These postal strikes are very annoying! If only someone could create a system for electronically sending messages instantly and free of charge! 
Need one highlight just how well the UK's automotive and coal industries are doing following extensive strike action?
But, to look at it another way, while they striked excessively at the end of the car industry, the management had screwed it up for years beforehand by not making enough decent models.
If it were just letters there would be no problems. Try e-mailing an online item purchase or a parcel and perhaps you'll see the reason for all the frustration.These postal strikes are very annoying! If only someone could create a system for electronically sending messages instantly and free of charge!![]()
That is, at best, about 50% true. The appalling job the workers did putting them together led to a reputation (well deserved) for unreliability. That coupled with the strikes leading to very variably supply drove many previously loyal customers to foreign imports. The workers were very much involved with their own fate.
Good luck with your search for a cheaper more efficient service than the PO,Amazon can't but maybe you'll have better luck.The "causes" fought for in the past may not be important to you but things like a five day week,a eight hour day,no child labour,meal breaks etc etc are rights fought long and hard for by the unions you appear to despise and are very important to me and many others.
You're obviously a postal worker yourself (or close to someone who is) and therefore your posts smack of bias. Sure unions were important and helpful once, but they have outlived their usefulness and their strong-arm tactics have no place in 21st century society. The concept is quite simple, people want a service that will deliver their letters/packages with little to no issues. A company that will strike and disrupt things to get its way can not be that service.
Wonderful, all they have to do now is actually deliver them and not add them to the pile of "we were on strike, can't be bothered to deal with these now" letters/parcels.http://www.roadtransport.com/Articles/2009/10/13/134764/royal-mail-in-16319.5m-contract-win.html
reagarding the PO winning a new 19.5 million new contract.
I find these strikes selfish and ignorant from the postal workers.
I was staggered to find that a first class mailed item, franked October 3rd arrived at my home on October 12th... and amazingly the letter only had to travel between two towns, about 5-10 miles apart.
First class? My ass.
I've got nothing bad to say about them. Our postmans pretty good actually, a few Summers ago whilst my folk were on holiday I sent off for some eBay items. He knew I was still asleep and posted the stuff in the wendy house in the back garden and posted through a note telling me to get my lazy arse up. Never had anything lost in the mail (that I know of, at least when it comes to internet shopping), always been a speedy service here.
But boo to the strikes. I've got international post heading my way, I hope this doesn't halt that process.
Interesting re: the Amazon thing.
I ordered a single book yesterday and chose to pay extra for 1st Class Delivery. I expected this would be dispatched with the Royal Mail as per usual. Just received my dispatch email. It's been sent with City Link...
selfish and stupid management
1st class letter sent from London arrived at work yesterday.
It was posted on the 9th.
Awesome.
We have to spend a portion of the day preparing customers for the delay induced by the Thur/Fri strikes. Put a note up on our website. Try and send important things by other means. We're not a big company - it's not going to cost us much in real terms - but it IS costing us.
I had an email from Amazon yesterday afternoon informing me my copy of Window 7 had been dispatched via Royal Mail.
It was delivered at 9:00 this morning.![]()
Mail within London (M25) has been a nightmare.We have had a lot of problems at work with mail to and from London in the last couple of weeks. I guess it's soon going to spread to the rest of the country.![]()