The Schizo-Stroller

> Sent: 18 October 2009 17:44
>
> Subject: Why we are going on strike
>
> We think it’s fair to say that you our customers are not interested in why we
> are once again striking.It is also fair to say that some of the problems we are
> going through does not affect you either.
>
> What you are interested in is you getting your mail and whatever mail you send
> getting there within the allotted time depending on what service was paid for.
>
> But we do think that it is fair to inform you of part of the reason as to why
> we are striking as it affects you in a big way.
>
> But before we go on let’s get one thing out 1st,it’s not about a pay rise,far
> from it,a pay rise if we are to be truthful is in the mix but is not as a high
> priority as other concerns we have.
>
> Please just take a minute to see what we have to say.
>
>
> What’s affecting you then?
>
> In 2007 we signed an agreement with Royal Mail called the Pay & Modernisation
> deal,in that deal there are, amongst other things, a new working practice
> called ‘absorption’.
>
> This is one of YOUR biggest problems,whether you are a domestic or business
> customer!
>
> Before the deal any postal workers rounds that weren’t covered due to staff
> sickness,holidays,or general shortage would be covered by other postal workers
> on overtime.
>
> There would be no shortage of posties willing to do this,so there was never a
> major problem getting the mail delivered.
>
> But now we have ‘absorption’,what this now means is that any rounds now that
> does not have a postal worker allocated to it is now absorbed by the rest of
> the postal workers in the office.
>
> With Royal Mail insisting that mail volumes are falling they are under the
> impression that we know have a lot of spare time in which to absorb other
> posties work.
>
> This is not the case,not only have we lost 60,000 staff in the business in the
> last few years (our CEO Adam Crozier has publicly admitted this) but we now
> have a large proportion of part-time workers which affects the way the mail
> pipeline works.
>
> Mail is being delayed regularly and in vast amounts around the country in the
> name of absorption,so managers can report that absorption has happened and the
> savings have been made,some posties have to leave part of their round in the
> office,they also are being forced to ‘cut off’ or stop their deliveries as they
> have run out of time.
>
> Royal Mail drivers have been taken off their packet routes to help absorption,
> hence packets are left undelivered for days.
>
> This is a mass abuse of the deal we signed in 07,and posties are being bullied
> and threatened with taken off pay if they either refuse to do this or happen to
> cut off.
>
>
> Later deliveries
>
> A few years back Royal Mail ceased the 2nd delivery and you now only get one,
> but the truth is Royal Mail did not stop the 2nd delivery they cancelled the
> 1st.
>
> We now start our rounds at the time that we started the 2nd delivery years ago
> and now, Royal Mail want even later start times. So while today, if you’re one
> of the lucky ones, you might meet your postman before you go to lunch, you will
> soon be meeting him just before dinner. We are aware that this causes big
> problems for businesses all over the UK more especially those that work from
> home.
>
> But that does not seem to matter to Royal Mail, later start times and later
> deliveries are all down to modernisation, or in other words, new sorting
> machines being brought in which, would you believe, take even longer to sort
> the mail.
>
> This will also affect our own work/life balance and there are childcare issues,
> and school run problems, already rising because of it.
>
> You may also be aware before we went to Single Daily Delivery, you could pick
> up any packets or signed for letters left in the morning around 2 hours or so
> later at your local office. That, as some of you may be aware has changed, some
> places you have to wait 24 hours, most 48 but there are some where you can’t
> get the packet for nearly 72hrs.
>
> That’s if your office is local instead of on some industrial estate somewhere,
> and of course if it does not close before lunch.
>
> This is Royal Mail modernisation.
>
>
> If you don’t like your job,then leave
>
> This is what we read about all the time from alleged customers on the Internet
> news stories comment sections, and, regrettably Royal Mail management.
>
> But who says that we don’t like our job. You will find that most posties love
> their job, but are finding it harder and harder to provide the service they
> want and their customers expect, not just because of the work levels, but more
> so the bullying and harassment by managers at all levels of the business.
>
> Why should we have to put up with the constant B&H and worsening of our terms
> and conditions, when all we want to do is get on with our job and provide a
> service to our customers.
>
> We will not be hounded out of a job we love in the name of profit, or be made
> to feel guilty because we decide to defend our current Conditions of service,
> instead of allowing them to be decimated because of the inherently unfair bonus
> culture of Royal Mail.
>
>
> National strike
>
> The 1st strike was in London N18 Edmonton against introduction of part-time
> duties by executive action on 7th March. Cowdenbeath DO was the first among
> many in Scotland to strike against Executive Action on 27th March. The whole of
> London took action throughout June, and over 500 other offices around the
> country either went out on strike or requested a strike ballot.
>
> Previously to all of this some Mail Centres around the country took strike
> action over their closures, and the lack of real consultation.
>
> London, since June have taken over 16 days of action.
>
> During all that time we have repeatedly asked Royal Mail to negotiate with our
> Union about, not only the problems that you have so far read about and will
> read about below, but more importantly the fact that previous agreements are
> either being ignored or abused.
>
> It has now come to the time where enough is enough and now we have,
> unfortunately, the national strikes.
>
>
> No more efficiency changes this year
>
> This is what Royal Mail have claimed but this is not the case,there are many
> cases on the site where Royal Mail are still pushing ahead with with their
> changes. Including later start times,full-time positions going to
> part-time,Pegasus 2 revisions (flawed computer program),night staff being moved
> to days,full-time staff to prep part-time staff walks,more hours to go from
> delivery offices…
>
>
> You the tax payer
>
> You are being mislead by the media and the Government regarding Billions of
> pounds of tax payers money being used to prop up Royal Mail and our
> pensions,this is not the case and a blatant lie by all.
>
> For many years the treasury have taken our profits from us for their own gain,
> add nearly 13 years when due to tax reasons Royal Mail did not pay into our
> pension scheme, and yes the treasury got that money as well, you the tax payer
> owes Royal Mail Billions of pounds.
>
> Any money recently received by Royal Mail from tax payers has been a loan and
> has to be paid back at commercial loan rates which means that the tax payer has
> once again benefited from us.
>
>
> Privatisation
>
> This is a simple one,the Government have said that they will take over our
> pension deficit only if we get part-privatised.
>
> The crux of this,is that you the tax payer will pay for our pensions,but a
> private investor will not have to so they will just get the profits. Our Union
> Leader remarked on this at the Labour Conference by saying the Government were
> Privatising the Profit and Nationalising the debt.
>
> The tax payer will have the debt, while the private investor will get the
> profit!
>
> We, us the humble posties do not need to tell you what happens after a company
> is privatised, you only need to look at your utility bills, train fares and
> your bank statements for that.
>
>
> Mail volumes
>
> We agree that mail volumes are down,but not as much as Royal Mail say, we
> accept the recession has had an effect, but again, not as much that Royal Mail
> has said.
>
> With 60,00 jobs gone, bigger rounds,over 1 Million new homes built in the last
> few years with more to come, a few letters less in our post bag, when you add
> the mass increase in packets due to e-commerce,there is no leeway in our duties
> like Royal Mail think.
>
> Add the fact that Royal Mail now count the mail differently with an un agreed
> and flawed process,then you have false traffic figures.
>
> What is in the boxes that they send the mail down to Delivery Offices, is very
> much under estimated and has been shown to be so by royalmailchat members
> counting individual boxes.
>
>
> Independent report on Royal Mail
>
> Last year the Government requested an independent report on Royal Mail (The
> Hooper report) this found many flaws with the way the business is being
> run,including lack of transparency by the business with its figures and the
> fact that Royal Mail management were not up to the job.
> We are not against modernisation
>
> WE ARE NOT AGAINST CHANGE – We signed up to the Pay and Mod Agreement. RM
> ignored Phase 4 till we started local strikes.
>
> WE ARE AWARE THERE WILL BE JOB LOSSES – 60,000 gone in recent years.
>
> WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A PAY RISE PER SE – We had a pay freeze this year which
> was imposed against the spirit of the 2007 agreement.
>
> WE ARE NOT AGAINST MODERNISATION – But we haven’t seen it in deliveries unless
> you count longer routes with heavier bags.
>
> WE OFFERED A MORATORIUM ON STRIKES IF ROYAL MAIL DISCUSSED CHANGES – Royal Mail
> refused saying it was a stalling tactic but now they want it when un agreed
> systems are in place.
>
> WE ARE NOT AGAINST WORKING HARD – The Union suggested having independent
> organisations help both sides come up with a fair and balanced way of measuring
> workload and standard – Royal Mail refused.
>
> The 2007 agreement allowed local units to have innovative attendance patterns,
> and these were agreed in some units with full Royal Mail involvement. Yet
> without consulting the CWU (as per the agreement) they unilaterally enforced
> change on these working arrangements.
>
> The agreement also allowed a local earnings package,this has been taken away by
> Royal Mail.
>
>
> We are and we will strike against – Bullying and Harassment such as
>
> • Being suspended for pointing out H&S concerns.
>
> • Being sent home without pay when we can’t complete a delivery in the time
> allotted especially if managers are not willing to walk test us or check
> individual posties frames to see how busy they are.
>
> • Genuine overtime being struck off when you go over your contracted hours on
> a busy day.
>
> • Being sent home without pay when you can’t do the half hour flexibility
> when asked – even though personal reasons are meant to be taken into account as
> per the 07 agreement.
>
> • When you do the 1/2hr flexibility not being able to claw it back or be paid
> it on overtime as per the 07 agreement. Or being given it back in 5 minute
> chunks.
>
> • Changing our start and finish times on a weekly basis without negotiation.
>
> • Using a flawed computer program to work out rounds with un-agreed walk
> speeds.
>
> • No independent H&S review after accidents at work – Staff being blamed for
> accidents without thorough and external review of all pertinent matters by an
> independent body.
>
>
> Spanish practices do not exist
>
> The reality in modern delivery offices is that the posties slogs their guts out
> everyday under the gaze of managers ready to sack them for the slightest
> indiscretion.
>
> Many many part-timers are bullied by managers into doing unpaid over time day
> in day out.
>
> All OT has to be OK’ed by management and most posties are too intimidated to go
> see their manager to ask for it.
>
> A lot of our guys do hrs of OT per week for nothing.
> Give the Public a service – Yep that’s Royal Mails job and guess how they do
> that
>
> 1. Close 3,500 Post Offices.
>
> 2. Reduce the service at 1000s of others.
>
> 3. Allow the Government to withdraw some of the services you used to be able to
> get at POs.
>
> 4. Ceased Sunday Collections (now for anyone to get anything on Monday you need
> to send it before 1230 on Saturday.
>
> 5. Cancelled Bank Holiday Collections.
>
> 6. Cancelled 2nd Delivery
>
> 7. Made the 1st delivery later than the 2nd ever was.
>
> 8. Laid off 60,000 workers through various means.
>
> 9. Close delivery offices and amalgamate them into Super DOs on industrial
> estates miles from bus routes.
>
> 10. Bring in a complicated and expensive postage system. (Pricing in
> Proportion).
>
> 11. Increase handling fees for Import from £4 to £8.
>
> 12. Increase the surcharge of underpaid items to £1.
>
> 13. Increase stamp prices above inflation.
>
> 14. Agree a price with DSA competitors to use our network which means we
> subsidise them to the tune of 2p per item.
>
> 15. Take 5 years to spend half of the 1.2billion the government loaned them,
> but we are still yet to see the machines in use on a UK wide basis even though
> trials are going well according to Royal Mail.
>
> 16. Removing Mail Cycles and replacing them with cars and then claiming they
> are doing everything to reduce carbon emissions.
>
> 17. Half day closing for all Callers Offices and a delay of up to 72 hours
> before you can collect parcels/letters after getting a “Sorry you were out
> Card”
>
> All of the above is not exhaustive, but we are, thank you for taking the time to
> read it.
>
>
>
>
> Please send this on to all your contacts ta very much.

A review of David Peace’s GB84

The thing about reading ‘faction’ is that you already know how it’s going to end. That I still felt caught up in the book, willing some chracters on, wishing failure on others, even though ultimately you know it’s the other way around, is testimony to the narrative power of this book. I was a young teenager when all this happened and living in the South East so the events weren’t directly of concern to me at the time, but there are enough ghosts of the past to evoke the time whilst reading even though you are transported to other events and places.
There is an interesting question around the fictionalisation of some of the ‘real’ characters in Peace’s books (by ‘real’ I mean Peace takes actual historical actors and fictionalises their thoughts, motives and actions), having read this, I found it was the invented characters (central to the novel but historically fictional) that made for the solidity of the narrative and plot.
There are questions as to the motives of a book like this, as the double meaning of ‘faction’ implies but then I am of a notion that the only people who really think ideology is always someone else’s belief are those who blindly accept the dominant one, and I’m glad that this sits on service station/ supermarker/ airport shelves along with those ‘other’ ‘there are bad people out there and they are your enemies – secure your little fortress’ pulp fiction fodder.

A review I wrote for J. G . Ballard’s ‘Kingdom Come’

Previously all I’ve read of Ballard are some early short stories and Cocaine Nights. I have neither read Atrocity Exhibition nor Crash. What I enjoy of these Ballard novels is his through a glass darkly view is written in such a mundane bestseller style. This is not high brow literature yet it has an understanding of, in this novel at least, postmodernist theory that eludes most airport/ service station fodder.
I find this style endearing, even though there seems to be a haunted upper middle class school boy in their, but perhaps it is this understanding of the un-self-acknowledged ideals of this tier that gives it its insight. Hegemony ain’t no conspiracy theory, it’s accidental despite it’s domination. People believe in their values, their are very fewtruly psychotic cynical manipulators out there, even those with the most power.
Although there seems to be a ITV3 drama feel to this novel; it’s writing style and it’s symplistic plot and characters, it’s final unfolding is somewhat cutting.
I found a bittersweet enjoyment and disappointment (I would say jouissance but you’d think I was a c**t) reading these later Ballard novels but perhaps it is because I am a PhD theory student from a home county where the only thing to do at night was visit the nearby M25 service station, now living in a city with more to do yet so insecure some of its residents name it after another; London-by-the Sea. The bittersweet taste is my own memories and current experience. And even though my own fears and insight help me to relate to the fears this book elucidates, I feel I want more yet I can’t help feeling I can’t escape this type of fiction, I may envy the literary tastes of my fellow middle class intellectuals, and I do get Kafka, oh do I get Kafka, but like Ballard I am a suburban boy at heart. My heart sores at Foucault, Deleuze and Agamben but my tastes are stuck in the all-night motorway service station.

I recently read Emmanuel Carrera’s ‘I’m Alive And You Are Dead: A Journey Inside The Mind Of Philip K. Dick’

Here is a review I wrote on a certain social networking site:

Ironically I finished this book whilst stuck on a prolonged train journey on an unseasonally warm spring day whilst taking a fish round to someone’s for dinner. By the end it was reeking. The fish not the book. The book is rather good. We had curry takeaway instead.

The next show on Radio Reverb, in Brighton area 97.2fm, otherwise www.radioreverb.com will be on Sunday 23nd August @ 1pm, and repeated on Wednesday 26th @ 7am.

I will be interviewing artist Louise Bristow and writer Mark Hewitt on art and architecture, ideology and dreams.

Music from Mark Hansen, Luther Thomas and Paul D Miller aka DJ Spooky the Subliminal Kid

At some point I may be podcasting the shows from this site.