UNDERSTANDING THE AGREEMENT............

[mucker]

Very few people have been involved in high level negotiations and even fewer have been involved in those negotiations with ACAS assisting.

When you are involved a lot of time is spent in different rooms drafting words with ACAS going between the unions room and Royal Mail’s attempting to get the words agreed. Very often this leads to compromises on both sides to get the words which both parties can live with. Sometimes this leads to parts of an agreement reading both ways.

However this is where in the future Roger Poole and ACAS come into their own as they will oversee this agreement and they know why things were agreed and why things were worded in that way.

In this agreement, lets be totally realistic Royal Mail`s negotiators never wanted to be in their having to agree things which they had clearly stated they would not in the leaked Newsnight document. In fact they stated in that document 4 key objectives which were:

Deliver change with or without union engagement.

Putting transformation on hold is not an option.

Serve notice on the current IR framework.

Look to down dial the role of the union.

Well clearly this never happened. What ever your views on this agreement clearly the leaked document to newsnight has been put in the bin.

Now in terms of what has been agreed and to dispel some of the scare stories I will list below.

1. 3.5% being up in the air in the final year. Well the facts are on this is that Royal Mail did not want a review clause in this year. In fact in their financial plan they have factored in this figure as the divisional reps and pec saw when the plan was revealed at the TUC. The union wanted that review in their for 3 reasons, one if inflation increases, two if the pension issues has been resolved and three if the business becomes more profitable. As is the case one we want that open ended, Royal Mail then leave themselves a get out clause. However I very much doubt if they want to change that as a lot of their plan is based on the back of 2011 and 2012 and of course the mail centre closure plan also includes 2013 and 2014.

2. That we can trust Royal Mail to change and the agreement will be deployed in a one sided way. Well of course we have little trust in Royal Mail , however if we don’t take a leap of faith we can never have another agreement. In any case Royal Mail without an agreement, are even worse at deploying change in a one sided manner. I think there are tensions in Royal Mail over this agreement as not every senior manager is happy with the agreement.

3. The delivery span is unlimited and can mean someone walking the streets for up to 7 hours - No it doesn’t, the work plan will drive the delivery span. The agreement states the majority of will start before 0700 in the morning , the second batch of walk sequencing will not be in your office until after 0800 and as late as 10 in the morning. You will still need to put the work in the frame , add your flats , redirections , dead, tie up , include the door to door as it will be part of your workload etc before you go out. The agreement states that the vast majority ( estimated to 92% ) will be finished before 02 30. The delivery time will include the total time , travelling , replenishment, toilet break and delivery time. So say that you will finish your prep at say 0930 and then you are entitled to your meal relief and then on delivery well the most you can deliver will be 4 hours as travelling and replenishment etc would have to be taken into account. Of course if you receive your second 40% later then your span will be less. In any case delivery methods will be introduced and more importantly walks for the first time ever have to take in the factor stress and fatigue and if you do not have walk sequencing or delivery methods yet then you have to demonstrate clear solutions to fatigue and weight if you want an office to move past the current delivery span.

4. Door to Door into workload will mean that I get load extra. Well the agreement states THE GROWTH AMBITIONS FOR DOOR TO DOOR WILL BE MANAGED RESPONSIBLY. I can tell you that this has caused a lot of problems in management circles because they believe they are paying twice for the work to be done once in the amount of hours and costs within a unit and the second in the way of the supplement. Think for a moment that if this agreement is endorsed that door to door will now cost them more to deliver then now as the agreement states D2D TRAFFIC WILL BE PLACED INTO MEASURED WORKLOAD BOTH INDOOR AND OUTDOOR. THIS MOVE INTO WORKLOAD WILL REQUIRE DELIVERY DUTIES TO BE ADJUSTED AND ALLOWANCES TO BE MADE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TIME TO PREP THE ITEMS AND DELIVER THEM. Operational management are not happy as they believe this will reduce their savings. In fact Royal Mail have idiciated that for a period they may want to put a further ceiling on door to door to asses the problems associated with this being put into workload.



Ok so lets examine the pay cut situation. Door to Door is not guaranteed and can be 3 one week 2 another etc. It is only paid when you are at work so you don’t receive when on leave sick leave or during the Christmas period. It has not been increased since 1995 and Royal Mail`s share of the market has dropped and postal workers got 4 million pounds less in payments last year. WSMs can automate door to door but I don’t think really that is what they are intended for , however automation is something Royal Mail are interested in when they increase the market and it pays for it self. All the major EU countries operate automation on unaddressed items.

On the other hand we have now a £20.60 payment paid forever in addition to basic pay and paid to new recruits and will increase in line with basic pay increases.

With regards to the early shift allowances well the fact is that these payments were paid for starting at either 5 or 5:30 the fact is under walk sequencing and the new workplan there will not be many people on this attendance. Remember 3 million pounds of the early shift payment was lost last year as when an individual leaves Royal Mail that money is simply saved by Royal Mail. No new recruits get it and it was no longer being increased by basic pay rises. Ask any driver who currently receives the reserved rights driving payment £6 which has not increased since 2000 whether he would want to find a way of increasing that money.

Now the facts on pay are these :

In deliveries the basic is £347.61 and due to compound factor of the £20.60 payment being included in pay rise 2 and 3 your exit rate will be £393.73 in 2012.

In mail centres the exit rate will be £372.11

In RDCs the exit rate will be £383.65

London Pay ranges will be above these figures. Professional drivers will increase from £433.43 to £473.26 in 2012.

Now if you compare those rates to what pay was before 2003 then you have to conclude that basic pay has increase in a big way. Basic pay before the Pay and Major change agreement in 2003 stood at £243.16 , within 9 years it would have increased by £150.16 Nationally in deliveries , £194 in inner London , £198.32 in outer London and for professional drivers an increase of £230.10.

Now with regards to the colleague share lets get one thing straight. Royal Mail financial position determines whether you receive a colleague share payment or not. Those payment are not guaranteed. In fact they believe that the original value of £5800 has been halved due to their financial payment. The money which the union has got in this deal does two things it gets the payment paid early and it gets it paid to thousands of people who have joined after the colleague share money was allocated.

The two other payments linked to years 2 and 3 will grow if Royal Mail`s transformation strategy works. Plus the £1000 lump sum is now going to be for everyone employed by Royal Mail. Now the lump sum has a percentage value as well approximately 5%. Now in terms of the shorter working that is valued at 2.5% , Remember the shorter working week means for full timers your pay remains the same for doing a hour less work. For part timers because a full timers hourly rate goes up and they track this then they will receive an automatic pay rise.

I full understand that some individuals will lose and that is a situation no one likes. But rejecting this deal does not mean that door to door will carry on the same as now.

Opgs at the review of the agreement will determine that. In regards to one in four Saturdays being ignore turn to page 31 number 5 it clearly talks about a preference exercise before a revision on Saturdays, If you turn to page 15 titled the workplan where it states that national reviews will ensure that attendance patterns are delivered at local level.

Again its great quoting 10% per cent etc but read what that states it on page 17 titled productivity : it states that it is essential that measurement systems are fair , objective , equitable , fully understood and bench marked on a like for like process. It also states that both parties need to fully understand why there are a range of performance levels across Royal Mail.

In addition on page 22 titled work measurement /standards and revision tools. It is quite clear in these paragraphs that the union will review the standard and where necessary test in a live environment and only agreed standard which we believe are fair and achievable. You will not that Geo route is in that list.

In terms of legally binding agreements we don’t have them in this country

[AnotherLimey]

Whatever

[tpost]

Now I have read that I feel so much better, very positive for the future. Only thing is it does not sound like the office I work in, all this working together with RM

[Cut Off King]

Its still a NO from me.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

That first post seems very derivative of various other posts by a different member of the forum.

[fishtank]

That first post seems very derivative of various other posts by a different member of the forum.

Perhaps mucker's complete u-turn with regards to the agreement may have something to do with today's date.

[k979aaa]

If door to door was the only issue i would tell royalmail to stick their D2D where the sun don't shine after all it is only £30 but this new agreement you could lose another £30 if you have six a week as to early start money a lot of allowances have gone away but for unlimited D2D/ LATER STARTS / LATER SATURDAYS FINISHES/ and trying to bribe us with money already owed to us (COLLEAGUE SHARES) and a lack of employee rights in respect of bullying and work rate and performance!. It is a big NO!.

[proper postie]

That first post seems very derivative of various other posts by a different member of the forum.

Just thinking that too,I know for a fact I've read that opening paragraph before

[gb93]

Both good spots TBT & Fishtank.

I felt the love in muckers post

[fishtank]

That first post seems very derivative of various other posts by a different member of the forum.

Just thinking that too,I know for a fact I've read that opening paragraph before

Unfortunately her cut&paste change of heart would have been more convincing if she had also changed her sig.

2010 And Beyond" The Year Of The Pay Cut Shame On You Big Dave.......VOTE NO....

[mucker]

right people,that document was emailed to me today.i most defo dont agree with it.
i felt i had to share it with you all,as it made me chuckle
shame on some off you thinking i had a change of heart

VOTE NOas long my T*ts bounce

[andy2007]

LMFAO!

[AnotherLimey]

I never doubted you for a moment, only thing i doubt is your jubberlies are like that in real life Mucker

[mucker]

I never doubted you for a moment, only thing i doubt is your jubberlies are like that in real life Mucker

every inch

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I never doubted you for a moment, only thing i doubt is your jubberlies are like that in real life Mucker

every inch

and at 98 as well