Could This Mean A Strike Ballot

[Geezer]

No. 116/09 Ref: 24100 Date: 11th February 2009

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS

Dear Colleague,

Industrial Relations

Further to LtB 111/09 it has been reported to the National Officers that Royal Mail agreed to re-schedule our crucial two-day meeting on the company’s modernisation plans in the next couple of weeks.

However, this cannot disguise the fact that recent events further exemplify the unacceptable state of industrial relations across the Royal Mail Letters business.

The Union is not seeking to conduct industrial relations through the media but it is impossible not to respond to media enquiries when the company continues to place our members under huge pressure via their unfair budget / job cuts in advance of automation or any agreed modernisation plan.

The Union is acutely aware that both our members and Royal Mail can only ultimately succeed if there is a drastic improvement in the industrial relations environment. This is why, in recent weeks, we have taken the initiative to call for an industrial relations summit meeting and made it clear to Royal Mail that we are ready and willing to participate in immediate negotiations to reach national agreements as soon as possible on the next phase of the company’s modernisation plans.

In stark contrast it appears there are still some senior managers who believe the only way for Royal Mail to move forward is through executive action and conflict. The fact that the Union is also running a major political campaign in opposition to privatisation is a further excuse for those same managers to continue to damage industrial relations.

We have now reached the point where the company must reveal their plans and confirm they are prepared to negotiate and reach national agreements. If real progress cannot be made in the next couple of weeks there is no alternative other than to call upon the membership to defend their basic representational rights.

In the meantime we will be holding a conference call for Divisional Representatives on Monday (16th February) to give clear direction on how they should deal with the company’s plans in the field.

Further developments will be reported in due course.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward Martin Collins
Deputy General Secretary (P) Assistant Secretary

Ray Ellis Bob Gibson
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary



We have now reached the point where the company must reveal their plans and confirm they are prepared to negotiate and reach national agreements. If real progress cannot be made in the next couple of weeks there is no alternative other than to call upon the membership to defend their basic representational rights.

If He's ( Billy ) got the bottle maybe we will finally get the chance to fight back