i work there part time when i am not at uni and im on £8.69 per hour but pay is not the issue. i aint in the union but i believe they are striking because they feel the company is been sneaky in the way its laying people off without letting it be known. i think the biggest thing is that they are bringing in sorting machines to sort the mail, that will prolly cost thousands of jobs but i dont think royal mail have aknowledged that. i mean you look at it at royal mails point of view and why shouldnt they introduce sorting machines, it would be quicker, more efficient and cost less, but then again its peoples well being so there bound to do what ever they can to hold onto it.
Also i think its mainly London, they have been having strikes all year for changes that have already happened everywhere else. and 2pm post is common in alot of places, theres no consistency, the few times i go in to work i can be driving there at 8am and see posties from different offices out on delivery yet other offices dont get let out until 10am earliest. i can understand both the companies and employees perspectives, its like the bin men striking in leeds at the minute because they want to cut their wage from £18,000 to £13,000, i mean in truth the councli is right because £18,000 is surely too much for what they do but its something they have become accustomed to and now expect. anyways im just glad im only part time there because i wouldnt fancy been stuck in the middle of rolling strikes, what you get from the union isnt enough to support a family so that kind of demonstrates the seriousness of it.
oh and i think the other reason is unreal expectations. most walks have been increased and others have been lapsed meaning there isnt a postman (person) on the walk but everybody takes a bit out, meaning they have to travel to 2 different locations, its fine on quiet days but busy days its just not possible. also i dont think they pay overtime to the regulars anymore so taking part of another walk out, travelling to their extended walk and getting finished on time is often impossible on a heavy day. its fine on a light day but the company doesnt seem to have considered heavy days. i think they did something about it on the bbc webpage and they estimated the average walk speed a postie would have to walk to be finished within the times RM wants and it was just stupidly unreal.
