Lack of jobs!!

[Jay-ZS+]

Well need some extra cash whilst at uni so decided to go on a job hunt, must have handed out 15+ cv to various stores like b&q, wickes and halfords etc..
plus about 20 applications online, I get an interview from the one job i really would rather not have got, a bar job in a bowling alley. Worked in one before hated it , serving underage chavs all night, great! :slap: Oh well if it pays cant complain.

[Supercharged_Z]

ah JOBS JOBS JOBS..

pain in the arse.

I was made redundant last year, got a job in january then a dream job came along. But now that is having issues, we are a dealer of construction equipment, and the manufacture has started to become a big pain in the arse.. not sure if i look for another job, or what it really is tough times out there.

[Bobdope2002]

ive had 3 jobs in the last 6 months buddy,

I think companies would love to take people on but bcus theyre is so little work out theyre at the moment companies are drawing the purse strings in and dont want to take anyone on

give it another 6-12 months i think we maybe gettin bk to normal

[Supercharged_Z]

im sure people are paying a lot less now as well, which is half the reason i am not wanting to walk away from a very very good basic, with commision.

but for the guys who are on agency etc must be very hard.

and now the country is supposed to get busy for x mas!!! but i havnt seen it yet

[StevieA ZS120]

i just had to walk away from a great job working in edinburgh airport due to it wasnt worth my while by the time i payed petrol money and stuff but even at edinburgh airport who have just had record passenger figures and loads of new flights and that starting are having major job cuts which is why i went on the lookout i was lucky i managed to get a nightshift job in tescos but it is difficult right now

[Bobdope2002]

im sure people are paying a lot less now as well, which is half the reason i am not wanting to walk away from a very very good basic, with commision.

but for the guys who are on agency etc must be very hard.

and now the country is supposed to get busy for x mas!!! but i havnt seen it yet

Ive been on agency for the past 6 months, The money is absolute gash the hours are ***** but i have to do it as i got bills to pay

Its annoying as hell from coming out a full time job to being made redundant to constantly worrying whether im goin to have a job from week to week

I really do hope things do pick up soon so i can get back into some sort of routine

[Supercharged_Z]

its going to be a tough winter.

Goverment spending is down, vat rates are due back up. and we are pilling money into a scrapage scheme that lets manufactures from other countrys keep busy.

under 1 in 10 cars sold at the moment is built in the uk.

the building/construction trade has taken a knock again with the public spending, and as soon as the weather gets bad the trade will struggle again.

There are sites that have opened up, but im not sure who has noticed, houses are being built 1 by 1, build 1 sell 1 build 1 sell 1, rather than a group lot, nobody dare lay out money.

tough times still

[LozMachine]

its going to be a tough winter.

Goverment spending is down, vat rates are due back up. and we are pilling money into a scrapage scheme that lets manufactures from other countrys keep busy.

under 1 in 10 cars sold at the moment is built in the uk.

the building/construction trade has taken a knock again with the public spending, and as soon as the weather gets bad the trade will struggle again.

There are sites that have opened up, but im not sure who has noticed, houses are being built 1 by 1, build 1 sell 1 build 1 sell 1, rather than a group lot, nobody dare lay out money.

tough times still

Britain has been living on false economy for the last 20+ years imo. I mean lets sell off our gold reserves in a recession when its worth sweet fa. yeah nice one gordon! we need to kick start the manufacturing industry and start selling / exporting big style. And what was that i heard quoted on the news today "its about time London started dancing to a Scottish tune" ? Brown & Darling? two words.. Laurel and Hardy. this country is royally fecked
Coal
Steel
Post
Railways
Nhs
Nuclear
Shipwrights
Mg Rover (had to put that one)
Never mind at least the *ankers, sorry bankers will have a good christmas

[vinny1979]

im a postman

I dont have to say anymore

Our once great country is being sailed down the river by our " new labour" friends...

[SticklesMickles]

Always somebody worse off, i run my own small business and i lost 10k from my wage last year, this year i am 4% up on the previous year

but i was about 33% down last year LOL

So i am still 29% down :(
If it were not for the fact that the missus gets paid reasonably well (for a woman ;) ) i actually would have went under around 4 months back as i ran out of cash.

I went from a happy go lucky chap, with no debts, to a nervous wreck who now owes 4k on a credit card, 2k to the missus who kindly lent me some cash, and i still owe the tax man 3k :( I lost 2 stone 3 pounds due to stress pmsl!

4 years of happiness and 1 year of utter hell, its quite ironic that i have just made the final payment on my business loan that i took out to start the damn thing up.

A few times i figured it would have been a much easier option to go bankrupt and try to get things wiped clean, i know a few others in my position have done this, a mate who runs the same kind of business as me has taken up to doing a cash in hand delivery job on a night time to keep paying his staff, 8am till 11.30pm working hours = ouch!

Once the road gritters come out, we hit our busy season, and its the norm to make some real crazy cash, this year the crazy cash will be getting used to pay of the outstanding debts :(

[blobslosak]

Britain has been living on false economy for the last 20+ years imo. I mean lets sell off our gold reserves in a recession when its worth sweet fa. yeah nice one gordon! we need to kick start the manufacturing industry and start selling / exporting big style. And what was that i heard quoted on the news today "its about time London started dancing to a Scottish tune" ? Brown & Darling? two words.. Laurel and Hardy. this country is royally fecked
Coal
Steel
Post
Railways
Nhs
Nuclear
Shipwrights
Mg Rover (had to put that one)
Never mind at least the *ankers, sorry bankers will have a good christmas

I disagree with the mention of nuclear in that list, the industry is very strong, especially with the likelihood of more power stations being built.

Anyway, I agree with rest and it's still a bloody long list.

[LozMachine]

I disagree with the mention of nuclear in that list, the industry is very strong, especially with the likelihood of more power stations being built.

Anyway, I agree with rest and it's still a bloody long list.

Maybe, but 90% of our work is for the nuclear industry and its all but dried up, they've actually put a block on all new projects. The Americans and French run the show now, and when are they gonna build new power stations? a year or two off at least. Given up on this year now ,just hoping some major work is released in the new year

[Dan1971]

Next ..... Royal mail .....

[Paul ZS120]

Next ..... Royal mail .....

The postal service has become so crap it needs a big shake up. What happens when they try - the bloody staff strike cause they know they have it better now.

First class post used to arrive by 8am the next day. Now it's lunch if you are lucky and when lived in London the first post could be as late as 6pm. I was getting home from work before the morning mail was even delivered now that's a crap service.

First class post used to be next day delivery now you are lucky if it is two days. They have brought out recorded delivery as they lose the majority of stuff you have to pay extra so they will look after it. If you want guardnteed next day delivery you have to get 'special delivery' which is four quid dearer and is delivered in the time frame the first class post should be anyway.

The whole service is a joke and it needs the shake up. Any staff that strike should be fired and new staff brought in that actually want to do the job. Solvesthe service and the unemployment levels all in one go. This country is far too lazy. Everyone wants more wages but can't be assed working to get it

[Bobdope2002]

Everyone wants more wages but can't be assed working to get it

I Want to Work and i want to do the hours im not one of those monkeys who sponge of the goverment then have another 10 kids so they can get a house eleccy, water everything they want for free

this country needs to get its proritys right if youve been on the dole for more than 6 months ARMY time for you sorry just the way i see it and im condeming my younger brother to war but its the way forward

[Paul ZS120]

I have been a medic in the army for 8 years now and bringing back national service has been much debated lately. However in this day and age it wouldn't work and in fact I would vote against it.

The youth of today aren't fit and take drugs. I know this isn't everybody and o am making a general statement but on the whole I am right. Also the idiots that have asbo and think it's a qualification can really do without training how to use automatic weapons properly!

Bringing them into the forces would just make the army less effective therefore putting the lives of the people that want to be there under greater risk. I would rather be in the desert with someone who had signed on the line themselves than had been forced into it. Dump them in the army is just passing the buck and getting us to do what the government should have done long ago - give the little shits a kicking

[Bobdope2002]

the little shits a kicking

then ud be doing time for doing so

you just cant win in this country its crap

[blobslosak]

Maybe, but 90% of our work is for the nuclear industry and its all but dried up, they've actually put a block on all new projects. The Americans and French run the show now, and when are they gonna build new power stations? a year or two off at least. Given up on this year now ,just hoping some major work is released in the new year


What do you mean by 'The Americans and French run the show now'?
I graduated in Engineering this year and have just got a job at Sellafield, along with 50 other graduates this year. 11,000 people employed on a civil nuclear site... dried up? The new power stations are a few years off, but its certainly an industry with a decent future.

[Bobdope2002]

What do you mean by 'The Americans and French run the show now'?
I graduated in Engineering this year and have just got a job at Sellafield, along with 50 other graduates this year. 11,000 people employed on a civil nuclear site... dried up? The new power stations are a few years off, but its certainly an industry with a decent future.

My uncle is one of the head safety blokes at sellafield he earns fekin shitloads

[LozMachine]

What do you mean by 'The Americans and French run the show now'?
I graduated in Engineering this year and have just got a job at Sellafield, along with 50 other graduates this year. 11,000 people employed on a civil nuclear site... dried up? The new power stations are a few years off, but its certainly an industry with a decent future.

Do me a favour then . START SPENDING SOME MONEY!!!!!!!!

[LozMachine]

My uncle is one of the head safety blokes at sellafield he earns fekin shitloads

OMG Safety, another fecker without a proper job!!!!

[vinny1979]

The postal service has become so crap it needs a big shake up. What happens when they try - the bloody staff strike cause they know they have it better now.

First class post used to arrive by 8am the next day. Now it's lunch if you are lucky and when lived in London the first post could be as late as 6pm. I was getting home from work before the morning mail was even delivered now that's a crap service.

First class post used to be next day delivery now you are lucky if it is two days. They have brought out recorded delivery as they lose the majority of stuff you have to pay extra so they will look after it. If you want guardnteed next day delivery you have to get 'special delivery' which is four quid dearer and is delivered in the time frame the first class post should be anyway.

The whole service is a joke and it needs the shake up. Any staff that strike should be fired and new staff brought in that actually want to do the job. Solvesthe service and the unemployment levels all in one go. This country is far too lazy. Everyone wants more wages but can't be assed working to get it


Without blowing my top nothing you have no ******* idea mate, how dare you accuse us of going on strike due to a " shake up" , absolute bollocks, nor is it about pay. You think I want to risk my house and kids xmas over trivial issues by going on strike??

You need to get your facts right and stop reading the papers and all the other crap our mass media ( government controlled) tells you.

Bullshit about recorded deliveries too, they only prove an item has been received, the item is not traced,

traced items are special deliveries which are delivered as you state by 1pm the following day.

This is why our postal service is in such a state

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.

[vinny1979]

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 modernisationWE 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 that1. 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 exaustive,but we are,thank you for taking the time to read it.

[LozMachine]

What do you mean by 'The Americans and French run the show now'?
I graduated in Engineering this year and have just got a job at Sellafield, along with 50 other graduates this year. 11,000 people employed on a civil nuclear site... dried up? The new power stations are a few years off, but its certainly an industry with a decent future.

11,000 people doing what? not a lot i can tell you
The US&Fr control the budget. a 5 year deal, do ya not know? good luck in ya job btw and yep its dried up believe me ,the place must be falling apart, i hope your good at bluffing , if ya are you'll go far!!!
And yep it has a decent future as long as we drop the freeloading masons:shutup:

[blobslosak]

11,000 people doing what? not a lot i can tell you
The US&Fr control the budget. a 5 year deal, do ya not know? good luck in ya job btw and yep its dried up believe me ,the place must be falling apart, i hope your good at bluffing , if ya are you'll go far!!!
And yep it has a decent future as long as we drop the freeloading masons:shutup:

Isn't it a 2 year deal, and isn't it a joint management group from the UK, France, Japan and USA?

Do you/have you worked there? Having just come into the industry forgive me for having a more positive outlook than yourself.

[LozMachine]

Isn't it a 2 year deal, and isn't it a joint management group from the UK, France, Japan and USA?

Do you/have you worked there? Having just come into the industry forgive me for having a more positive outlook than yourself.

No worries mate, been working there for 15 years, positive outlook? all will become clear ,but hey ho you go for it fella. PM me when you get disalussioned:crazy:
And you are forgiven!:smile1:

[blobslosak]

No worries mate, been working there for 15 years, positive outlook? all will become clear ,but hey ho you go for it fella. PM me when you get disalussioned:crazy:
And you are forgiven!:smile1:

lol, no worries. Look out for a red ZS180 anyway. That'll be me. :alien:

[SticklesMickles]

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.




Yes you are right, we don't care, we just want our mail, YOU are punishing US because YOU don't like your proposed, but fully required, working conditions.



WE have done NOTHING to YOU, yet we are punished.


I have no sympathy with people who affect ME for something i have not done. The more these silly strikes continue, the more your own job you are striking for, is at risk of loss.

Companies are striving to use alternative means now, emailing bills instead of using the post, sending products via 3rd party's, the more you strike, the more you reinforce the idea that people need to use alternatives.

I know that i personally now use email for everything possible, so does some of my suppliers, so does my accountant, it has to be done, it arrives instantly, it does not get lost, its a win-win situation.

The postal service is filled with utter rot, old guys set in ways, lazy boys who don't want to work for a living. If they don't do anything about the rot, it is going to crash and burn in spectacular fashion


Policemen striking for more pay, yeah i would support that
Troops striking for more pay, hell yeah
Fire service, NHS = yup


But an unskilled worker delivering mail, who is doing an glorified paper round, i have no sympathy whatsoever, and neither does the vast amount general public.