Royal Mail expenses scandal!

Ok,perhaps a slightly over dramatic headline but it works depending the way you take this.

Maybe not in the same vein as our MP friends but it's grating all the same.

Fat cat wages,Million pound bonuses,add on a couple of quid for parking,a tenner for unlocking a mobile phone,£4.50 'postage to office' (should of used DSA it's cheaper!),£4.85 for a drink,a £5.47 Snack for working over a 12 hour day and how about this one, £20.50 for taxis,BEFORE you started the job.

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Managers throwing a strop

Another one you couldn't make up,Mark Higson has written to Royal Mail managers informing them that 'Providing critical support has a priority over all other work in the business!',and that 'You will recall, I wrote to you back in September, explaining that two days' support per week would be the minimum expected level. The need to provide a service for customers relying on us means this can no longer be optional.'

Or to put it in simpler terms,'When them lazy good for nothing posties decide to strike,you best get off your arses and do some postie work,and it is not optional!'

Well it seems the managers have taken exception to this and have complained to their union (and i use the term union loosely) about ermmm,them being bullied in doing things that they shouldn't have to do.

Unite amusingly 'Insist that this unreasonable instruction be withdrawn with immediate effect.'

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Mark Higson writes back to Dave Ward

You actually couldn't make this stuff up,dear old Mark Higson Managing Director,Royal Mail Letters has written back to Dave Ward and to be honest,it seems we are going through a pointless 'Dear John' exercise.

Marky says gems like 'Royal Mail remains completely committed to the 2007 Pay and Modernisation agreement and we have made changes entirely in line with that agreement.','Where local changes to staffing levels are necessary, our proposals are always based on workload - not arbitrary budget decisions.','I announced two weeks ago that there would be no more efficiency changes this year yet you have failed to honour your promise to call off strike action','Our aim is always to achieve agreement with the union on any changes.' and the piste de résistance,'I reject any suggestion that there is widespread bullying and harassment of our people.'

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Dave Ward writes to Mark Higson

Dave Ward yesterday wrote to Mark Higson Managing Director,Royal Mail Letters offering a deal to avoid strike action,saying that 'The offer would help restore customer confidence at a crucial time for the Royal Mail while addressing outstanding problems of job security, work levels, bullying, and reward.'

Dave also says,"Postal workers do not want to have to take strike action, but neither are they prepared to put up with continuing attacks from a management which is failing."

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3-1 say yes!

Postal workers across the UK have voted 3-1 in favour for 'National Industrial action over Royal Mail's failure to reach a national agreement covering the protection of jobs,pay,terms and conditions and the cessation of managerial executive action including all matters arisising out of or in consequence of that dispute'

Or in other words...

Forced flexing,abuse of lapsing/absorbing,forced changes to start times,forced changes to duty structures,management wilful delaying mail in the name of lapsing/absorbing,management bullies,threats of pay stoppages,local agreements ripped up on top of ignoring national ones,local earnings packages taken away,harassment when off sick,constant sorting or prepping tests,knocking on customers doors to see what time they had a delivery if the postie cuts off,forcing D2D's to be done in posties own time,sick stage warnings given out like confetti,accidents being called incidents,not bothering with the Royal Mail insurance bond for cars on delivery,the list is not exhaustive but I am and so are my colleagues.

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Ministers gold plated pensions

Government ministers pension funds have gone up from £6.8M last year to nearly £9M this year.It seems the Liberal Democrats have 'unearthed' official figures this week.The increase it seems is due to changes to accounting rules which means the full value is being revealed for the first time.

Gordon Brown's has a fund worth £274,000,Harriet Harman £304,000,Mandelson £86,000 and our old friend Alan Johnson £139,000.

It would also be rude of me not to mention Adam Croziers pension pot in a pension article,but more on that later.

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