now you mention it the problems this year have convinced me to break the habbit of sending christmas cards in future

[bobbinwales]

Am pretty sure Royal mail post will fall alot next year Gromit and the price will go up quite alot I reckon to make up for lost revenue and higher wages/overtime.

[rowanwitch]

I also said other methods.Have you heard of E cards, I can send as many as I like for about £5 per year and I also said only old people will want to use royal mail.

[237SJ]

So when you are waiting for the results of medical tests, property exchange contracts, legal documents via Royal Mail you are old?

[douglas9401]

Some say that economy of scale trumps shiny yellow vans from the German P.O. or those Prime movers and the like who all talk a good game but in reality are minnows.

Lose the Royal Mail and you won't believe what the rest will charge once they hold the keys to the kingdom.

The unions though, that's another story, one of communists in Armani suits egging on the gullible and encouraging the lazy and feckless.
Let's face it, we've all met a postie who doesn't give a feck.

[Tilly2]

I haven't, Douglas.

[douglas9401]

Apologies Tilly, your name was missing from my pre-post survey.

I'll have a word with admin.

[Gromit]

bobbinwales

Royal Mail’s profits will undoubtedly fall but not because of strikes. They had a very good pandemic, leading to huge profits last year.

Last year Royal Mail reported a net profits of £620 million British pounds. This was a 285.09% increase in income compared to 2020 when the company generated profits worth £161 million. Its year-on-year revenue growth was also 16.59% from £10.84 billion to £12.64 Billion in 2021.

[tomus42]

When it is over I hope they tell us, otherwise it will be hard to know.

[Khandro]

I've got about 20 C4 brown envelopes each containing an A4 size catalogue stamped & addressed ready to post to people in the UK, but what I read on here makes me think (as there is no great urgency) it would be better to wait a while before posting them into the system.
Is that right ?

[Gromit]

Khandro,
Get them into the system ASAP. Delaying will just put you at the back of the queue (if there is one).

[jourdain2]

I have a small packet ready to post tomorrow - a present and card for my sister's birthday. She lives about 70 miles away. The postage will be good value - if it goes and if it gets there on time.

The family have already started discussing how to manage without Royal Mail. So far we have come up with meeting twice a year (probably in York, which is about midway), having a meal and a day out and swapping gifts and cards for the next 6 months/year.

Appointments,hospital letters, traffic fines etc. are another kettle of fish. These depend on a reliable service.

[gulliver1]

....."The sooner the Better" ,,,"Deliver the Letter"