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Posties 'should speak English'
9:07am Friday 27th July 2007
Casual staff employed by Royal Mail to help clear a massive backlog caused by strikes may not be able to speak English it has emerged. Watford resident Eileen Mackay, 75, said: "A mail van arrived outside my house in Harwoods Road and out got two young girls and they started delivering the mail.
"I spoke to one of them and it was clear she didn't understand a word.
"I timed her deliveries and it took her four minutes to do one letter. I have no problem with them employing casual staff, but they ought at least to be able to speak English."
Postal workers - some of whom continued their industrial action this week by picketing outside the Watford Mail Centre in Ascot Road - also raised concerns about the linguistic skills of agency staff.
Local Communication Workers Union (CWU) branch secretary Alan Walsh alleged casual staff employed at Watford Mail Centre in Ascot Road were effectively working through an interpreter.
Royal Mail representative James Taylor said: "We have contingency plans in place to cover strike action, which include management volunteers, staff working normally and fully trained and vetted temporary staff when needed.
"There are no severe backlogs of mail at Watford caused by the strike action and contingency plans continue to work well. All temporary staff speak English and are working well."
Have you received that long overdue letter you've been waiting for. Add your comment below.
Your Say YourWatford
WatfordKev, Watford says...
2:50pm Fri 27 Jul 07
barbelybob, watford says...
3:27pm Fri 27 Jul 07
WatfordKev wrote:if thats you lewis..........if it is,your right lol very low
Medication running low, barbelybob?
in the know, hemel hempstead says...
9:25pm Fri 27 Jul 07
michellegoldthorp, hemel hempstead says...
9:43pm Fri 27 Jul 07
john, england says...
12:03am Sat 28 Jul 07
keith, scotland says...
8:00am Sat 28 Jul 07
angry, watford says...
9:20am Sat 28 Jul 07
Pat, says...
10:05am Sat 28 Jul 07
havent = haven't
appauling = appalling
striked = gone on strike.
However to answer your points we have been offered an £8 a week pay rise but with strings attached. The strings mean we would be worse off by £20 - £40 per week. Royal Mail won't negotiate with the union so we had no choice other than to make our feelings known.
Barley Bob I wish it was £400 per week. I get £200
norbet, preston says...
1:28pm Sat 28 Jul 07
wits end, watford says...
10:31am Sun 29 Jul 07
michellegoldthorp wrote:maybe if you got on with delivering mail and left the running of the company to those that know what they are doing we wouldnt be in this mess.A postie is paid by the hour and if he works 3 hours he should be paid accordingly.Gone are the old days when you turn up do a bit and off home in 3 or four hours and expect a full shift.The way the post is going they will struggle to keep going and striking is just speeding up the process.Kick out the union,there is no place for them in this era.I say to the post office,next time they strike,sack em because it has been proved,you dont even need to speak the lingo to do the job,you could train monkeys to do it.Your average postie does not realise that the public dont give a S*** about all the infighting in the postal service,all they care about is getting their mail and public sympathy is wearing thin....
i work in hemel royal mail and we do not sit on our arse doing nothing the strike is about 22 different thinbgs not just pay so i think u should get off our backs.
dean, northumberland says...
11:11am Sun 29 Jul 07
barbelybob, watford says...
12:25pm Sun 29 Jul 07
michellegoldthorp wrote:And if all 22 issues were resolved you would find another 22 or rather your union would.Bob Crow loves the limelight a little bit too much for my liking and when one issue is resolved he smarting for a new one so he can get back on tv.The quicker you sheep at the post office woke up and smelled the coffee.The bottom line is the postman does one of the most unskilled jobs yet they want to be paid the same as nurses or bus drivers ,who have to qualify........
i work in hemel royal mail and we do not sit on our arse doing nothing the strike is about 22 different thinbgs not just pay so i think u should get off our backs.
Disgruntled, Watford says...
5:56pm Mon 30 Jul 07
paul, watford says...
7:12pm Mon 30 Jul 07
The Plinth of Darkneth, Watford says...
1:09pm Wed 1 Aug 07
w.elliott, watford says...
10:54am Wed 8 Aug 07
steve, watford says...
1:46pm Thu 23 Aug 07
make sure they hear your complaints...
www.postwatch.co.uk
Your sayYourWatford
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Martin, Bristol says...
10:42am Fri 27 Jul 07
On the first morning I was there, a whole load of Asian temps were told to all go home as they couldn't actually read English.
But this is not the fault of Royal Mail. It's the fault of the greedy employment agencies who provide the temps, sometimes taking more than half their wages.