Comments on: On the Picket Line

By: Roy Mayall

Roy Mayall — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:44:45 +0000

No you’re not wrong A.P. It’s so sad that people don’t understand how important it is to have a union. Things are pretty shitty in the Royal Mail at the moment: imagine how much worse it would be without even the minimal protection our union provides.

By: the abbot postie

the abbot postie — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:29:33 +0000

Roy,
Thank you for articulating, so accurately, the life of a postie, you should be proud of yourself for what you’ve done for so many of us old hands.
I have a little story about one of my colleagues, a part time-32 hour delivery contract-which is combined with her afternoon job of hairdresser.
I have always got on well with this lady, 2 years ago she was dismissed on the attendance procedure, but thanks to our excellent union rep was reinstated.
You can imagine my severe disappointment to hear recently that she had worked during the strike,having gone into an office in a nearby village.
Whatever her financial state, had the union not managed to have got her reinstated she would have lost 3 years postie salary, significantly more than the loss of a few days being out on strike.
I just find it really sad that people like this are prepared to use the union but rely on us to fight for the rights and benefits they enjoy.
Am i wrong in feeling betrayed?

By: Roy Mayall

Roy Mayall — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:10:50 +0000

There’s no bullying on a picket line. You cannot stop people going into work. At the worst there’s a bit of banter, that’s all.

By: Norrie

Norrie — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:50:33 +0000

Didn’t sound much like there was a lot of bullying going on Roy’s picketline. Have you ever actually been on strike? Because I can assure you having had the experience once in my life that the pressure from management is a great deal more unpleasant than any pressure generated by strikers standing in the cold at a gate and as far as I know no union member has ever been able to call out the police to break a negotiation deadlock with management.

By: siroisan

siroisan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:44:20 +0000

Should people on pickets lines be there in part because they do not like what they term managerial bullying, they should be clear that they themselves are bullies by trying to intimidate people into not going to work.