In recent years postal workers have witnessed a rollercoaster ride with claims from Royal Mail of several fantastic business turn arounds – only to be immediately followed by the next crisis.

In May 2009 Royal Mail said it has outperformed all of its financial and quality targets and posted its best profit for years - £321 million.

The company’s response was to immediately pay out huge managerial bonuses whilst announcing a pay freeze for the workers.

Within weeks of claiming its best performance in years the company now say their fortunes have dropped off the edge of a cliff and that volumes are down by 10 per cent.

Royal Mail’s 10 per cent figure has never been properly validated.

Even if it were true management completely ignore the fact that they also claim to have got rid of 40,000 jobs.

10% volume loss versus 30% loss in jobs.

Royal Mail propaganda is hard at work – whilst postal workers are working harder than ever.

VOTE YES

Postal Strike in SE18 (Woolwich)on 31 March

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at Royal Mail Delivery office in Powis Street, Woolwich SE18 have overwhelmingly voted to take Industrial Action over a number of issues.

• ·         The sacking of a colleague prior to Christmas
• ·         Proven bullying, harassment & intimidation by managers
• ·         Problems with certain managers towards employees at Woolwich
• ·         Alleged falsification of documents by Royal Mail against the sacked Postman

Royal Mail have failed to implement the terms of a Joint Royal Mail /CWU Independent review that was carried out in the office over 2 years ago to deal with similar problems.

The sacking a colleague on Christmas Eve was the last straw for the members at Woolwich. There followed a brief unofficial stoppage in protest of the dismissal. Members at the office then demanded to be balloted for Industrial Action.

Roy Vargerson Branch Secretary of the CWU South East London Postal and Counter Branch said:

“We have over 80 members at the Woolwich who have returned a 96% vote in favour of taking Industrial Action. Royal Mail must listen to what its employees at Woolwich are saying. “

“Royal Mail claims it has a Zero Tolerance Policy towards Bullying, Harassment & Intimidation in the workplace; however it seems, it does not apply it to their managers. On the contrary one of the managers concerned has been given a better job. The other manager concerned remains in the office at Woolwich and continue to cause CWU members problems.”

Mr Vargerson went on to say:  “ What the CWU  membership in  Woolwich want from Royal Mail is not rhetoric, excuses and double standards over the issues of Bullying & harassment, they want Royal Mail to apply their standards to managers in  same way as they do Postal Workers “

“This dispute can be avoided and we are waiting to hear from Royal Mail. however Royal Mail seem more interested in putting its wagons round the manager concerned rather than dealing with the issues “.

Mandy's man

Thursday 12 March 2009
Solomon Hughes

PETER Mandelson has picked a new post boss. His choice of Donald Brydon as new chairman of Royal Mail shows that, when in doubt, Labour reaches for a banker.
Brydon will get £200,000 a year for his two days a week at Royal Mail. This might seem like a lot to you or me, but he has become used to big money from his long banking career.
Brydon started off with a 14-year stint at Barclays, followed by a job as chief executive of Axa Investment. He still sits on Axa's board, although he stepped down as CEO in 2002.
He has always been an outspoken banker, but unfortunately spent a lot of time getting it wrong in a loud voice.
In 2003, leading investor Warren Buffet was predicting that complex financial derivatives were "financial weapons of mass destruction." Buffet is not a radical - he is one of the world's richest men, equally happy helping Arnold Schwarzenegger or Barack Obama.
But when Brydon heard Buffet's warnings, he felt the urge to speak out. He seems to have been particularly worried that criticism of the financial system had come from within, from a businessman like Buffet.
Brydon chose to respond at a joint conference of British and US bankers. "We all need to be on guard lest regulations stifle initiatives in the retail application of derivatives," he warned.
With his help, the meeting turned out to be something of an anti-Buffet rally, with other speakers denouncing Buffet as "frustrated." As it turned out, Buffet was right and Brydon was wrong.
Brydon also felt the need to stand with then US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan against the critics of derivatives.
In 2003, Brydon claimed that, "as investor confidence has been rocked so the importance of risk mitigation instruments such as derivatives has increased."
But derivatives actually added to the instability of the system - had they been properly regulated in 2003, we might not be in the mess we are in now.
Brydon's worries that derivatives might be reined in stemmed from his general broad dislike of regulation.
He was also head of the Financial Services Authority "practitioner panel," a group of bankers brought in to advise Britain's financial regulator.
Unfortunately, their voices were heard all too well. The FSA remained deferential to the bankers and failed to stop the financial recklessness that caused the current crisis.
Brydon used his place on the panel as a pulpit from which to attack the "regulatory burden" and argue for the "need to remain vigilant that, in developing regulation, a point of no return is avoided where innovation, flexibility and competition are threatened."
His own firm Axa showed why tighter regulation should have been imposed. In 2003, Axa Investment boss Brydon argued for less FSA regulation. In 2004, the FSA hit sister firm Axa Sun Life with a record £500,000 fine for misleading customers.
Mandelson described Brydon as "a proven business leader and successful chairman."
Brydon's experience certainly extends beyond banking. Unfortunately, he seems to have brought a banker's mind to his industrial jobs.
He became chairman of high-tech medical firm Amersham and sold the company to US giant GE. He then became chairman of engineering firm Smiths Industries and promptly sold off its aerospace arm, again to GE.
The Independent was driven to say: "The former fund manager seems to be developing something of a knack for selling British publicly quoted assets at supercharged prices to overseas concerns."
Subpostmasters and posties will not be reassured by a new boss who loves to flog things off.
Like many new Labour appointments, Brydon is also a longstanding Tory. As a student, he was president of the Edinburgh University Conservatives, befriending fellow Tories such as Malcolm Rifkind.
In 2001, he signed a letter to the press describing Ken Clarke as "the best hope to lead the Conservative Party back to government and create the social and economic climate necessary for business to flourish."
Obviously this is handy, because Ken Clarke is likely to be his boss after the next election.

Statement by Brian Simpson MEP re Royal Mail Privatisation

The Royal Mail is an institution with a long history. People in all communities have depended on its services over many generations and still do even to this day.  The men and women who work for the Royal Mail are dedicated, hard working public servants who are committed to giving the general public and Royal Mail customers the best service possible.

It is my view that privatisation puts all of this at risk for no apparent reason save that of helping private operators 'cherry pick' the best bits at the expense of others.

Whilst the European Parliament ensured that a universal service must be guaranteed, we know from past experience that full liberalisation and privatisation will lead to the introduction of minimum service levels and the erosion of the working conditions of Royal Mail staff.

What Royal Mail needs is investment. Public investment so that as a publicly owned company it can compete on equal terms with the private operators.  It needs the Government to take on its responsibilities to ensure the best possible service levels delivered by a motivated workforce.  Privatisation is not the answer.  Part Privatisation is not the answer.  The answer lies in a well funded public institution that is given the tools to do the job.  In such circumstances, I believe the Royal Mail will be a great asset to our nation and deliver the services that the people require, efficiently and profitably.

BRIAN SIMPSON MEP