Postman Pat is probably the most reliable, friendly and responsible postman in the world. And deep down, we all wish he was the one delivering our post, particularly given the current state of the British Royal Mail.
His red van and black cat are images instilled in minds all over the world, and come to the fore whenever we post a letter. But Postman Pat is employed by Royal Mail, so even he might be on strike! Unfortunately, Pat does not have his own self employed courier job, so he has to abide by the rules of his union and company. So when the mail service goes down, Pat goes down with it.
British Royal Mail has been a hot topic in the news as of late, with an angry public, an angry staff, and undoubtedly angry and flustered management. The standard of the postal service has declined dramatically, with people waiting days for their local mail to arrive. So, the only way to ensure mail gets delivered in a reasonable length of time is to courier it instead. This is, of course can be more costly but when the national mail system fails to deliver, there isn’t much of an option.
For a reliable postman such as Pat Clifton, the decision to strike or deliver a good mail service must be a difficult one. Postal workers need to unite and stand as one if a strike is to have an effect, but equally important is the job that has been entrusted to Pat: delivering the mail. During times such as these, it would have been better for Pat if he had his own self employed courier job. That way, he would still have been able to deliver the mail on time and reliably, without the worry of his fellow colleagues’ plight.
In fact, Pat must be suffering from the low salary that his colleagues are complaining about, too. And delivering the mail in his famous red van with Jess (his black cat) by his side may not be making ends meet anymore. Pat lives in the small village of Greendale, and has come to know the people whose mail he delivers very well. Imagine if he had to let down Ted Glen, the local handyman, or Alf Robinson, a farmer in the village? Pat would surely be vexed by the mere possibility. So for Pat, self employed courier jobs are probably looking more appealing.
Pat Clifton, the local postman of Greendale, may be a fictional character conjured up by writer John Cunliffe, but the position he finds himself in during the recession, and the resultant state of British Royal Mail, his employer, are by no means fictional. Post men and women all over the United Kingdom are striking in protest of their salaries. And as a result considerable inconvenience is being caused to the public.
So it really is in the interests of the individual postal employees to consider a change to self employed courier jobs, where there is the potential to earn a higher income. And until the strike is over, the public will have to rely on couriers to deliver any important mail.
Author Resource:
Lyall Cresswell is the Managing Director of Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for the Sameday courier and express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading self employed courier jobs (http://www.courierexchange.co.uk/recruitment.html ) and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.