The JobCentres pressured people to apply last month and if they've been accepted they face six months of no money at all if they refuse to take an offered job, worse than any other Royal Mail staff face. The unemployed who applied did so thinking it was just normal seasonal work. The CWU would now be better trying to unionise the temps in advance since it is too late to stop people taking the work. Everybody here should be aware that crossing any picket line under any circumstances makes you a scab for the rest of your life.
Temps should be made aware that just now they have the legal right to self-certify themselves as sick for a week (maybe two) with swine flu, and that every doctor finds back-pain hard to diagnose.

Sorting offices tend to be fortified buildings, which means there are only a couple of easily blockable exits. Legally, all the CWU can do is stand there and ask people not to break the strike, anything more would get the workers sacked and the union fined. Legal concerns never stop the rest of Indymedia readers taking direct action though.

"I plead with fellow indymedia users do not accept these temporary positions and jeopardize the livelihoods of your fellow workers!"

Most Indymedia readers wouldn't take a job if you paid them so by definition can not be fellow workers (a joke - you do remember humour?)

Now stop messing about and shift some bloody mail. You're pissing off people who haven't done anything to you. I several thousands of pounds worth of invoices not reaching their destination. No invoice paid - workers laid off - there's no money to pay them.

Do your job, fight your fight and we'll support you.

Don't do your job, start a fight and we'll desert you and TNT will be called in.

Your choice.

A Dutch company, TNT, are offering jobs jobs delivering mail in Glasgow taking advantage of the strike to break the British Royal Mail. The reason I call it a job for life is you'll be lucky to collect your first paypacket. Their uniforms will be bright orange, which in a working class sectarian city during a strike is suicidal. If any doley is made to apply for one of those jobs, make sure the JobCentre buy you a stab-proof vest and a pair of running shoes.

Some time ago there was an article that MI5 had postmen spying on there rounds, might mean a rest from some post men looking and spying while on there rounds.
all the same im with ya post man and women

Unemployed workers are still workers regardless of whether they happen to be in work or not!

Your attitude is disgusting postie, basically you'll support a strike so long as it doesn't inconvenience you? I wonder if you apply your double standard attitudes to the fire fighting, teaching unions, or striking refuse workers in Leeds? Get off your high horse and support workers who face mass redundancies, pay cuts, holiday cuts, and privatisation!

Yes strikes might inconvenience people but they are the only weapon that workers have against union busting bosses, who grow fat on bonuses at the expense of customers.


Danny, I personally wasn't aware that the job centres were forcing the unemployed to apply for these jobs. Frankly I find it disgusting as it amounts to blackmail, cross the pickets or loose your money. I'll certainly be raising this with fellow workers and it definitely needs to be discussed more. Will definitely urge any workers who have been forced into these contracts by the job centres to contact the unions immediately, the more information we have on this the better.

to send back all your junk mail in the pre paid envelopes provided.

KEEP THE SCABS BUSY.

I maybe gave the wrong impression, nobody is forced to apply for these jobs, I binned my application. You are heavily pressured into applying though as you need to apply for a certain amount of jobs each week, and prove that you have applied, and these jobs are promoted as hassle-free. So when you are getting grilled the adviser passes everyone a postcard Royal Mail job advert and says "Why not apply for Royal Mail? You could do a few weeks work couldn't you? Would you some pocket money to buy your family Christmas presents?" That sort of shit.
Younger men get the same kind of postcard sized applications for the army thrust upon them too, 'to get a trade and travel'.

To be fair to the dole advisors, even they wouldn't have known at the time these were scab jobs.

Anyone who has already applied is fucked, if you don't accept a job or mess up the interview blatantly or get sacked for misconduct early all your benefits are cut for six months. The dole advisers always make a 'sad-face' when they do that to you. If I had already applied for one of these jobs then I'd been down to the doctor to get diagnosed as clinically depressed for Incapacity Benefit until January.

I don't know if being sacked for refusing to cross a picket line will result in your benefits being stopped but I assume that is the case, no ones said otherwise.

If I remember rightly TNT were originally an Australian firm, scum bag mates of Roo-Perve Murdog
they were involved in breaking the printers strike and may have also been involved in the conspiracy against Arthur Scargill and the miners. They have recently taken over from several European postal services, the post office was once a cheap way of sending stuff, not any more. It costs a fortune and takes twice as long and you risk that what you send may never arrive. But it's very profitable for corporate parasites.

I saw someone on another website commenting that, during the days of strike action, they intended to seal their letterbox with a notice to the effect that they wouldn't accept post delivered by strike-breakers. Not a bad idea, methinks. Also, for anyone who hasn't seen it -

 http://libcom.org/library/letter-postman

I passed one of the TNT distribution centres earlier. It was like a Tesco distribution centre but far smaller and without the multiple entrances, so far easier to block. Four arrestables could block it various ways. At this particular site, block the dedicated approach road and no one else would be inconvenienced - one arrestable on a tripod or in a vehicle. Gatehouse next to the entrance, a solid central barrier and the exit. The swing car-barriers were always up, and sturdy lockable external gates that fold inwards that were always open - you can drive straight in. The fence wouldn't stop anyone getting to the lorries but would stop the lorries getting in or out, and there is a unlit blind spot away at 60 degrees to both the loading bay and the gatehouse, a crowd could get in unnoticed over or under the fence. I'll go back in a few hours and see if things change but the loading bays were busy and lorries were going in and out every fifteen minutes or so.

It might not be worthwhile hitting them yet, they are simply PR posturing by 'trialling' their own postmen. On their website 'Response to Royal Mail strike action [22-23 October 2009]' they say "There are regulatory barriers in the postal market which prevent TNT Post from providing a full end to end delivery of mail. The strikes show it is high time that these barriers are lifted in order for a real alternative service to Royal Mail's to be introduced."

As an outsider it appears at this point that actions may be better aimed at closing any Royal Mail sorting centres that remain open during the strike.

By taking on "seasonal" workers on a scale that is out of proportion to previous years, the Royal Mail management tacitly accept that there is sufficient work to be done by an increase in the work force. Which goes against their stated policy of running down the work force because the "number of carried items is decreasing".

On its website ( http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/product1?catId=16000165&mediaId=58400695) Royal Mail has claimed an extra 17,500 seasonal jobs will be created in December. If they wish to argue that the additional 12,500 (17,500+12,500=30,000) people are not scabs then they must explain what they are. they are not seasonal jobs. If they were, the Royal Mail Website would clearly state that an extra 30,000 jobs would be created in December.

The options available to the Royal Mail Managment are slim: admit that the 12,500 additional "seasonal workers" are scabs bought in in contravention to the law; admit that 12,500 new jobs are required to modernise the service - thus conceding the CWU contentions to that effect; or, admit that management cannot calculate staffing level requirements. In each case, there is an admission that the management is not competent or fit for purpose. The best option being to fire the management in order to protect the owners - that is the public.

The Royal Mail management have also made a statement on the Royal Mail Website that claims

"Royal Mail today attacked the CWU’s strike ballot as totally unjustified, damaging to customers and a clear attempt to undermine the modernisation which is essential if Royal Mail is to face up to the reality of a rapidly changing marketplace."

Failing to point out that any Strike Ballot is not "unjustified" but is a legal requirement that clarifies action a Trade Union is permitted to take on behalf of its members. It might be suggested that the Royal Mail Management start managing the Royal Mail before attempting to also manage a trade union. Clearly, there is some way to go for the managers to understand this business.,

I spoke to the driver of a TNT truck. He said "We're all in the union so wouldn't cross a picket line". He accepted that they would be getting more work as a consequence of the Royal Mail strike. I said that I think it will be necessary to have a strike across the communication industry but he said that wouldn't be possible "because of Scargill and Thatcher".

actively do then take things to blockading.They can be encouraged to have "breakdowns",shunts or traffic jams, etc.
Has anyone tried targetted strikes+blockades against bad management& scabs+government departments?. Its easy for corporate government to get enough public opinion on its side, when its indiscriminate.
The post office should be a nationalised workers cooperative, maybe with whats called co determination in germanic countries, workers on the union board to make sure fairtrade& sustainable safe work practice happens.

Workers should get shares in their business for free or less than half the price of outside businesses, trade union officials shouldnt be afraid of loosing workers not needing them if this happens.
My experience in various worker cooperatives is that union reps are still definteley needed, its just not so cut throat & usually much more cooperative, in "voluntary" organisations should be made to pay small union fees for each longterm worker, as workers in this sector of UK can often be the most used or abused without safety training etc, many dont even realise is necessary.

I'd like to know more about these so-called 'scab jobs' Which JobCentres are offering, and if this is still happening.

Come on, don't be afraid to expose these places - they clearly don't deserve anonimity if they're trying coerce claimants into doing strike breaking jobs.

Meanwhile, anyone who gets offered one of these jobs, should be asking why are these jobs being offered during a strike period, and if the person across the desk can't give them a convincing explanation, ask to see their senior manager to get some answers from them and threaten to report what they're doing to the local press if they don't come up with a convincing explanation.

In other words, take it to the top and watch them squirm - shoe on the other foot and all that.

Furthermore, JobCentres that are hustling scab jobs should themselves be exposed and picketed until they stop offering these dodgy jobs.

I'm effectively a permanent resident in the local JobCentre Plus now - they even list my contact address as their own address despite me not receiving any benefits just now. I'll ask tommorow if any job centres are still promoting these jobs, but in my district the Royal Mail promotion was last month.

I've arranged a meeting with the local manager at the end of the month to discuss various dodgy practices at their particular centre which I am hoping they will allow me to video.

It is probably more important that someone from the CWU has a quiet word with someone from the PCS union about their policy on facilitating scab labour under false pretences.