I haven't been around to hear the ins and outs of the London stuff, my understanding is that managers in London have taken the rejection of a stike vote as a sign of capitulation and are now pushing thro even more drastic measures, the thing is, the conditions are crap, the pay low and the managers mindset is split between overt Thactherism and 1950s school teachers, put you hand up to go to the toilet etc.
Other info: no company wants to deliver to households theres no money in it, especially the rural areas, sink estates, urban sprall etc, this should be a public service, modernised? of course, but it will never pay its own way and the customers would never pay what it costs in real terms.
Royal Mail has been given 'streching'finanical targets but isn't allowed to charge more for its services. So its cutting staff numbers and increasing the work load on the remainder. The thing is, as previously this needs Govt intervention, it was Lord Sawyer last time, and an understanding that, like the maintanence of the railways, delivering all the National's mail can't be done with a profit mind set.
For years money that was raised by Royal Mail, this was hundred of millions each year, when it had a monoploy was taken by all govts to pay for tax cuts and other pet policies and never invested back in the infastructure, no business could operate like that private or nationalised, eventually something had to give.
No doubt the Telegraph readers and the people who grow up with Thatcher have no idea of what a Public Service ethos is, but that is what is needed here, before the Postal service ends up like the railways.
Over and out...
Quinta Brigada
