GENERAL STRIKE

[Jack Daniels]

They should always been known as and treated as scabs.

Not allowed to use that word, ignore people, etc.

But some do cross the picket lines as I have recently witnessed, only a couple but a couple too many.

 

[Took My Heart]

What really boils my piss though is this. Freeloading piggy backers.

As a Union Member since I joined in 1989, I pay my Subs weekly, I have lost money during previous - although rare - strike actions and I have never, nor will I ever do so, cross any picket line.

However, people who are not in the Union, cross pickets lines, etc reap all of the benefits that we win by doing absolutely nothing to contribute to our successes.

Personally, they should be excluded from all such hard won Union benefits and be forced to negotiate their own Terms and Agreements. Good luck with that!

No doubt my line above is an illegal practice but surely this rule needs updating?

I have A LOT of sympathy with your view here. I've been a union member since 1999 and like yourself on the rare times strike action has been necessary never scabbed.

The people you are on about are often loudmouth who talk about 'freedom of choice', whilst at the same time often loudly slagging unions off for 'being useless'. Well guess what useless, they'd be nor effective if you did your part!

A colleague once was like a loudhailer going on about not striking and how she had the right to work. Her husband had a good job so she didn't really care we were paid fuck all. She went on and on about how she didn't like strikes or unions and all I said was, 'well it's your choice to be a scab, but don't moan about anything in future'. For that phrase after 20 minutes of bashing me and my colleagues for striking I was threatened with a disciplinary and told to apologise. I didn't.

A few years later she was dismissed on a gross misconduct charge, crying alone and not represented. No one, and I mean no one gave a fuck.

It still annoys me that people call unions but get all the benefit of our subs and when it comes down to it our strike action. People who scab should forgo their pay rise if they have any honour until they have recompensed those who lost pay.

At the end of the day though, as much as I hate it, they should get the union earned deals because what the bosses want more than ever is to divide us, and have us individually negotiate. They don't deserve it, but we're better all in it together, even if some don't play their part

 

[raefil]

 

[raefil]

 

[outreacher]

I used to work in the mail industry and saw significant changes over time. The downstream access arrangements were a nail in the coffin whilst the changing digitisation of communications reduced business mail.

I doubt there isn't a single postie who hasn't seen their work change over the last couple of decades and I don't think posties are opposed to changes in technology or how they work to respond to the future.

Blaming strike action for redundancies though is the lowest of the low. It intends to split the workers and deliberately apportion the reason for the cuts to workers rather than the management. It's classic victim blaming.

So yeah, the postal service has changed but I wonder how many employees have left in the last 20 years? They'll mysteriously be forgotten about.

There is a bigger question - is the universal service offer still of value and is is right that a letter costs the same irrespective of where you live or where it's going to? In both cases i am saying yes and I am also saying RM doesn't need to make a profit or be sustainable. If its a service we value it should be supported.

Royal Mail has a big problem, they are losing a lot of money, and are currently being bailed out by the holding company, International Distributions Services and said it would consider splitting its UK business and overseas business GLS into two separate firms if no "significant operational change" is achieved.

I can see Royal Mail folding unless there is a renationalisation, but that is going to cost the taxpayer a lot of money, unless the structure changes. Can't see a solution myself, we rely on mail, well some businesses do, but RM is running at massive losses. I might be wrong, but that is how I read it.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/royal-mail-could-cut-5000-6000-jobs-by-next-august-2022-10-14/

 

[janiejones]

What really boils my piss though is this. Freeloading piggy backers.

As a Union Member since I joined in 1989, I pay my Subs weekly, I have lost money during previous - although rare - strike actions and I have never, nor will I ever do so, cross any picket line.

However, people who are not in the Union, cross pickets lines, etc reap all of the benefits that we win by doing absolutely nothing to contribute to our successes.

Personally, they should be excluded from all such hard won Union benefits and be forced to negotiate their own Terms and Agreements. Good luck with that!

No doubt my line above is an illegal practice but surely this rule needs updating?

I've mentioned it before, but at my office, some actual union members choose to work on strike day. IT MAKES ME SICK.

Not allowed to use that word, ignore people, etc.

But some do cross the picket lines as I have recently witnessed, only a couple but a couple too many.

Just ask 'em , 'What's for tea, Sausage Chips And Beans?'

 

[northender0602]

It should be supported if it is a public company, but not supported if it is owned by US investors, who want public money to maintain their profits.

Had a quick look think it’s classed as a PLC employees own 12% biggest shareholder is Czech billionaire Daniel KRETINsky. How apt.

 

[outreacher]

Had a quick look think it’s classed as a PLC employees own 12% biggest shareholder is Czech billionaire Daniel KRETINsky. How apt.

I didn't mean a PLC, 0602, meant a nationalised business, how it was before privatisation. Even so, the mail service, letters etc, can't make a profit in this day and age, it used to be the case, I got letters every day, now it is an odd or unusual to get one with any significance. Banking, Water, Utilities, Council Tax all online, although I do get a hard copy from the council once a year.

 

[raefil]

I didn't mean a PLC, 0602, meant a nationalised business, how it was before privatisation. Even so, the mail service, letters etc, can't make a profit in this day and age, it used to be the case, I got letters every day, now it is an odd or unusual to get one with any significance. Banking, Water, Utilities, Council Tax all online, although I do get a hard copy from the council once a year.

Yet they still manage to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds a year to shareholders.

Isnt that also called asset stripping?

 

[Took My Heart]

Royal Mail has a big problem, they are losing a lot of money, and are currently being bailed out by the holding company, International Distributions Services and said it would consider splitting its UK business and overseas business GLS into two separate firms if no "significant operational change" is achieved.

I can see Royal Mail folding unless there is a renationalisation, but that is going to cost the taxpayer a lot of money, unless the structure changes. Can't see a solution myself, we rely on mail, well some businesses do, but RM is running at massive losses. I might be wrong, but that is how I read it.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/royal-mail-could-cut-5000-6000-jobs-by-next-august-2022-10-14/

I read last year that Royal Mail had an operating profit of over £700m.

I am assuming, but am not close enough to it that this may not include the hundreds of millions paid out in dividends.

I don't know, but I suspect RM are playing a sleight of hand here and to the surprise of no one Cable's sell off has led to a worse service, worse conditions for staff and profits diverted overseas for non producing shareholders.

 

[Mer5eywhite]

Royal Mail full year profits up, revenues steady - Apex Insight

In its financial statement for 2021-22, Royal Mail reports group revenues up by 0.6% to £12.712 billion and adjusted operating profit up by 8% to £758 million.

apex-insight.com

21-22 profits up, revenue steady.

It is asset stripping yes!

 

[outreacher]

I read last year that Royal Mail had an operating profit of over £700m.

I am assuming, but am not close enough to it that this may not include the hundreds of millions paid out in dividends.

I don't know, but I suspect RM are playing a sleight of hand here and to the surprise of no one Cable's sell off has led to a worse service, worse conditions for staff and profits diverted overseas for non producing shareholders.

I don't know either, but this year, Royal Mail (UK) are on course to lose £345 million. The European part of the holding company (GLS) are making a lot of money, close to 3/4 of a billion this year. Can't see the holding company asset stripping the UK side, whilst the European side is making money, to get dividends the company must be making money, and this year, Royal Mail UK are losing a lot?

 

[Dirty Harry]

What really boils my piss though is this. Freeloading piggy backers.

As a Union Member since I joined in 1989, I pay my Subs weekly, I have lost money during previous - although rare - strike actions and I have never, nor will I ever do so, cross any picket line.

However, people who are not in the Union, cross pickets lines, etc reap all of the benefits that we win by doing absolutely nothing to contribute to our successes.

Personally, they should be excluded from all such hard won Union benefits and be forced to negotiate their own Terms and Agreements. Good luck with that!

No doubt my line above is an illegal practice but surely this rule needs updating?

Aye, and it's been this way since Thatcher banned 'closed shop' union membership which was all part of her divide and conquer policy for the masses.

 

[Spavin Stardust]

French oil refinery strikes rumble on despite the government ordering some striking workers back to work.

https://www.reuters.com/business/en...rgies-union-vows-continue-strikes-2022-10-14/

PARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The CGT union at the core of a weeks-long strike at oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) slammed the door to talks on Friday, leaving more moderate unions to reach a wage deal as industrial action continues to leave French petrol stations short of fuel.

Despite the government requisitioning key refinery staff to get petrol flowing again, nearly a third of gas stations still have supply problems.

Energy ministry data show 28.5% of French petrol stations are facing supply problems, down from 29.1% on Thursday and 30.85% on Wednesday, when requisitioning started.

At ExxonMobil (XOM.N), the hardline CGT union said it had ended its strike as other unions had signed a wage deal earlier this week, but at TotalEnergies the CGT vowed to continue strike action despite moderate unions agreeing a wage deal with management in the early hours of Friday.

TotalEnergies' CFDT and CFE-CGC unions - which represent a majority of its workers - said they had agreed a 7% pay rise and a bonus payment from 3,000 euros to 6,000 euros ($2,921-$5,842).

 

[northender0602]

I didn't mean a PLC, 0602, meant a nationalised business, how it was before privatisation. Even so, the mail service, letters etc, can't make a profit in this day and age, it used to be the case, I got letters every day, now it is an odd or unusual to get one with any significance. Banking, Water, Utilities, Council Tax all online, although I do get a hard copy from the council once a year.

If I remember right didn’t the government have to bail out their pension scheme a few years ago, even after privatisation, because it had once upon a time been a nationalised company. ??

 

[Liberation]

Nice 1 Kate

 

[jakehake]

Headteachers Union to ballot members for first time in its history apparently

 

[Mer5eywhite]

Headteachers Union to ballot members for first time in its history apparently

As a school leader, I would say that education succeeds in spite of the government, Ofsted, Ofqual and the DfE - not because of them.

A very experienced teacher who I line manage, told me in a meeting today that she had had enough of teaching and was looking elsewhere. This sort of conversation happened but was rare 10 years ago. These days it happens all the time.

 

[Took My Heart]

As a school leader, I would say that education succeeds in spite of the government, Ofsted, Ofqual and the DfE - not because of them.

A very experienced teacher who I line manage, told me in a meeting today that she had had enough of teaching and was looking elsewhere. This sort of conversation happened but was rare 10 years ago. These days it happens all the time.

I can be quite critical of elements of the education system but what you have shared strikes a chord with me. Much of modern education policy has been driven by the same new public management and markets ideology that has polluted public service. Education professionals are deeply committed and really care. We just beat it out of them...

 

[Winkytinky]

The RBL can go fuck itself for me, this is designed to get all the flag shaggers throthing at the mouth.