Postal strike on Friday

Trout · 14 July, 2009, 12:05:11 PM

A postal strike on a Friday is definitely bad news for the Saturday prog deliveries we've been spoiled with.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8149463.stm

Perhaps Proudhuff, the lefty ex-postie that he is, can defend these pinkos? ;-)

- Trout

Proudhuff · 14 July, 2009, 12:12:18 PM

I'm still waiting on LAST Saturday's...

and yes I could except where the progs concerned NIMPY ( No In My Prog Year)

House of Usher · 14 July, 2009, 12:58:25 PM

Oh well, it's only one day. Good luck to them, I say. I don't even care what they're striking about. I just think postal workers should be on strike as a matter of principle! I think my own sector is long overdue for some industrial action.

SmallBlueThing · 14 July, 2009, 01:37:11 PM

If this gets in the way of my son's sixth birthday presents arriving from t'Internet, I will be spending Friday up a tree, with an ABC-issue Balls Bazooker, picking off postal workers.

That's a bazooker that auto-aims for your balls, by the way. What did you think it was?

Mind you, I may be doing that anyway, since Friday is the day my mytherin'-law arrives from Canada, and begins her t h r e e w e e k s t a y with us.

Steev

Peter Wolf · 14 July, 2009, 02:40:45 PM

Up the workers !!

Trout · 14 July, 2009, 04:25:15 PM

Steev, I hope she's bringing Tim Horton's coffee.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm...

- Trout

Mike Gloady · 16 July, 2009, 01:52:19 PM

Oh let them strike. Their job will be obsolete inside 10 years anyway. As the huge government subsidies propping up the post office/royal mail seem to prove. The only people who seem to depend on the mail these days are ebay merchants - and there are plenty of other carriers.

Sad to say it, but their days are very much numbered. Let them enjoy their strikes.

locustsofdeath! · 16 July, 2009, 02:14:05 PM

Is such a strike common in the UK? Do they have unions here? Sorry to ask such silly questions - just wondering! Thanks.

Dark Jimbo · 16 July, 2009, 02:37:43 PM

Quote from: locustsofdeath on 16 July, 2009, 02:14:05 PM
Is such a strike common in the UK?

LARF · 16 July, 2009, 02:58:00 PM

The Post Office do not charge enough.

Simple.

I had to send an 8.5kg parcel the other day. The courier company wanted £45, the Post Office charged me £21.65 for a guaranteed next day delivery. I'd have paid £31 - £35 easily as this is in line with what I'd factored into the job charges. I know it's £10 in my pocket, but in all honesty Post Office Service is exceptional and they should be competing more aggressively.

locustsofdeath! · 16 July, 2009, 03:14:51 PM

Quote from: LARF on 16 July, 2009, 02:58:00 PM
The Post Office do not charge enough.

Simple.

I had to send an 8.5kg parcel the other day. The courier company wanted £45, the Post Office charged me £21.65 for a guaranteed next day delivery. I'd have paid £31 - £35 easily as this is in line with what I'd factored into the job charges. I know it's £10 in my pocket, but in all honesty Post Office Service is exceptional and they should be competing more aggressively.

In the States you'd never hear this...they are really struggling. UPS, FedEx and others have pretty much stolen their business to the point that every few months it seems that the price of stamps is raised by a few cents. Besides the long lines at my particular post office (Ely) I've had no problems. Now phone service is another matter altogether...!

Peter Wolf · 16 July, 2009, 03:25:23 PM

The P.O is failing because it is mismanaged and there is far too much wasted money because of mismanagement.

Its not the fault of the workers.

If anything everyone should support the striking workers as they are risking their already insecure jobs by doing so and keep using the service because it is still exceptionally good and you will all miss it when it has gone.

Do not use privatised courier companies if you can use the P.O/Royal Mail.

Quote from: mikegloady on 16 July, 2009, 01:52:19 PM
Oh let them strike. Their job will be obsolete inside 10 years anyway. As the huge government subsidies propping up the post office/royal mail seem to prove. The only people who seem to depend on the mail these days are ebay merchants - and there are plenty of other carriers.

Sad to say it, but their days are very much numbered. Let them enjoy their strikes.

The Govt has always subsidised the P.O because it is nationalised industry and you could say that continuing to subsidise them without addressing the mismanagement/directors/executive problems is throwing good money after bad.Whenever i go into the local P.O and i have been working inside the local P.O lately only a fraction of customers were in there to mail out Ebay packages and it is busy in there all day and every day.I know the owners/operators of my local P.O and that is what they say.They are not struggling for business.

Comrade Aleksandr · 17 July, 2009, 09:29:03 AM

Quote from: locustsofdeath on 16 July, 2009, 02:14:05 PM
Is such a strike common in the UK? Do they have unions here? Sorry to ask such silly questions - just wondering! Thanks.

Yeah we have Unions here, despite the efforts of Margaret Thatcher, Beloved Furher of the British Reich.

Old Tankie · 17 July, 2009, 03:05:27 PM

Post Office don't charge enough?!? It's 39p for a 1st Class Stamp, that's almost 8 shillings. 8 shillings!!! Heaven forbid!! What's coming next? A guinea for a litre of petrol!!!

Mike Gloady · 18 July, 2009, 08:19:32 PM

They don't charge enough for what it actually costs to deliver their service. Of course, the REASON they don't is simple - if they did, nobody would use it and it would hasten their demise.

Don't get me wrong, I don't WISH the post office or royal mail out of existence. But I don't trust them with my stuff - too many bad experiences, too much lost stuff. I will ALWAYS use another carrier if I have the option - there's a chance the stuff will get there.