Royal Mail staff to strike.

I'm not one for looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses, but I think I'm right that a first class stamp meant that post got there the next day, and second class was 2-3 days. Parcels could be sent with confidence that they would arrive, and if you weren't there to take them in they would go to the sorting office. And all of this cost a lot less than it does now, even allowing for inflation.

Postmen have never been well paid, but they had a job for life, and got really good pensions and conditions. No more - these are also under being eroded, so of course there will be a higher turnover of staff. If it worked then, with less technology, why can't it work now? The only difference I can see (apart from legislation against unions) is that what used to be a nationalised industry is now responsible to shareholders.

I'm not saying that nationalisation is a byword for efficiency, as we all know it wasn't; but there is no denying that things were a whole lot better when millions wasn't being creamed off to pay dividends.

DiamondLily
It seems that if your regular postman/lady
Is on leave, or ill, there will be no one to cover.
I don’t know is that’s a nationwide policy, but it’s what happens in our area.

We haven't had any post for 4 days now - nor have the neighbours,

I did try to phone the sorting office, but no answer there.

Poor service, and getting worse.?

The trouble with Royal Mail is that every one thinks it’s a next day delivery, and you’ll be very lucky if you get that. It’s normally up to a week, and quite a high percentage never gets there.
Our post people are fantastic, but they are a horrible company to deal with, probably because they don’t really have any competition in the small packets and letters.
But I must emphasise, I think the post men and women do a really great job.

There isn’t that option though. Tbh, I think that the RM should be renationalised, so profit isn’t the only driver.

Doodledog
It’s the same with the courier companies, they don’t always offer a satisfactory service, but they are under enormous pressure, with more drops in a day, than I could do in a month, and all within time slots.
I know it won’t be popular, but I think people are going to have to accept that if you want a better service, you may have to be prepared to pay more.

We often get parcels left on the doorstep in all weathers. We are often away for a few days at a time, and posting dates are not reliable enough to time deliveries so that they arrive when we are at home. I'm happy to collect from the sorting office when we get home, which is what we did for years before Covid. I've asked the postman not to do it, and he said that they aren't supposed to return things to the sorting office now.

I've had a few things ruined, and it's a sign to anyone who notices that there is nobody at home, particularly when parcels are there for a few days. I don't blame the posties - they're all decent chaps just doing their jobs, but it is clear that they are working against cutbacks. There is no longer a second post, there is no guarantee of next day delivery unless you pay a fortune - in fact there is no longer much of a guarantee that you'll get a delivery at all.

I had a package supposedly delivered from eBay. It was just a bottle of tea tree oil, as recommended on here. I got an email saying it had been delivered, but I was in all day, and I know it wasn't. The seller kept telling me that he had a tracking record saying it was delivered, but it was not. The neighbours hadn't taken it in, and it hadn't been left anywhere (it would have gone through the letterbox!).

None of this is the way things used to be, and I have no reason to assume that the postmen are of lower calibre than before - it has to be because there is too much concentration on profit.

I've always been happy with our RM service.But recently . our regular postman has gone and various others have replaced him.
I asked one of these "what has happened to D--?
He told me that he had some trouble with some 'idiots' and was moved to another area .
Very sorry about this. What can we do about it>?

Our business is part mail order, and we use Royal Mail a lot, as well as courier companies.
They are a really horrible firm to deal with, and the post takes longer and longer, and loads of it gets lost.
Our postmen and postwomen are fantastic, helpful, friendly and hardworking, but if there is a sustained strike we will stop using them.

Lovetopaint037

Strikes seem to be contagious. Where will it end? In the seventies there was a change of government.

Twice actually when strikes were big issues at the time.

In 1974, in the era of the three-day week for some, and power cuts, Mr Heath, the then Conservative Prime Minister called a General Election, it was held in February 1974, and he lost.He did not need to have called it, he could have gone on to June 1975.

In early 1979, after the so-called Winter of Discontent, Mr Callaghan, the then Labour Prime Minister lost a confidence vote in the House of Commons, so there was a General Election. There would have needed to be one by October 1979 anyway (unless of a war or a similar big problem arising).

I didn't mean food, but things from the likes of Amazon and eBay, as well as Etsy and so on.

I know that some of that comes via courier, but the postman seems to drop something off most days at my house. I virtually never shop in shops these days. Cards come (for most people) a couple of times a year - birthdays and Christmas - whereas other deliveries are all year round. This is all speculation on my part though, and is just based on my own shopping habits.

I've just heard that BT has voted for strike too, if the workers don't get a better pay offer. Again, dates to be announced. There is a meeting between managers and unions next week to see if it can be resolved, but the vote in favour was almost unanimous. It's looking more and more as though the much vaunted summer of discontent is coming to pass.

Doodledog

Is it the decline in sending cards that is behind the postal workers' strike? I would have thought that the rise in online shopping would have more than cancelled that out.

But what percentage of online shopping travels by Royal Mail?

Some does, but a lot of parcels go by courier services
.
And most online shopping for food is direct delivery.

That lying toad should be ousted from no.10. The only problem there is can we afford to redecorate yet again? I have barely recovered from the cost of some of the wallpaper in the house when he moved in.

ExDancer

What's with all these strikes at the moment? Even doctors, or so I'm told.
How's the country going to get back on its feet? Where do they think the money's going to come from?
It isn't as if we can't see covid has to be paid for, and the Ukraine war has pushed prices up worldwide. We all need more money .......... but there isn't any.

There seems to be plenty to lash out to Ukraine, to ensure Johnson looks like the big "I am" and can grandstand.?

To be honest, our post is so unreliable now, I don't think we'd notice.

It's been 4 days since the postman delivered , and I know this because I live in a small block of flats - no one has had any post.?

We all need more money .......... but there isn't any.

There is though.

Is it the decline in sending cards that is behind the postal workers' strike? I would have thought that the rise in online shopping would have more than cancelled that out.

What's with all these strikes at the moment? Even doctors, or so I'm told.
How's the country going to get back on its feet? Where do they think the money's going to come from?
It isn't as if we can't see covid has to be paid for, and the Ukraine war has pushed prices up worldwide. We all need more money .......... but there isn't any.

Quite honestly if I hadn’t read this I doubt I’d notice. Most of our dealings are on line these days, including banking. We get very little in the way of post these days. Apart from cards at Christmas and a few birthday cards from folk who don’t live nearby.

I have my prescriptions delivered by royal mail.

I agree Charleygirl. Nowadays I receive a number of e-cards. Not the same as having a nice card to display but so much cheaper to send.

I do hope this and the recent by elections are a clear indication that the ordinary person in the street has had enough of the lying, self serving Tories who exist only to make the rich richer.

I would be delighted if the unions bring this government to their knees.

I personally feel that the Royal Mail is pricing itself out of business because it costs so much to send a simple card nowadays.

Lovetopaint037

Strikes seem to be contagious. Where will it end? In the seventies there was a change of government.

Bring it on

I feel for the postal workers. Some of their jobs are disappearing because we are saving the planet by not sending cards .
I asked DGC how often they used the postal service-they don’t except for some job applications.
So many different ways to send parcels too.
Not sure how striking will help.