Topic: Do you support the strikes?

[Kenny's Jacket]

Delighted for the workers, a bit sad as this probably means that we see less of Lynch on TV though.

[west_london_red]

Delighted for the workers, a bit sad as this probably means that we see less of Lynch on TV though.

Don’t worry, Friday afternoon Transport for London shared an update with staff on the pension changes the government is trying to force on the organisation and unsurprisingly they involve staff paying more in pension contributions, moving from final salary to average salary and increasing the pension age from 60 to 65 so I suspect Mick will be back on your TV soon enough.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Don’t worry, Friday afternoon Transport for London shared an update with staff on the pension changes the government is trying to force on the organisation and unsurprisingly they involve staff paying more in pension contributions, moving from final salary to average salary and increasing the pension age from 60 to 65 so I suspect Mick will be back on your TV soon enough.

Smashing. 

With the recent Budget, this could be interesting
Its obviously their own fault for not being rich Doctors.

[west_london_red]

Smashing. 

With the recent Budget, this could be interesting
Its obviously their own fault for not being rich Doctors.

Well, I’d rather they leave our pensions alone obviously but if there’s someone fighting your corner in such matters, you’d want it to be Lynch. I’m hoping we manage to drag it out long enough that the Tories are out on their arse and Labour leave it alone. It’s an excellent scheme that, but as usual the Tories would prefer to drag peoples working benefits down rather then try and lift other peoples benefits up (other then their rich mates who have been given a massive pension tax cut).

[A Red Abroad]

Smashing. 

With the recent Budget, this could be interesting
Its obviously their own fault for not being rich Doctors Bankers.

 

[Spezialo]

Does that mean some of them (most/all) won't be paid for over a month? You'd need a mammoth pay rise just to cover the loss in earnings for that.

Not sure. Might just be different departments each week across the country.

[peelyon]

The fact its not been on the front pages says a lot.

Then again we've had Boris dragged out again haven't we.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Well, I’d rather they leave our pensions alone obviously but if there’s someone fighting your corner in such matters, you’d want it to be Lynch. I’m hoping we manage to drag it out long enough that the Tories are out on their arse and Labour leave it alone. It’s an excellent scheme that, but as usual the Tories would prefer to drag peoples working benefits down rather then try and lift other peoples benefits up (other then their rich mates who have been given a massive pension tax cut).

Good luck 

[Clint Eastwood]

More junior doctors strikes 11th-14th April (nothing on the BBC News homepage about this though). The one's last week described as the most destructive NHS strikes yet. Here's an account from one of the BMA representatives who met up with Steve Barclay, which will give you an idea of how he conducts himself during negotiations...

Dear Doctors,

Thank you for your patience. Last week we saw tens of thousands of doctors participate in a 72 hour full walkout on the back of the biggest national mandate in a ballot for industrial action seen by unions.

One would have thought that Steve's main pre-condition of no strikes during talks would have meant he'd have been ready on Thursday. Doctors, he was not. Nor was he ready Friday as we suggested in one of our letters.

Steve Barclay sent us a series of dates and times of which we accepted 4 on the understanding that this would be some form of "intensive" negotiation. Steve's secretary sent us an informal email backtracking and asking for the 27th which prompted our repeat letter explaining we had accepted 4 dates.

They responded on Tuesday saying they can do Wednesday, but shifted the timing from 0700-0900 to 1600-1800.

When we rearranged our lives to suit them they said: Actually, it's going to be 1600-1630, oh and it can't be virtual, it must be in person. You can imagine our surprise (none) when they turned up late to the meeting too!

We have demonstrated exceptional flexibility and reasonableness, but more than that, Mr Barclay has been demonstrably unreasonable.

At the talks was a DHSC communications officer, someone from HM Treasury, someone from the cabinet office, an Industrial Relations officer at the DHSC, Mr Barclay, Mr Quince, Mr Barclay's SpAD, and Mr Barclay's PA.

As Mr Barclay was talking, I went to use my phone to communicate with our professional negotiator over IM and Steve lost his composure; we heard in his voice his panic "are you ok Rob?!". I explained our negotiator will do the talking and handed over to them who put across our opening position on all things Full Pay Restoration.

Steve described it as unaffordable and unreasonable but refused to give an opening position himself.

Then, in the middle of the talks, he brings up the topic of "Engagement Principles" of negotiations; bizarre and incompetent given the order of events as we've started negotiating. Laughably one protocol is that "Meeting papers and data relevant to discussion should be circulated in good time before the start of the meeting".

Another component was that the content of the meetings is confidential. This is unacceptable to us. We’re not stupid; of course they’re going to be briefing the media along the way just like they always do and indeed did hours after the meeting. They have betrayed so many people so many times that we do not trust them. We are a democratic union. Communication, feedback, and direction is important to us. Doctors of the BMA are the power of the BMA. You are what gives the negotiators leverage and strength. We are grassroots doctors, it is unconscionable to cut off the grassroots component. They have tried in the media to assassinate the character of BMA representatives to divide you from us and now they have tried to gag BMA representatives to divide us from you.

They call us militant, we call ourselves organised. United we stand.

Steve reiterated that our deal was unreasonable and that he couldn't continue the talks, but before he left, I looked him in the eye and told him that he's quibbling over pounds when we're talking about an actual workforce crisis that has led to huge excess deaths. He kept referencing the AfC deal and I asked him perfectly candidly if he really thought that deal would do anything to address the nursing crisis; he didn't answer the question and they all left but not before Steve asked us to reflect on the day.

[TepidT2O]

Welsh teachers voted for a pay deal today.


The problem?

The most experienced classroom only teachers will now earn £5k a year more than in England.

In Scotland they will earn £9k a year more than in England.

And they wonder why we have a teachers strike?

[RedGlen]

More junior doctors strikes 11th-14th April (nothing on the BBC News homepage about this though). The one's last week described as the most destructive NHS strikes yet. Here's an account from one of the BMA representatives who met up with Steve Barclay, which will give you an idea of how he conducts himself during negotiations...

Interesting to note that the next round of strikes proposed, promise to be even more devastating. They fall directly after a 4 day bank holiday weekend, which typically have reduced staffing levels, for four days. Therefore extending the time with reduced staffing to 8-9 days in a row which will be incredibly hard for the health service to cope with. Plus many senior staff on leave during this time who may well be asked/made to cancel their annual leave to cover gaps in the rota. The NHS bosses only have two full working weeks to determine a plan of action for dealing with the impact of the strikes.

Clearly designed to exert maximum pressure from the strikes, the BMA is not fucking about this time. I would put forward the idea that the government imposing contracts on Junior Doctors in 2016 may have come back to bite them, as the current generation of Junior Doctors (many of whom would have been at the start of their careers in 2016), clearly are less willing to compromise with the government. An example of this is announcing full on strikes (no half-hearted measures like the nurses), and announcing strikes at minimum legally allowed notice period. It should be remembered that their pay has fallen about a quarter relative to pre-financial crash of 2008. Any talk of 5% rises like the other health professions have been offered will likely be met with further declarations of strike dates. 

Also interesting are some of the preconditions demanded by the government before talks can take place - no strikes during talks, confidentiality and no media dealings. I'm pretty certain that none of that was demanded of the rail strikers, because we clearly saw strikes ongoing while Mick Lynch was both briefing the news and attending talks with the rail operators. Therefore quite right of the BMA to reject this.

[Clint Eastwood]

Yep, spot on. Junior doctors have learnt from the mistakes of the unsuccessful 2016 strikes. There was too much effort put in to ensure things ran as normal so they didn't have much impact. There's a more blunt approach this time round.

[A Red Abroad]

As an aside, they appear to do it properly here in France.

The whole place just shut down on Thursday.

 

[Red-Soldier]

As an aside, they appear to do it properly here in France.

The whole place just shut down on Thursday.

 

They had a revolution in France.  They don't piss about.

[TheKid.]

The NEU have arranged an ‘urgent Zoom call’ about the pay dispute, for tomorrow evening

[TepidT2O]

The government have made an offer to teaching unions, their boards have gone away to consider it.

I suspect it will be 5% next year and pretty much nothing else.   R&R is such an issue that I’m not sure people will vote for it.

Why didn’t the giver get make an offer months ago??

[PaulF]

5% for next year , and that's it?  And the boards aren't laughing in their faces?

ps what's R&R in this context?

[TepidT2O]

5% for next year , and that's it?  And the boards aren't laughing in their faces?

ps what's R&R in this context?

That’s my guess by the way

R&R = recruitment and retention

[TepidT2O]

Ok, so it’s worse than I expected…

It’s £1k non-consolidated payment to all teachers and leaders THIS year

4.3% pay rise for experienced teachers in 2023-24

Which means the profession falls even further behind on pay compared to the rest of society.

To put this in context




I mean it’s pretty rubbish, this is yet another real terms pay cut next year.   I expect the NEU to reject it….


Edit: they have called for it to be rejected by members

[PaulF]

People talking about destroying the NHS so they can sell private contracts to their mates. Are they doing a trial run with education?

[TepidT2O]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an instantaneous outpouring of anger from teachers.

They weren’t expecting a great offer, but I think most were expecting more than this..

[killer-heels]

Some rumours about Royal Mail going into administration tomorrow.

[PaulF]

Some rumours about Royal Mail going into administration tomorrow.

Bloody hell!

[PaulF]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an instantaneous outpouring of anger from teachers.

They weren’t expecting a great offer, but I think most were expecting more than this..

As you say, falling fast. Even by comparison to other public sector workers. And they have been settled at more I think!

You'd hope after the tortuous time we had recently with home schooling wed see the value of teachers.

[spen71]

Some rumours about Royal Mail going into administration tomorrow.

Really ?   I know quite a good few postmen

[killer-heels]

Really ?   I know quite a good few postmen

Apparently the union were going to announce a new wave of strikes but then some stuff started swirling about Royal Mail presenting something to the board about needing to go into administration. Will find out tomorrow i imagine.

[spen71]

Apparently the union were going to announce a new wave of strikes but then some stuff started swirling about Royal Mail presenting something to the board about needing to go into administration. Will find out tomorrow i imagine.

Who would of thought going private never works

[reddebs]

Oh dear

BBC News - Civil servants to strike in April
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65091905

[TepidT2O]

Apparently the union were going to announce a new wave of strikes but then some stuff started swirling about Royal Mail presenting something to the board about needing to go into administration. Will find out tomorrow i imagine.

The reference for this appears to be socialist worker…. So, not saying this isn’t true but I’d take what they say with a fair pinch of salt.

[killer-heels]

The reference for this appears to be socialist worker…. So, not saying this isn’t true but I’d take what they say with a fair pinch of salt.

Yep. There is something the board is doing so we will find out tomorrow.

[Red-Soldier]

Some rumours about Royal Mail going into administration tomorrow.

Another privatisation success story 

Royal Mail bosses threaten to declare insolvency as pay talks near collapse

Talks with union over pay and working practices are on brink of collapse and special administration has been explored

Long-running talks between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union are on the brink of collapse, with the company’s board thought to have threatened to put the loss-making postal service – the regulated UK entity that delivers to every address in the country – into a form of administration if a deal cannot be agreed.

A politically explosive move to declare the postal service insolvent is regarded by Royal Mail’s board as a last resort but has been raised with the union already.

“We are aware of the speculation,” said a Royal Mail spokesperson. “If we have anything to add to our previous financial statements, we have an obligation to do so.”

Royal Mail is on course to make operating losses of £350m-£400m this year, its parent – the recently renamed International Distributions Systems (IDS) – has previously said.

After 18 strike days in 2022, talks reopened in the new year and the union paused industrial action, saying the company had made “significant moves” towards a potential settlement. Brendan Barber, a former general secretary of the TUC, was brought in as a facilitator for the talks.

But hopes of a deal have faded over the past week. Sticking points include not only pay but also changes to working practices, with the company arguing the two are interdependent.

“This dispute is truly at a crunch point,” the CWU’s official account tweeted last week. If talks do fail, the union’s national executive is due to meet in the next few days to consider more industrial action, for which a mandate was overwhelmingly secured in February.

It is thought the boards of Royal Mail and IDS still regard a negotiated settlement as the preferred way out of crisis, but a special administration under the Postal Act has been explored. This would mean declaring the business insolvent and unable to pay its dues, raising the possibility of more job losses among its 140,000 employees. Approval would be needed from the government.

It is thought that only the parts of Royal Mail that operate under the universal service obligation – the requirement to deliver to every address six days a week at a uniform price – would be involved. Some parts of the parcels operation, including Parcelforce, would not be affected.

Even a tentative threat of administration, however, could cause a political storm because Royal Mail, with the help of extra demand during the Covid pandemic, made operating profits of £416m as recently as the financial year that ended in March 2022.

It is unclear who the government could appoint as an administrator to run the postal service. The last major company put into special administration was Bulb, the failed energy supplier, which was sold to Octopus Energy at the end of last year.

Most City analysts ascribe a negative economic value to Royal Mail within the IDS’s stock market capitalisation of £2.2bn. The group also owns GLS, an Amsterdam-based international parcels business that is on course for adjusted operating profits of €370m to €410m this year.

The IDS chair, Keith Williams, raised the prospect of a breakup of the group last year and said in November: “The board reiterates that in the event of the lack of significant operational change in Royal Mail, it will look at all options to preserve value for the group including the possibility of separation of the two businesses.” Shares in IDS fell 4% on Monday.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/27/royal-mail-bosses-threaten-to-declare-insolvency-as-pay-talks-near-collapse

[LanceLink!!!!!]

Paid out £400m to shareholders last year after having a profitable 2021, due to a high volume of parcel deliveries during COVID.

Capitalism at its finest.

[Elmo!]

Perfect chance to re-nationalise, if only the Tories weren't still in charge. Instead this will be used as an excuse to get rid of the requirement for 6 day delivery.

[TepidT2O]

Perfect chance to re-nationalise, if only the Tories weren't still in charge. Instead this will be used as an excuse to get rid of the requirement for 6 day delivery.

yeah, you’re right there… Get rid of it or we will go bust…
They will also try to get rid of common pricing within the uk

[A Red Abroad]

Another privatisation success story 

Royal Mail bosses threaten to declare insolvency as pay talks near collapse

Talks with union over pay and working practices are on brink of collapse and special administration has been explored

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/27/royal-mail-bosses-threaten-to-declare-insolvency-as-pay-talks-near-collapse

F*ckin' 'ell! 

[Elmo!]

yeah, you’re right there… Get rid of it or we will go bust…
They will also try to get rid of common pricing within the uk

I already get screwed over by websites who claim free UK mainland delivery then charge me a premium for delivery to...... Aberdeen.

(not nearly as bad as those in the Highlands and Islands).

[TepidT2O]

I already get screwed over by websites who claim free UK mainland delivery then charge me a premium for delivery to...... Aberdeen.

(not nearly as bad as those in the Highlands and Islands).

A levy for the extra waterproofing needed for vans going up that way?

[Disregarder]

Just voted in the NEU pay ballot. If my pay had kept up with inflation I'd be on 11k more a year now. An equivalent pay band in Scotland even with the offer would be 9k more than me plus any pay increase has to be paid for by schools out of existing budgets. Plus no mention of changes to workload conditions. They can get to fuck.

[TepidT2O]

My union have said nothing so far…. 

[PaulF]

I already get screwed over by websites who claim free UK mainland delivery then charge me a premium for delivery to...... Aberdeen.

(not nearly as bad as those in the Highlands and Islands).

It is a surprisingly long journey unless you fly.