Postal Strike

[TEAK36]

I just wanted to get peoples opinions on todays Postal Strike.

Do you agree that Postal Workers grievances justify striking?
I agree with the strike, but I think the workers are being unrealistic with their demands.

Whilst I agree that the basic wage of a Postal Worker is too low, a 27% increase over 5 years is completely unrealistic. I know the 27% is to bring them up to the national average, but in reality how many people do actually earn the national average (i think it is around �25k per year).
Also (and I am probably going to get hammered for this), as technology moves forward, why shouldnt RM modernise their equipment? I know it will cost jobs, but we will end up with no RM at all if things carry on as they are.

[MrBen5]

Hmmm, i dont believe in any form of strike. It ruins this country.
All this average wage rubbish is just figures.
One person could be on 500k per year and 3 others only 5k.
With 4 people working that would make the average wage 129k.
I think postmen are paid ample enough for what they do. It shouldnt matter what the 'average' wage is.
For all those that disagree, i hope you dont mind paying extra to post things in the future...

[Loosehead]

Regardless of whether it's justified, I just can't see what a one day strike is going to achieve for them. They all lose a days wages and we hardly notice big deal. Now I'm not saying I agree with their cause but if they want to get noticed they should strike indefinately.

[IggyB]

i think striking at a time when the royal mail is losing business is a foolish move to make - customers will lose faith even more and use other postal services for their parcels etc.

Additionally a strike to stop bosses increasing technology and reducing workforce just emphasises why the royal mail will want to achieve this

[Gromit]

They must be kicking themselves they didn't pick a nice day for it.

[kwicky]

I would sack all the strikers and employ just causal workers on the minimum wage. With now just 1 delivery a day the round could be finished within a few hours. Then lower the price of the stamp.

[anotheoldgit]

To read the posts for this question makes me convinced we now live in a ' I'm alright Jack ' society, I would have thought with all the left-wingers that post on this site, there would be some to support the Working Man.

To follow kwicky's advice to just employ casual workers on the minimum wage, does he or she think their mail would be delivered in just a few hours? Most of it would be dumped in a skip and the casual worker back in the pub, bookies or even back on the sofa in front of the telly.

But a better idea, why not ship workers in from the third world, perhaps they would do the job for a bowl of rice, and it would save them getting their feet wet in Morecambe Bay.

[1rovert]

Some strikes may be right (Safety reasons). I would like to point out to the strikers, that while they are having unpaid days off, the union leaders, and Managers are still being paid, so there is no need for them to negotiate too hard to sort out the problems. I have never understood why they don�t keep talking until they have done so.

Strikes only put the workers out of work, for instance, look at the dockers and seamen�s strikes. At one time Southampton docks was full of ships, with plenty of work. Now, the only ships that do dock at the port, have cheap foreign seamen, and are container ships.

Fords Southampton (swaythling) plant, used to have thousands of workers, now I believe there are only a couple of hundred.

People are getting fed up with strikes, and DO look for other ways around them.

Although I do agree to some extent, of what anotheroldgit say�s

[Hugh Spencer]

For some years now all the unions claim that their bosses are not negotiating with them but I have come to realise that the unions don't intend to give way even a little. Their idea of negotiating is to get all they are demasnding.

[flip_flop]

Oh come on - if they don't like their pay why don't they do what other people do and get a better job?

If they aren't bright enough to get a better paid job then they are obviously being paid the correct amount of money already - and let's face it, it is not exactly a taxing job is it? Corresponding the house number on a letter with the house number on a house - you could train a monkey to do it.

Yes I know that is a bit spiteful, but striking just really gets right on my nerves - all they are doing is inconveniencing the public and business, which is hardly the way to obtain sympathy for their 'plight' is it?