For a couple of years now I have opted to receive all of my communication online, whether it is personal, financial or work related. I have found this method to be quick and efficient. It also allows me to keep up to date with my correspondence at the click of a button. I have even been able to track my online orders so that I am fully aware of what stage of the process my parcel has reached.

Now after 20 months of being unable to drive due to being diagnosed belatedly with epilepsy, I am in the hands of the postal service as to whether/when they deliver my medical records to the DVLA.

My immediate future is now left in the hands of an external agency, the Royal Mail. The frustration I feel cannot be put into words. I understand that they are trying to improve their pay and conditions but to be honest that is not my concern. In future I will make a more concerted effort to avoid Royal Mail services at all costs. They have managed to turn a stressful and emotive situation which was about to be concluded into a further administrative nightmare.

I cannot put into words what effect not being able to drive has had on my lifestyle; I will never again take it for granted and I’m sure the Royal Mail hopes we have the same viewpoint on them. I am certainly not that naïve.

Louise Bailey, St.Helens, Merseyside

i dont get it, they are paid to work the hours between X and Y, but they don't want to, i guess it may play havoc with their second jobs, all the posties i know swing the lead alot more than most workers i know anyway. the overtime issue sounds bizarre too for a modern company. if they cant handle the real world and how it operates then leave and work elsewhere. im sorry but you come across as work shy and deluded, expecting something because you want it not because you deserve it. your not rocket scientists, you put letters through doors, think yourself lucky you have a job and get back to work like the rest of us.

monkey harris, manchester, UK

I am working for various government agencies on self employed basis. Recently I had to accept cut in pay, as self employed have no benefits whatsoever and on top of this have not had any cheques or work in the last week and it looks likely it is going to go on for some time.
Perhaps the Royal Mail workers would like their wages stopped for a month as an incentive to get back to work !!!
This kind of 'balckmail action' is likely to result in a short term solution. After these strikes the likely outcome is going to be similar to what had happened to the miners. In the end the work will be sub-contracted to a couple of companies which will employ 'foreign' agency workes for half the money. We all know who will get the blame. For now we all suffer and there is no winners.

K Lundie, Northamptonshire,

When i started at Royal Mail 23 years ago, my contract had a retirement date and pension plan on it. Both have been wiped off by Leighton and Crozier. This isnt about money its about conditions and pensions. Royal Mail did not pay into the pension scheme for 17 yearsand now want us to fix their problem. They want us to work longer, harder and flexi hours for, when our early start allowance and extra pension payments are taken into consideration, less money. This isnt about a pay rise. its never been the best paid job anyway. Dont get swept along on the right wing press!

martin, widnes, england

Postmen & Postwomen,
You know very well that the Union has always said - don't start work before the official time; don't work through your mealbreak and don't use your cars for delivery and Royal Mail still supports that view. If you are looking for Flexible working time re-negotiate your contract. This is a business in real trouble financially and needs to modernise and impliment 'Best Practice' which if you find impossible - move on! Furthermore it is no longer possible for pensions to be based on final salary- it's unsustainable as many in the Private Sector and indeed other parts of the Public Sector have found out. The Govt cannot and will not bail us out at the Tax Payers expense and I think we got that message from Brown. 'Best Practice' has been in place in most of Industry & Commerce for years and, when first introduced, it's hard and painful and remains that way until the people and the business adjust but in time leads to a more secure future for those who remain.

richard, Reading, Berks

The truth is that Royal Mail Are subsidising all these companies like TNT and UK Mail by delivering all their bulk mailings for a reduced rate. This is the real problem as Royal Mail bosses agreed on a price for this which was set out by Postcom(the regulator). At no time did Royal Mail bosses disagree with this price until it kicked in and they realised they had sold themselves short by about 6p an item. In real terms all they have done is give rival companies a licence to print money as Royal Mail have to give downstream access and have to deliver to every address every day, something these other companies are not obliged to do. The only way to put this mess right is to allow Royal Mail to charge these companies a fair price for doing this work otherwise there will not be a Royal Mail. So what i here some of you saying , well sometimes you dont know what youve got till its gone. If this is allowed to happen and a privatised company is set up to satisfy shareholders woe betide us!

David , East Kilbride,

The strike leaders fail to realise that the general public like and admire their local postie but that admiration will very soon wane. Big business will take their bulk mailings elsewhere but the self-employed, the small businesses and the old and vulnerable who rely on the postman are the ones being hurt by this strike. Thousands of people rely on the post every day for orders and cash flow. I have now been waiting for vital small parts, consigned to the post but have no idea when I will receive them. Wake up strike leaders you are not saving jobs you are contributing to more losses as more business goes to other users.

Brian Fowler, Claybrooke Magna, leics

I cannot believe this sort of thing is allowed to go on. Can you imagine this happening in any other country. The millions of pounds it's going to cost Royal Mail is the tip of the iceberg. Imagine the cost to the UK economy as a whole. These strikes are hurting the nation and should not be tolerated. If you're a postal worker and you want to earn more money, get another job or re-train (if you've got the intelligence that is)!! The thing is that at the moment Royal Mail is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either evolve in the constantly changing marketplace or die... There'll be plenty of job losses if Royal Mail goes under due to no longer being competitive!! and I for one don't want to be left with the bill as a UK taxpayer (as in the case of a high street bank I could mention). I admit the pensions thing is very tough on those nearing retirement but this is the only area they've really got anything to moan about. Get a grip posties!! and wake up to what you're doing!!

Alex, Warrington, UK

whilst on the outside it would appear that this is purely a fight between Royal Mail and the C W U i think that a wider agenda exists just like the closing of the coal mines and the mining industry.Whilst back then i was quite young this smacks of the same underhand tactics that the Government of that day used in order to reach its objectives''Mr Leighton as the Puppet'. sure this action is having an affect on us all but what if royal mail have their way ? what will that spell for us when an already suffering service falls in to further decline. will we still have a service? . If we think things are bad now what will the future hold for Royal Mail with more job cuts and job losses. Mr Leighton and Mr Crosier appear to be masters of spin following in the Governments footsteps , is it any wonder that they are seeing that they work for the Government.come on people open your eyes this about Public Service and an attempt to improve it, what is the bigger agenda here ?

David Boutte, oxford,

yeh why do the job if its so tough..your choice!. and wages are excellent,i wipe peoples backsides for less.!!!! far less... and more hours ..lifteing patients far heavier thean 16kgs...! get over it and get on with it.or give your job to someone more deserving.!

PAULA, WEST MIDLANDS,

As an Ambulance person I was in dispute for 6 months in 89/90. Here is a warning...from experience....I had to strike as not to was to mean employment suicide. To black leg meant being driven out by colleagues. To go into dispute meant no salary for 6 months, with a new born to feed. The dispute was settled, but I got no extra pay, had to retrain & do far more than I had previously. All contracts with hospitals were terminated over coming years, the majority of staff had no jobs. Those who were figure heads in the strike lost their jobs one by one. 16 years later I have done years at University, retrained several times & now do things doctors would only do previously , work 12 hour shifts, get punched in the face & threatened with weapons, have threats of lawsuits because of changing times. On and on this could go. So this years pay rise? 2.5% staged into 2 payments. Pension? Private. Take care Royal Mail as a whole. Competition will snap you up.

mark, walsall,

To be hounest the amount of hours posties work compared to their pay is brilliant. Dont work Sundays, bank holidays. They have no right to complain its perfect money.

I know of posties who work from 6am and get back home for atleast 1pm easy money. Its dam right cheeky making everyone suffer.

Probert, Isle of Wight,

I agree 100%. Not with the strikes, but the fact that these people should get back to work. If everybody who worked hard for normal wages went on strike, the country would stop more than it is doing already! There would be nobody at work, and we'd be facing a General Strike.

Stop thinking of yourselves, and start thinking of what implications your strikes have for small businesses. At present, we can't trade if there are any stock requirements, as we can't buy any. Why is that? Because we are out of cash. Why are we out of cash? Because you guys won't deliver our cheques.

Sort it out!

There must be somebody who will be held accountable for this mess, and it's only a matter of time before the small business who are facing bankruptcy start fighting back. What will you do then? Strike again?

It should not be allowed - how on earth is it possible for such a large company, who has the obvious majority to be in such a position. Make another firm, deliver post, problem solved.

James Selway, Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Strike action was the last thing we wanted, I cannot afford to do it with a big moregage and bills! However I am striking, if you do not stand together you fall apart.
People who think postal delivery is an easy job, I welcome you to walk a day in my shoes. The amount of people we take on that do not last the week as they cannot take the hard work is crazy. They either bring the mail back or some ditch it!
Royal mail wants us to lose our early shift allowance, the money for door to doors and to work harder for less money.
The people at my office start between 4-5 and finish between 1-3. It is a heavy, thankless job.
Our delivery when we had a second delivery, which for your information consisted of about 25 letters (waste of time) was about 3 hours, now we deliver between 4-5 hours in all weather with 6 x 16kg bags on our backs.

Nicola, Tanworth, Staffordshire

Get back to work there are people out there who would take your job. PS i need my items that i bought off ebay!!!

wayne, Nottinham, N/a

I'm in the armed forces and although the posties my think they are getting a duff deal, they do not need to accept it. If they don't like it they can walk out with about a months notice. We on the other hand are getting bled dry, having all remaining benefits removed as well as sent to the worlds worst areas for less than the national minimum wage, getting shot at, bombed and a whole bunch of other dangers while carrying out some menial duty which is not what we signed up for. Engineers being used as a driver because noone wlse will do it. We dont get the option to walk out with a months notice instead we're stuck with our rapidly worsening job with no thanks and exceptionally poor hardware which is no longer up to the job. I reckon the posties are getting way better than they should expect. By striking they are having a severe impact on troop morale, if they dont like the new deal - resign, I know lots of people who would jump at the chance of swapping jobs with them - even now.

An Airman, UK, UK

Are you all mad? If it was as simple as alot of your opinions do you think it would have went on this long! Its not even about pay, alot of post workers have young families if the proposals go ahead god knows what time most will get finished at the end of the day (there will be a few thousand kids waiting at the school gates for daddy to finish his delivery). A large portion of postal workers do the job not for the pay but for the hours to juggle family life! Pensions is another area they have decided to rip their staff off in. Please dont all presume they are all wanting more money!

R Harris, newcastle upon tyne,

this is a joke. how does making our lives postless (missing birthday cards as well as the fact i run a mail order business + people who are awaiting medicals) justify a pay rise and security in their jobs?! Do your job and negotiate at the same time! Or leave! Businesses have to cut costs and cut people to keep competitive, it happens every day!

As for pensions, SAVE YOUR OWN MONEY!!

Personally why doesnt the govn't run the post!? Its a national service needed and used by everyone, therefore it should be run by the country for the country.

Darren, London,

YES, GET A GRIP! AT LEAST YOU HAVE A JOB!

If you don not like your job/pay..... I will take the job and so will 1000's of other more grateful people.

This is ruining the county and many Small businesses. The big businesses won't suffer anywhere near as much.

The Government MUST put a stop to this and keep the mail flowing ASAP (please).

Scott, Halifax, England

I would like members of the public to step into our sheos. The isuses in dispute is not only about money. It's about the bulling amongst other things that are taking place in the work place. How would members of the puplic feel, ifthey were in post men amnd women shoes? It's not about if you don't like your job find anoher one. This is the kind of selfish attitude certain people have that we are refusing to tolerate.

sophia bernard, London,

to all these people who dissagree with us postmen striking for what we deserve and our rights would they like to go to work on monday and be told they would be starting at 12 o clock on tuesday no i suppose you would not either and its not the money now work it out all you blind minded fools it goes a lot deeper than that we all pay our contributions to the taxman why should;nt we have a good pension aswell we,ve worked hard enough for it where has all our pension money gone to ask yourselfs that or are you,s too thick to think of that on your own we,re payin in and getting nothing back but all these people who don,t work sit on their arsses and get paid and propably living on you aswell so why not ask the real reason why we are striking most of us have famillies aswell

ty, london, uk

This is an absolute joke and i have no sympathy for them whatsoever, if they undertook a life threatening job then perhaps I would feel differently. My partner is a postie and earns on average £18-£20K, starts work around 4.30am and like the majority of posties is back home by 10.30, the job isnt exactly taxing either,

Get a grip, and be thankful you have a job

Dawn, Cwmbran, Gwent

Simple, Sack the lot of them, im sure there are people out there that would be grateful of the job, it's a joke in this day and age, if you dont like the pay, get another job, or when you finish at 2pm go get some part time work to supplement your wage. another thing they still have to deliver the back log so the job will be even harder for the next weeeweek or so.....set of muppets!!!!!

Pat, Wath,

I'm a postal worker who has been out on strike. None of us want to go on strike what with christmas coming up but the way Royal Mail is treating us cannot continue.

The most important thing we're striking over is conditions in the workplace, not money. As of this week every single postal worker is to start later therefore leave the office later and deliver post later (up until 2:15pm) when all the majority want to do is get out as soon as possible and deliver the mail as soon as possible - Royal Mail don't want us to deliver people's post early for some bizarre reason.

I understand people's anger at the strikes but if the company you were working for treated you as badly as we are being treated then i'm sure you wouldn't hesitate to voice your concerns and strike.

Unfortunately most people are ignorant enough not to appreciate posties and the job they do - in all weather conditons.

Pep, Manchester,

Sack the lot of them theres plenty of people willing to do that kind of work.Its disgusting that these people do not give a damn about the very people who keep them in there jobs the customers.Its not just companys who are suffering its ordinary householders.My friend has a letter stuck somewhere in the post informing him of whether or not he has Cancer its disgraceful these people are playing with his life.

stuart, skelmersdale, uk

The salt of the earth,being vilified by the whims of the FAT CATS.
Why not let WELL alone,
Satisfied Customer.


ps REMEMBER ME !!!

derek bevan, Huntingdon/Cambs, England/UK

I do feel the people striking are being a bit selfish. I am a sole trader and pay alot of money each year to Royal Mail to deliver my customers orders and 8 times out of 10 they do a good job.

But these strikes are affecting my business. My sales have suddenly dropped and if this continues I won't be able to pay my own wages this month.

I am having to fork out for couriers to deliver instead. Not good at all.

Michelle, London,

The Royal Mail should be classed as a public service and therefore exempt from strike action, yet again in this country its a case of making a profit against providing a service.

Tim, Wrexham, Wales

There should be a clause inserted in every postal worker's contract stating if they strike they face dismissal. If they are not happy with that then do not sign the contract and find a job elsewhere. There are hundreds of people out of a job who would be willing to do the job and not strike! They will probably start striking soon because they are having to deal with too much post in one day or items are too heavy, its crazy! I hope they are not going to be paid for the days they are off!!!

Heidi, London, UK

£140 is alot of money, and they'd better not expect to be paid for being on strike, because being on strike: not working, so not working=no pay....all the workers are doing is losing money

they should find another job if their work is giving them so much trouble, there are plenty of people without jobs who would be more than willing to do their work with no complaints whatseover

look in other countries where they only make £1 a month, how bad is a poor pension scheme compared to that? £200 a week isn't bad, there are people who would kill to make half that much in a month

we should not have to suffer because of the postal workers, some packages that people are waiting for could save their lives, this is serious stuff they're messing with

they should be grateful they have a job in the first place

Chaz, surrey,

The effects of the strike have already started to hit our small mailorder business.We have 23 employees and although I wish it were different their package is far worse than the Royal Mail posties have or would have under the new proposals. The effects of the strike have already knocked our revenue on Saturday down to one THIRD of what it should be. Staff are flexible (please note!) so have voluntarily offered to swop days next week so that when we do get a collection they will be in. Half of them are part-time and so can be flexible but this is the way businesses and staff have to COLLABORATE in order to survive.After 17 years of running a family business that employees THREE generations of the same family Royal Mail could end up ruining our business.
PLEASE get back to the negotiating table,discuss the problem,get back to work and recognise that you are doing better than most other employees in the private sector. BTW this is my 7th day at work in a row...

Liz, Birmingham, England

i think it i a joke that post-people are striking for more pay, i am a former postal worker and remember the last batch of strikes a few years ago, the same will happen now, they will come to a mutual agreement and be happy for another few years, but only untill the next time, the more they are given the more they want, the post office is not the only deliver service out there, i an still in the delivery trade as a courier and believe me, the posties want to try a trade where every item they deliver weighs 15kg+ just 1kg less than there whole bag of mail, get a grip posties there is life after royal mail and let me tell you all, the grass is greener on the other side, do a real job do it well and you WILL get rewarded...

harry, gloucester, gloucwstershire

postie for 12 yrs... all i can say how thick some people are out there its royal mail bosses that are destroying this once great service.and as per norm pay is put out there for the public to see.find out for real....ask any postie the real reason why we stand out side our place of work for no pay.ie do business owners realise that some of them wont have there office staff dealing with there mail till 2pm because of later starting times for us.just one of many points that affect the customer . need i go on.just ask instead of just jumping in when most people out there dont have a clue what going on at royal mail..

russell, motherwell, scotland

How I wish the anti postmen whingers on here could spend a day with me up in the penines in the driving snow in winter.
I struggled with the decision to strike because of the disruption to my (mainly very nice) customers. After reading comments on this and other internet sites I only have this to say. Thank you for easing my conscience.
Trust me and remember these words,You'll miss it when its gone.

Gary, northumberland,

I have never agreed with striking in this day and age. If you are not satisfied, go and find a better job elsewhere and let market forces dictate the success or failure of the mail system.

AB, Ashford, Kent

in response to the people who have written in.you say the wage is a good one.whould you get up at 4am work till 1pm go out in all weather rain snow ,and carry 16kg in a bag and take at least six bags out. these people should get off there butts and try the job.its not just about money its about our pension which tne management want to destroy.

tony, smethwick,

What about the poor soliders in Iraq and Afghanistan who rely on our parcels to keep them going. Thanks for stopping me from sending these essential parcels to our hard working - working for Queen and country I may add - soldiers! I'm sure all the soldiers on the front line really feel for the poor posties! Pathetic! Think of another way of getting your point across, because this way clearly isn't working. There won't be a general election! Brown is waiting for you to shoot yourselves in the foot first! Then he will come in, save us all and call and election! Are you blind!!!!!!!??

L Barnes, Birmingham, UK

This is getting so ridiculous, £200 a week seems like a pretty average wage to me. The whole country seems to be suffering because of what seems to be pure greed. I've just started university and I am already behind on work simply because the books I have ordered for my course haven't arrived yet! I think they all need to get their act together.

Mia, Nottingham, UK

The length of the strike is stupid. I am annoyed not getting my post. Im now left with a bank charge because i should of had a letter telling me of a bill yesterday. and what is everyone ment to do for the rest of the month. what about people who didn't find out about the strike till friday and posted mail thursday. I work for the NHS and it's cost us loads for taxis to get urget letters from other hospitals, which normally would use next day delivery.

I understand they want more money. as we all do. but its affecting people who dont work for RM.

diane, liverpool, merseyside

This is abscurd! Who do posties think they are??? if anybody should go on strike over their pay then it certainly should not be royal mail workers,but the paramedics & doctors & nurses, etc who do far more for us than posties!
I would gladly work for Royal mail as a postie for under £250 a week full time! how ridiculous they all are, hopefully 1 day they will realise that they are on a better wage than most & there really is no need for their silly strikes! Perhaps Royal mail should employ jobs to people who have sense, because it seems all their current employees ( The ones on strike ) have not got 1 brain between them.
If Royal mail reads this then please do get in contact with me because i would gladly work for you for minimum wage even!

adele, birmingham, uk

Posties are un-skilled workers, and so are comparable to fatory workers, shop workers, cleaners etc. What makes them think they are worth more than the rest of the hard working workforce out there?

Maria, Flintshire,

Posties work hard
they deserve at least £400 a week full time
troUble is its all going part time 20 hours a week etc CONTRACTS
£140 a wEek pay CRAP

paul, blackpool, uk

i've worked 39 hours a week for just under £200.

We don't get sick pay and the bare minimum of holidays allowed under law, our employers don't even contribute to an Xmas party, and we work right to the dot on Xmas Eve.

Oh, and Whats a pension?

If the Royal Mail employees are not happy with their lot, then may I suggest that there is a factory full of people here who would cheerfully swop place with them.

Chris, Manchester,

Oh my god, this is stupid, there are better ways then to go on strike and let the whole countrie suffer just to earn a few more quid !!!

kevin, spalding,

if the postal strike was just about money it would have been settled ages ago .leighton and his cronies are trying to impose unacceptable working conditions as well as threatening pensions,he is taking royal mail down the same path as he helped take leeds united[champions league to obscurity ] nothing personal!

steve, birmingham, uk

RM's Managers are singularly at fault for this. Crozier et cronies won't be affected by the 'pay cut in all but name', I'm sure. As for pensions, it's like altering a deal half way thru the process, is it any wonder that moral at RM is at an all time low, you don't get the best from ppl by treating them badly.

Pat, Greendale, Surrey

I have worked for Royal mail for 40years and seen many changes and earning less money now than I was 10 years ago thanks to the changes made by our pressant management who can still mange to pay themselves 1.5millon ayear for working 1 day a week.

eddie, surrey, england

I have been in the UK for 6 years now and I did admire the service that Royal Mail has been providing to everyone. They do handle the delivery of the mail and gets to you fairly quickly and I can see that majority of people and Businesses have relied on that service. I do think that after being dependent on Royal Mails quality of service its very unacceptable to suddenly leave us on our own for 5 days thurs-tuesday. I think the government should start looking into this coz if royal mail can do this action as often as they can / want to, what would happen to the UK Economy if everyone /big companies we rely on suddenly decide to do the same thing??? This would be a very very big problem. I do hope/wish this will be resolved earlier than anticipated. Goodluck to everyone!

rommel, measham, uk

Royal mail staff are not considered gloryfied paper boys. The point felt by most is if a young child willing to earn 15.00 pocket money gets up at 4am and is willing to do so, that child is entitled to feel tired and have times when he doesnt really feal like this, but does it any way. If an adult postal worker who does a similar time start and is not happy with pay and work load in a time when pay is not going to jump higer than 2.5% at this time, should therefore leave and change jobs and give it to someone on benefits who manages on a low income and would love the job, giving a chance to walk the route, meet people and be grateful for it. That person is me, I have an illness and appreciate how hard the job might be and the early hours, but when recovered I would gladly take the job. So please dont shoot yourselves in the foot and lose what you have, because sympathy is not too high for moaners at the present. You have plus sides to your job too, you dont begrudge them!

gail, luton, uk

the postmen are being well out of order

Mike, London,

Some people depend on the mail service to provide them with things they need to live- cheques, supplies, etc. I get my medication, which i need, mailed to me because it is less expensive. Royal Mail "signed for" packages have been affected as well. People like me could end up very ill without their medication, which was supposed to arrive today. Now, it's being said not to expect any mail until the 15th? I cannot believe this country would be so irresponsible to allow this to happen. How can the postal Union hold this entire country hostage this way? To strike for a day is one thing- but to cripple the public like this is just cruel and selfish.

Lori, swansea, Wales

i have to say that i feel every day people like myself are being punished due to this greed! If your not happy with your job find a new one, if everybody who thought they were underpaid and undervalued went on strike most places across the uk would grind to a halt and then what would we all do?!
And we would all have the paperboys and girls of the royal mail to thank for that. disgrace!

Lee, kent,

I worked for royal mail for 8 years and still keep in touch with delivery officers. When I was there, everyone had to work really hard to get the mail sorted and get out on delivery. After I left, delivery sizes were increased greatly when they went to 1 delivery. the posties have masses of mail. they have to work very fast, and deliver many bags each day. The demands on posties seem to increase constantly.

It is reported that the royal mail have to process mail for competitors for free because the regulator wants to stimulate competition. I have seen news articles that appear to suggest that royal mail have to sort mail by hand when competitors are doing it by machine. This is not true, they have machines but not all mail is machine readable.

Watch dog tv programmes always slam royal mail's performance. They never examine the performance of other couriers. I have seen cases where urgent deliveries of hospital equipment have been delayed by couriers who charge a lot more

Andrew, Aberdeen,

I have been a postman for 18 years and have been a loyal and hard working all that time. The decision to strike was a hard one and not taken lightly, very few of us can afford to strike but the situation demanded it because the arrogant bosses of Royal Mail will not listen to it's workforce. I find it an insult when we are described as gloryfied paperboys, the trouble is both the members of the public AND our bosses, simply have NO idea what's involved with our job, a job that has changed a hell of a lot during my 18 years service. We ARE willingly to change and realise that we have to modernise but we are not being provided with the promised new equipment to make these changes possible. My office has tried so many different ideas, we have had SIX different managers in as many years none of them have been able to run our office efficiently because their bosses have restricted their budgets to such a ridiculous level so as to make them unworkable. We are left to pay for their mistakes!

Keith Patrâk, Amesbury, Wiltshire

These gloryfied paperboys and girls should not strike, my son gets up at 5am everday delvers more than just a few envolopes and gettes £15 a week. So get back to work and be glad you have a job!

Alan, Woodbridge, Suffolk

hi guys. i'm just emailing you about the two two day strikes that is in place and is coming up. yes i do agree and understand why you are doing it. at present i'm waiting for my pay rise which was promised me in january this year and i'm still waiting. so i can understand. i'm sorry to have to say though that although you are standing by your principles but it does feel that the general pyublic is held to ransom. i have heard it said that some peolpe are paid by cheque that is sent through the post and this money is relied on to pay mortgages and bills. if the chque isnt banked in time then the mortgages are defaulted.

many thanks

georgina langford, wrexham,

RM should have warned its customers much earlier. I absolutely deplore the action of Hayes and his striking members at the CWU for risking the livelihoods of millions of
UK citizens. The Government must intervene immediately
to break the strike and restore postal service. They owe nothing to the likes of Hayes.

Russell Barnes, London,

"Royal Mail have a weekly limit of three items of unaddressed direct mail per house"?

We get far more than that.

Ian, Solihull,

If it were my decision, I would fire the lot of them on the spot! They're complaining about Royal Mail's pension situation and general unstability... how the hell is a week-long strike going to help matters? They're a bunch of fools who think that they can get their way by inconveniencing people. All they should get is a black eye.

Stefan, London, UK

Leighton and Crozier were not even there today for the talks and guess what they wont be there in a couple of years time. I somehow think that whatever happens in the dispute these two will come out of it with a very nice financial reward

colin, essex,

If you are not happy with any aspect of your job posties, do what everyone else does .... GET ANOTHER JOB!

mmasters, london,

My postman says he is striking because he has been paying into a fund for his pension for twenty years and now he's told he won't get the pension he was promised. He says his pension has been stolen. For him. it's nothing to do with pay as such.

H Stubington, Ryde, I. W., England

They want an increase to £395 per week? I'm not on £395 per week, and I'm in IT (Having studied and paid out a large sum of money for courses and training for it!).

I'm sorry, but they loose my support. I am not happy with my pay and conditions, but If I chose to strike, it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference to the country. My options are basically to work harder in trying to get a new Job, or put up and shut up. What makes the postal workers think that they are entitled to special treatment?

Do they realize that £395 per week is more than many nurse's get paid? Police officers starting salary is around £395 per week and they have to put up with a lot more hassle! The postal workers are just being greedy & are taking advantage of the fact they work in a sector that provides a vital public service.

The fact is we are all in the same boat; Spiraling house prices making home buying difficult, increases in taxes left right and centre - Striking is not the answer!!!!!!

Steve, Aberdeen, Scotland

This feels like the typical English labour dispute. Unrealistic demands from both sides. A history of hostility and abuse from both the employers and the trade unions to each other leaves these issues to the vagaries of strikes, media leaks and slightly bizarre individual actions and comments.

Both sides need to go and see how these things are done in Scandinavia where a more understanding attitude from both employers and employees means that these things are thrashed through in meetings without strikes. The postal workers clearly do need better conditions but equally they need to be fully open to the most efficient ways of working, for everyone's sake.

For both of you, just grow up!

Flemming Lerche, London, UK

Amazing how great Royal Mail used to be just a few years ago. Envied around the world, then Labour decided to open up the mail market to competition. The rest of Europe are still deciding whether this is the best solution, when at the end of the day its a public service. The companies that want a slice of the action only want the profitable part, very similar to the way that bus companies run. Support the posties or in the not too distant future, we will see them dissapear just like the milkman.

Chaz, Manchester,

This really isn't just a strike over pay. There are a lot of other factors that should be addressed.

As of Monday we are due to begin later start times. For me that means I won't start work until 9am. That's just when I turn up at the office. I'll still have mail to sort before I can start my delivery. My finish time won't be until around 2:15pm; on a good day!

There's talk of people working in teams of 4, so if anyone is off within that team, be it a day off or illness, the remainder of the team do part of their duty on TOP of their own!!

They want us to do about 3 extra door to door items a week and not pay us for it!

The pension scheme is a joke!

Everyone screaming at us to leave - wise up! If we all left then who'd deliver your mail? Instead of chickening out and leaving, we're trying to fix the problem.

The royal mail bosses have screwed up and expect us to pay for their mistakes; we're not going to sit back and let those fat cats use us as scape goats.

Maddy, Glasgow, Scotland

Bring on the Polish postmen, I say!

Pete, Cov,

Royal Mail is one of the best [if not the best] postal systems in the world. What these strikers are doing is damaging that reputation. If they want more money, they should quit and get get a new job - that's what most people do. I have no sympathy for those who strike because it's a selfish act. How can they ask for "guaranteed pensions" in this day and age? If they want guaranteed pensions, they'll have to give up a 27% salary increase. You can't have your cake and eat it. I guess these workers are just a greedy lot.

Joanne Scherzo, London,

im a 35 year old Computer Technician in a College in Lincolnshire and earn about £250 a week. where the hell do these unions get there figures from? £395 a week i'd leave this work and be a postman.

John, Lincs, UK

Is it too much to ask for my Xbox 360 with Halo 3 to be delivered? It was supposed to arive today, but noooooooooo. Postal strike...

Grrr, I'll never get to play it now =(

Jonny, CRACKnell,

What Royal Mail managers want to do with regards to pensions is morally repugnant. That the pension defecit -one the top brass fat cats created in the first place - is to be payed back by the workers is disgusting. Also, all the other strings Royal mail have attached to their pay offer - such as door-to-door items, something that can earn a postie up to £50 a week, becoming just a normal aspect of world load and therefore encompased in the new wage - is extremely bad too. In the final analysis, it's not simply the money issue and the 2.5 percent offer at the core of the workers' disgrutlement, it's all the other issues instead. Postmen are not greedy, their bosses are!

Jim, York, U.K

I just wonder when the real reasons for the strike will be put across fairly by the media. Royal Mail are telling their work force to accept around a 40% cut in their pensions, plus having to pay higher contributions and working for five years more before they can receive it, all because Royal Mail took a 17 year pensions holiday and never paid into it. They are also going to annualise their hours, meaning they could make their workers work 10 or even 12 hours a day but only pay them for eight saying they will get them back on days that have lighter mail volumes. There other payments for things like leaflets and shift allowances will also be stopped, meaning they are earning less and being made to do compulsory overtime that they will not be paid for, all this because Royal Mail agreed to deliver their competitors mail at a loss, and didn’t pay what they should have into there pensions.
So you have to ask yourself if you were in your postman’s shoes would accept this and a lot more all because of bad management who at the same time take obscene wages and bonuses.

unnamed customer, Bradford, UK,

I use Royal Mail everyday and spend about £120 a time.
My local post office is great, Drighlington by the way. I believe they deserve a mention. I have in the past used other carriers and royal mail wins hands up for performance and reliability.

I can see the concern of RM workers, but in my opinion it is Post Office Ltd. that should be got rid of - now. They are the loss making arm. When I go to MY Post Office - I don't want to buy car insurance, phone servrices or insure my budgie - all I want is a PO. For me to post my stuff.

Ian, Leeds,

If you have a guaranteed pension you accept that you are paid less than everyone else. In the private sector you are very unlikely to have a guanteed pension.
They are testing Gordon Brown and winning my support for him is at it's lowest. he is Macavity - (it is never his fault that these strikes are happening or a bank collapses.) He was challcellor for ten years of course it is his fault.

Tom Brewerton, North London, Middlesex

a huge "boo, hiss!!" to the CWU union and the Royal Mail workers who are striking for a week from today. I don't give a crap if you think your pay's not good enough. I'm not thinking "aww, they're holding our postal service to ransom, better give them some more cash" - just fire 'em. They're not doing their job. There are loads of other people out there who'd kill for a job sorting the mail. I just want my post, dammit. All these pansies striking can go get a job at Tesco's pushing trollies instead.

Bill Bennett, Taunton,

These strikes back to back have evaporated any support I had for the workers, one day at a time affected business and the management, this just hurts the ordinary people who can't make other arrangements. Stuff them, I am sure plenty of people on the dole need jobs.. The job is better paid than the one I just left.

John, Glasgow, Scotland.

Simply unbelievable. Who does this union think it is? The CWU is trying to drag us back into the seventies. Remember all the benefits they brought our country then? Remember the car industry we used to have?
Why should the postal workers expect to retire at sixty with nice guaranteed pensions when everyone else in the country have to work till 68 or 69 with their pensions invested at the whims of the stock market. (my pension included)
As for the rise of 27 percent, are they serious? What justifies a rise to the average wage? The ability to get out of bed and be able to read? Something they quite frequently fail at judging by the amount of incorrect post I receive.
If they don't like the job, leave! This is what everyone else has to just get on with.
They need to get real. Modernisation will happen whether they strike or not. All they are doing is hastening their demise. They need to stop holding our country to ransom.

Scott, Aberdeen, UK

33 years service 5 years to go now they want me to work 10 years all because they and not the workers have messed up the pension fund oh by the way i am not on a million pounds a year like leighton/crozier jeff oldham

jeff, oldhamuk, uk

I have little sympathy with the royal mail. Their level of service and customer relations are awful. They clean that up then maybe they will get the payrise they believe they deserve

Luke, Inverness,

I pay for a service - and then I receive a poorer service - but I am not compensated.
Everyone else wants compensating for loss of pension, earnings, lost mail, late mail etc etc
Why is the union inconveniencing the PUBLIC!
It's an inhouse spatt that should remain inhouse - don't these people know how to negoiate?

At the moment the union are showing their muscle flexing, I wonder what - either party - they will be flexing when the Royal mail, it's post offices, parcelfore etc etc are all history!!

Remember the coal strike - who won that!!!!!!

Remember how long it took ROYAL MAIL to get to this point? A great service, at a good cost, envied in other countries.
And here we have two men! who could ruin, bust, lose the lot?

Ces, Bradford, UK

Give the hard working staff what they deserve!!
Sick of seeing bloated, fat cat managers pontificating. All the staff want is a decent wage.

alan, stockport, cheshire