Letters / Prepare for action

I was very interested in our article about the post people preparing for strike action.

Majority of posties ‘ready to take action’ over pay dispute, local rep says

Good on them, the salami slice tactics over decades to privatise the Royal Mail has had huge impacts on families living on postie wages, where their pay and conditions have been undermined by the introduction of the ‘casual postie’ whose terms and conditions have been appalling.

A warning from history, having been a student postie back in the early 80s, when Thatcher came gunning and my dad was the shop-steward.

A ‘summer strike’ may seem appealing, but is, like Napoleon and Hitler not taking the Russian winter into account, a foolish approach.

I know every day has been like Christmas mail due to Covid, given people going online shopping mad, because they had no other imaginative creative ideas and activities to contemplate, but if you are going to strike, I’d suggest the threat of last week of November and Christmas week should just about get greedy owners to see some sense.

As a child of a striking postie in the summer of 1974, free ‘fries’ and financial support from my grandad saw us not go hungry, although it was nip and tup.

Union leaders in the main are a bunch of over-paid ‘careerist’ – see Unison and Unite – bloody shambles of unions, no wonder people left in their droves during the 80s and 90s, as they horrendously failed working people, whilst their union salaries and pensions increased.

If and when it comes to industrial action, prepare fiscally for it, get door knocking, as you would on delivery to explain to folk your just cause.

Otherwise, the employer and the BBC will spout out some rubbish that will be untrue. Prepare for action. I’ll be in the picket lines too.

Yours in solidarity

James Paton
Lerwick