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26 th August 1st strike date.
:)
The workers have been saying how badly the company is run for a while now. With DO management now refusing to implement changes and looking like they will go on strike , it doesn't look good at the minute.
Common if GLS was sold off maybe they should ask Amazon for a loan plenty of cash there mate ? LOL
Interesting thx Mr Anger
I have no doubt plans for GLS are well advanced. The file with a plan would have been warm before this. The only question for me is where it lists OR whether PE buy it. The final alternative would be another big global carrier who could help Royal Mail and GLS and buy a % of GLS. Simon Thompson will NOT be a top 3 decision maker on this - first will be the chairman, second will be the ceo of GLS and 3rd will probably be the view of Mr K. The latter two I would expect to be pushing for a spin off. If anything, it would be counter intuitive for simon thompson to be wanting to spin off GLS - he would want it to stay in the business as it has been his funding line. However massive pressure I think from 2 and 3 to spin off. Given GLS is amsertdam head quartered I would have there BUT joint US (I would like)
Depending how GLS is spun off .. One of the biggest decisions IF spun out would be about funding. Very ballpark RMG has £1.1bn gross cash and an equal and opposite listed loan of Eur900m which is very cheap at 2% repayable in 25/26. I suspect the GLS could spin off with neutral gearing - no debt no cash but with facilities. That would leave Royal Mail with some decent net cash - which it would need !!
IF GLS is spun off for say £3bn and say 30% sold off this would net RMG £1bn. This would allow say £700m returned to holders and say £300m left extra in Royal Mail whilst RMG retains a 70% holding on a £3bn business so £2.1bn. Soooo Royal Mail itself could be a beneficiary of a spin off. The dividend would need to be reduced and / or cut until Royal Mail profits return.
Just some thoughts
The younger generation are fine, it's the old and senile that are the problem ;-)
Can't see a subscription service being workable. The client isn't ordering anything. I recall reading that a great deal is being lost by RMG as it is due to underpayments or whatever. Easier to pay extra postage I feel.
But.... somethings got to give, streamline the system and stop blaming the shareholders.
Redceo, the younger generation tend to want everything asap if not sooner so I suspect that the situation will only escalate. Having a premium rate service would be the way forward if it can be competitive or even a subscription service such as Prime?
Oli. That's assuming everyone requires instant gratification. Maybe it's not the case, presents for example and countless other instances come to mind.
I'm sure it would be a short period of adjustment to establish a revised ordering pattern. Maybe even a premium rate for earlier delivery?
It just needs joined up thinking and cooperation.
Redceo, DerekRocholl, I suspect that many who order in the morning of day one will wish to be using the purchase by lunchtime on day two however the rationale from the RM perspective was that buyers could purchase from certain retailers up until 10pm in order to guarantee delivery "next day" which technically could be up until 23:59:59hrs.
I'm not sure how this is any better than a model of "purchase by 5pm for next day delivery before 5pm"?
Derek. Of course it's seldom a "one size fits all" I imagine a household where the occupiers are out working all day.
If they don't have a safe place or reliable neighbour it must be a real problem to receive parcels.
Redceo from recollection research data supported your opinion for standard parcels but only if they were delivered between 6pm and 8pm. Only a very small proportion thought next day parcel delivery after 6pm would be useful mainly because if you want something next day that you intend to use next day getting it that late is fairly useless. I suspect the same goes for letter mail.
My personal belief is that many would prefer a later delivery time as they are more likely to be home.
Yesterday's Mirror article.
A slight variation on the Telegraph?
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thousands-uk-households-wont-deliveries-27673029
Incidentally, I don't believe that Thompson wants to avoid a strike as it will give the BoD more reason to split GLS off.
Parcelforce workers have already received notification that GLS are now using a different UK courier.
Got to be right - no one needs a strike
"management are going to discuss with the CWU"
It's good to talk, confrontation seldom has a positive outcome.
Very interesting new piece today - I can’t copy paste but it talks of letters arriving an hour later going forward to allow better parcels delivery - 5pm from 4pm for most. Seems comercially sensible. I can’t believe the unions see this as too onerous. Maybe these discussions will help management listen to the workers and actually make some even better improvements. Think I will pick some more up Monday - I can’t believe progress on discussions isn’t being made to avoid a strike.
I started at 6:30 today and was out of the delivery office at just gone 8:30 after prepping two rounds on what is a quiet summer Saturday, 2hrs 30 mins seems reasonable for peak. It's hard to believe senior management aren't aware of that given it's happening in 100's of delivery offices across the UK on a daily basis.
The latest is that senior management have now taken on our concerns and are going to discuss it further with the CWU
Commonsense one think my friend is RMG will Never beat Amazon at firstly a business and definitely not Financially as they are league’s apart regarding that !
Mr honkeytonk - I just hope as a bystander shareholder something is agreed as no one wins with striking - no one has given me a pay rise for ten years ! In fact during covid we took down on salary to help and it never went back up ! Point being much of private sector will not be getting any pay rise.
The best way to earn some extra more money to genuinely feed the family and keep the water warm in winter is to grab as much overtime as one can - a few extra hours probably make a bigger difference than a few % - just my personal view.
Management need to make the mighty Royal Mail as great a company as it can and I am highly highly excited about its future. Again if you hadn’t seen But my excitement was at peak when the union bosses spoke at the city analyst meeting who talked about ‘working together’ - it was amazing.
I honestly think Royal Mail is one of the best companies in the U.K. (and I am not senile!) to have 40% market share by virtue of the amazing posty network in an e commerce parcels market is highly highly powerful. I wish they would give out more shares to all employees and drive profitability and do what will ultimately beat the hardest thing of all … beat Amazon. One of my wisest business friend said to me recently one thing will kill Royal Mail - Amazon !
Good luck all, most important thing is feeding families which is tough for everyone but you need a job to do that and if there is overtime … grab it !!! In inflation is here long term take 5% now and probably 5% next year but work together and no strikes.
Sorry waffling on ! Nice to chat Mr Honkeytonk !!
Network rail managers.
Bt managers accepted 4% too
Both get bonuses and performance related pay rises as well. So it’s more than 4.
Team members have not agreed , the bulk of the workforce under stronger union.
It's the management that have agreed 4 percent...don't know why they bother being in a union...oh yes I do...
They use the workers to get want they want...
Isle, different experiences clearly in the DOs I was used to everyone did inward primary and secondary for about half an hour before prepping their walks and hardly anyone was in before 5am and rarely was anyone left in the office apart from a few people on firms by 6.45. That was without automated sequenced mail, or wing prep fittings, and with an average of a 2 items per address per day.
@ Maximas.
What are you talking about?
I was making DerekR aware of the differences between now and then regarding getting out on delivery
FYI when i started i was doing a 43 hour week, 6 days a week. I'm now doing 37 hours a week, 5 days a week.
So, i'm actually working less.
Talk about stupid.
Some common sense used then, commonsense.
Just seen in FT 33 mins ago that the network rail union has agreed a 4% pay rise - am sure more complex than that but that is the headline … strikes avoided