Member Info for OliGarch

teslo, "this is the biggest liquidity rally in history and most likely the biggest bubble also. FTSE is fast approaching 7000 and is now less than 10% away from pre-covid levels, the DOW is at record highs, yet the economy remains closed".
I have no idea what is driving the FTSE back up but wondered if Sunak's policy of issuing billions of pounds of liquidity into the economy was creating a false scenario. Do you think that we are heading for another crash once the furlough party ends?
"The rich will get richer, whilst the poor and low income earners will continue to be crippled financially in 2021". I totally agree with you on this and think that the UK will see record poverty levels for several years however the chancellor has already proved that he could reduce the financial gap between the rich and poor if he wanted to.

Redceo, unfortunately the managers in RM don't have the ability of ensuring their successors. Once a post becomes vacant the job is advertised nationally and filled by the best applicant using the current selection process, or advertised externally if no suitable candidates apply. Some posts even require that there are enough male and female applications before selection can proceed! Personally I would prefer that names, sex and age should be withheld during the initial selection process to ensure that the best candidates prevail.

Scamp, I hadn't targeted my comment at Redceo. I was just trying to point out that even when the most knowledgeable employees leave there's always someone who will fill your post and the business will continue as though you never existed. Essentially we are just payroll numbers on Royal Mail's People System Portal, nothing more.

Scamp "rolling stock on the railways will be increased dramatically". Are you suggesting using the rail network. That was okay up to the 1980s when most of the mail centres were built next to mainline stations but now they are quite often located on industrial estates several miles from a railway station.

Redceo, "I wonder how RMG will function once the knowledgeable employees obtain V.R?"
This poem may explain it, but you already knew this....
Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego 's in bloom;
Sometime when you take it for granted,
You're the best qualified in the room:
Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions,
And see how they humble your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining,
Is a measure of how much you'll be missed.
You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop, and you'll find that in no time,
It looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint example,
Is to do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There's no indispensable man.

Mike, does this mean that your office has needed to hire extra vans or are postie's using their own, or did you have spare vans available?
Judging by the amount of white vans (of all sizes up to 740) in our mail centre yard I would imagine that the cost of vehicle hire nationally has risen considerably. We are also keeping our hired Christmas pressure marquee for the foreseeable future as it provides extra capacity and weather cover. I'm not sure how much the hire company are charging but it's a winner for them as no one is going to a wedding anytime soon.

teslo, you are correct regarding the SP on results day (apart from last November) in that it usually drops regardless of the report content, however as I received my monthly NS&I interest payment on my income bonds today (was 1.16% now down to 0.0001%) then I am seriously considering buying back in (having spent my £2.23)...lol

davemk115, glad to hear that. Some may moan that it's 'only 1%' but the overall package equates to 3.67% if you take the one hour reduction into consideration. In fact if you work the extra hour and book it as overtime it is slightly more however that wasn't the point of the exercise.

davemk115 and spudy, will you and your colleagues be voting against the proposal given the following?
April 2021 to March 2022 – a further 1% pay increase flowing through to all appropriate elements of pay, plus the introduction of the second hour reduction of the Shorter Working Week. The second hour reduction to be introduced by October 2021 through the local revision activity set out in the agreement.

A full copy of the agreement can be found here:
http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joint-draft-KEY-PRINCIPLES-FRAMEWORK-
AGREEMENT_18_12_20_Final.pdf

I would have expected the positive updates from both RM and the CWU to put at least 25p on the SP. Perhaps it will once the deal is accepted by the membership?

Are RMG planning to release a nine month trading update in February? Given the huge upturn in both parcel and letter box collection volumes since November (this Christmas has been busier for LBC than Christmas 2019) it would be logical to think that the £129m defect from the previous update coul be overturned?
The coronavirus pandemic has given RM a gilt edged opportunity to turn things around. The UK has been virtually forced down the path of home delivery and with many people working from home this year first time delivery has been high plus it looks as though 'lockdown 4' is imminent. Hopefully the Covid-19 Home Testing Fulfilment Services contract will be fulfilled so surely it would be unthinkable for RM not to come good?
This should be like shooting fish in a barrel but Simpson and Williams will certainly be under pressure if there isn't a decent profit on the books come next April.

Devils Advocate Time.....
davemk115 and spudy, considering what's going on at the moment, surely you and your colleagues are only too grateful and content with having your jobs so why are you bothered about the percentage pay rise, let alone the SWW?

HHIAN2, taking a buy down is a voluntary action and quite a few of my work colleagues have successfully done this over the last 5 years. Some have taken a 50% buy down whilst others have taken a 20% buy down. Their hours and shift patterns have been coordinated to suit both employer and employee. I'm not suggesting that it would be mandatory but it could be a better way forward for those that might want to work 4 x 8hr45min days instead of 5 x 7h36min shifts thus saving 46 days of travelling time and associated costs such as fuel or fares plus more family time.
As for your idea of VR for the over 60s, I don't like it........... I love it...........bring it on baby........Are Sky showing Cocoon this Christmas?

I work in a mail centre beatrootjuice. The TV lounge is an internal room about 18' X 12' and there's normally about 10 drivers in there eating their packed lunches and watching Sky news. The staff restaurant isn't exactly Tiffany's either...lol

I was wondering if the van share rules in the tier 3/4 areas would change? It's also worrying that we are allowing the HGV drivers to drive from tier 4 areas into tier 2 areas and then use the staff restaurant, TV lounge etc... plus there are quite a few that don't wash their hands after using the facilities which is quite disgusting in normal times let alone during a pandemic.

JB and Scamp, it will be interesting to see the details of the proposed pay deal. Maggie1862 has put forward an idea that it may be 2%+ which would seem to fit in with the recent CMA deal however I don't think that the SWW is going to be off the table forever and the recent increase in parcel volumes may be a driving force for future negotiations. Don't forget, an hour of the SWW represents an approximate 2.7% pay increase which is what the CMA won earlier this year.
A big issue for the CWU is that it is mainly the workers over 50 that are interested in the SWW as they tend to be more financially secure. Many of the younger workers in their 20s and 30s would, I suspect, want more guaranteed overtime which they are currently being offered and accepting (what else are you going to do during a pandemic) with many having worked 10 hour plus shifts every day since the beginning of December (the working time directive is ignored during Christmas pressure) but because new full time recruits are given a 35 hour contract this could potentially see a two tier workforce going forward.
Perhaps one way forward would be to have a two tier pay system but that would be quite messy or even to keep the current pay structure and agreed pay rises but allow workers to take a buy down to 35 hours (effectively an 8% pay cut) and still be full time which wouldn't be any more confusing than the current structure which we currently have with four or five different start times for each shift depending upon the personal rights that have been brought forward from previous agreements.

So the SP has dropped today on the possibility of a no deal Brexit despite the fact that no deal has been an odds on certainty for months or am I misunderstanding this?
What happened to Boris's oven ready deal.....lol?

Over the last nine months this share has pretty much kept track with the FTSE250 so it would be logical to assume that it will carry on rising in line with it until the FTSE gets back to pre Covid-19 levels.
Having said that, to assume makes an ass of u and me!
This isn't just any share............ it's a white knuckle rollercoaster share with more twist and turns than the current Tory party coronavirus guidance. Enjoy.

I'm not sure that the cost of the parcels automation machines is an issue necessarily. Most businesses are able to write the cost of equipment such as vehicles, tools and machinery co off against their taxes.