tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post4833123972564588900..comments2024-03-02T02:56:21.007+00:00Comments on ......SHOT BY BOTH SIDES: A very long post - about the postKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377996092374137641noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-39811504428681338072009-03-03T19:39:00.000+00:002009-03-03T19:39:00.000+00:00Kerry McCarthy,you're on the verge of getting your...Kerry McCarthy,you're on the verge of getting your own RMC smilie!!www.royalmailchat.co.ukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10331678888623693462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-75838207284453422842009-03-03T06:58:00.000+00:002009-03-03T06:58:00.000+00:00'Lines to Take' ring any bells?'Lines to Take' ring any bells?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-23466685634254961512009-03-02T22:46:00.000+00:002009-03-02T22:46:00.000+00:00It seems by 'modernization' you are referring to t...It seems by 'modernization' you are referring to the same process that has taken gas, electricity and public transport into the dark ages. <BR/><BR/>It is hard to understand how you could ignore such a startling example of Private bad/Public good that effects us daily. People like and admire the Royal mail because it works and is for the people (despite its name).<BR/><BR/>I doubt anyone would say the same for the trains, busses or phones. When was the last time 'it works' could be used to describe the trains? The 1960s? Imagine if getting a phone line was as simple as sending a letter.<BR/><BR/>None of the problems you outline would actually be solved by the proposed selling of a share. Yes maybe it will generate some revenue, but what is that worth? Compared to a shining example of the public sector serving the whole country.<BR/><BR/>There may be problems with foreign competition working the market for profit, but how does giving our service to them solve this? Come to an agreement with the EU/other companies. They seem to acknowledge the RMs value in 'the last mile'. So focus on this, just don't give in.<BR/><BR/>I can understand your support of the private sector in general of course it is a part of our society and functions well, but as an Labour MP I cannot see how the selling of of useful public services can be in line with your genuine philosophies. Are there not some things that are the role of the state? You may as well change party.<BR/><BR/>What next? Education? Health? Oh wait, I speak to late.Glomphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10179435817576306541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-18530491609528984822009-03-02T21:27:00.000+00:002009-03-02T21:27:00.000+00:00Mr Mandelson, I demand you untie Kerry at once.Mr Mandelson, I demand you untie Kerry at once.The Grim Reaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543130733645367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-15161661613361395152009-03-02T18:43:00.000+00:002009-03-02T18:43:00.000+00:00It is not that the CWU are opposed to modernisatio...It is not that the CWU are opposed to modernisation, but that this should be a negotiated process, that we have an input on. We recognise that there will be job losses and closures, but feel that the introduction of a foreign partner will see an over zelous thrust to introduce automation at a time of increasing unemployment, we know that jobs will go, but reducing labour costs is not the only way to assess efficiency. <BR/>Also, it will be the taxpayer who will pick up the social cost of these efficencies, through the benefits system, whilst the profits will flow abroad.<BR/>It is a point of interest that it is only in the last 12 months that we have seen falling mail volumns. The impact of liberalisation, and the promotion of competition by the regulator has produced downstream access, and this is how it goes,<BR/>1)the competition do the easy bit, approach bulk users who produce big volumns of cheap to process machinable mail. They sort them to geograhical locations then deliver it to the nearest mail centre, who move this about the country, sort and deliver it.<BR/>2) If Royal Mail offer the bulk user a discount, this has to be passed on to the competition, in so much as, if we offer our service to, lets say RBS to be topical, at 13p an item, we have to offer the same service to the competition at 11p, that sounds fair ?<BR/>3)Royal Mail do the work, and are also left with the less profitable manual work, that the competition cannot make a profit on. <BR/>4)Whilst this have minimal effect on the volumn of work processed by RM, it has dramatically cut revenues.<BR/>5) Royal Mail modernise or respond to commercial pressure, not much between the two to be straight, but what consumers have seen is the loss of the second delivery, closure of post offices, and the introduction of pricing in proportion, which has been developed so that price is more reflective of actual cost of processing and delivery, this has increased cost to individuals (both on packets and letters)whilst cutting costs for big buisness users, redistribution in reverse if you ask me.Ruskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07589772336760282925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-30596675819230764592009-03-02T16:53:00.001+00:002009-03-02T16:53:00.001+00:00Where OH leads, all the other trolls follow. Ruski...Where OH leads, all the other trolls follow. <BR/><BR/>Ruskin - I appreciate the unions want to protect jobs, and of course they're right to be fighting for their members. My concern however is that resisting modernisation to protect jobs in the short-term could jeopardise the service's survival in the longer-term. And are those 40,000 job losses the result of modernisation or losing business to the competition? (I guess a mixture of both, as sorting offices have been automated, and I suppose it depends whether you regard moving to one delivery a day as modernisation or a forced response to commercial pressures.) As for the loan facility funds, I've told my local CWU that I will try to find out what this is being reserved for, if anything.Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377996092374137641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-29581830585861696392009-03-02T16:49:00.000+00:002009-03-02T16:49:00.000+00:00I am informed that the rather persistent lobbying ...I am informed that the rather persistent lobbying by the Communication Workers Union is set to dramatically intensify!Campaignerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439147558124302573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-8393738513669243402009-03-02T16:25:00.000+00:002009-03-02T16:25:00.000+00:00Shouldn't you have flagged this up as a 'Guest Pos...Shouldn't you have flagged this up as a 'Guest Post'?Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15755490516141328662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-23121584957291208802009-03-02T13:55:00.000+00:002009-03-02T13:55:00.000+00:00My god thats Mandy's writing.My god thats Mandy's writing.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05186557603493331701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-36537191733769741002009-03-02T13:52:00.000+00:002009-03-02T13:52:00.000+00:00Is it just me or is this posting completely unlike...Is it just me or is this posting completely unlike all your others?<BR/><BR/>Those headings are a dead give-away. It reads like a Q&A response from Labour's press office.<BR/><BR/>How disappointing.Platohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416276749202589235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-84348256145891650272009-03-02T09:36:00.000+00:002009-03-02T09:36:00.000+00:00To open I must admit that I am a trade unionist an...To open I must admit that I am a trade unionist and a member of the Labour party, something that should not be contentious but ! Firstly, whilst I can understand that Kerry may see that we are trying to protect jobs (thats what we do) there have been over 40,000 job losses in Royal Mail since the introduction of liberalisation,I think this clearly illustrates that the buisness and the union have worked together to introduce more efficent ways of working.<BR/>Secondly, and here's the rub, with regards to the part privatisation of Royal Mail, it has been suggested that there is a need for 30% of the buisness to be sold to raise money for investment. <BR/>1)There is a loan facility set up by this government to the tune of £1.2 billion, of which only £82 million has currently been spent, these are figures supplied by Peter in a statement to the House of Lords. <BR/>2)Peter again, this time at the BERR committee, stated that it would take hundreds of millions to modernise Royal Mail.<BR/>3)No statement has been made that this facility will be withdrawn, so I cannot see why we could not use this money, especially when the alternative is the part privatisation of the buisness. <BR/>4)The front runner in this is TNT, a company with not the best record on industrial relations, and who charge their domestic customers over twice the price for first class postage as we do in the UK.<BR/>5)There are many ways to measure efficency, and when you look at cost to the consumer, Royal Mail actually is doing far better than some of those who may scent profit in the air.Ruskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07589772336760282925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-9537689686392808022009-03-01T23:52:00.000+00:002009-03-01T23:52:00.000+00:00Good point Bevanite - maybe the Queen could take a...Good point Bevanite - maybe the Queen could take a 30% stake; she's got a few bob.Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377996092374137641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-82570252367488413622009-03-01T22:50:00.000+00:002009-03-01T22:50:00.000+00:00Thanks for the summary Kerry, that saved a lot of ...Thanks for the summary Kerry, that saved a lot of reading and research. <BR/>I would suggest that at the moment the Government needs to pick it's battles. The Royal Mail is a service that is cherished in the minds of the public... to start what could become, with a future Tory govt, a slippery slope to full privatisation may be a mistake. I don't agree that we should legislate according to high profile pressure campaigns, but in this case could the introduction of a foreign stake holder in the Mail play into the hands of spitefull and vile campaigns by the BNP? <BR/>Job creation and sustainability must be a priority for our Labour government in times of global recession. I think borrowing and a review, followed by rapid action, of efficiency in the service could suffice. Oh and a self gratifying final thought, perhaps a change to a 'People's Mail'?BevaniteElliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032582004452737280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7647685282789008730.post-72350019066237147122009-03-01T22:24:00.000+00:002009-03-01T22:24:00.000+00:00Kerry, you didn't write thatWho did?Kerry, you didn't write that<BR/><BR/>Who did?Old Holbornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164491045068093627noreply@blogger.com