Liverpool postal workers strike ballot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpoo ... -22310277/

LIVERPOOL post workers are holding a strike ballot over closure plans.

A strike would hit Christmas postal services from five North West sorting centres, including Copperas Hill.

Communication Workers Union (CWU) Liverpool branch secretary Mark Walsh said the vote on two options – for a strike and action short of a strike – by members will close on December 3.

The result could be revealed the day after.

Mr Walsh blamed Royal Mail’s alleged failure to consult the union on the planned 2010 shake-up of sorting centres, which could cost 600 Liverpool jobs at Copperas Hill.

He said: “We are disappointed Royal Mail has not entered into serious talks it said it would.”

Mr Walsh also claimed Royal Mail cancelled two days of talks arranged at national level with the union’s executive in London this week.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “Royal Mail is continuing to talk with the CWU and is therefore disappointed by the union’s decision.

“However, it affects fewer than 5% of our workforce and means the majority of our operational sites and people would be unaffected by any action.”

[BELIAL]

I don't think they should be on their own,who's next? And on and on until it's you and me and there is no one else

[Broxi51]

I don't think they should be on their own,who's next? And on and on until it's you and me and there is no one else

Have to agree with you mate. For too long now everything is being done at local level rather than national level. If our fellow workers in York, Liverpool & elsewhere are voting for strike action then it should be all of us. Wouldnt be too happy to do this at Xmas myself but unity is our strength & together we can make a difference to shortsighted leaders.

[Martin Walsh]

Liverpool are not on their own, in total 14 mail centres and 1 RDC are being ballotted.

The reason why the rest of the country are not being balloted is quite simple they want to achieve a yes vote. At least one or two of these offices have indicated they are going to struggle to get a yes vote and they are in the front line of the closure program.

Whilst its would be good to think that the rest of the country would vote yes in an industrial action ballot to help reach an acceptable national agreement on Royal Mails mail centre clousre program it is highly unlikely. The fact is that a lot of delivery offices remain uneffected by the mail centre closure program and a lot of mail centres which are not facing closure have indicated they would struggle to get a yes vote.

Off course if the dispute was widen to include pensions , the deliver strategy and our claim for shorter working week etc then I think within a reasonable time we would be able to get the membership to vote yes for action.

But we are not yet at that stage. Believe me CWU Headquaters consult with the Divsional Reps and Branchs effected and its the branch`s they listen to in these kind of siturations. The Branchs which represent the 14 mail centres and 1 RDC didt want to take a chance on the rest of the country getting a yes vote and wanted just their offices balloted. Of course if they take action then it could in theory lead to an unoffical dispute across the country as work could be diverted to other mail centres.

But thats a pressure point for Royal Mail as well !

[Phantom]

Agree Dingo. The last vote we had on returning to work and accepting the new working patterns was a disaster, at national level we were all told to vote YES and at local level we were told to vote NO and it should have been a NO vote because the new plans are simply not working for RM or STAFF and if customers saw how we run things now then we would lose even more.

[andy2007]

Liverpool are not on their own, in total 14 mail centres and 1 RDC are being ballotted.

The reason why the rest of the country are not being balloted is quite simple they want to achieve a yes vote. At least one or two of these offices have indicated they are going to struggle to get a yes vote and they are in the front line of the closure program.

Whilst its would be good to think that the rest of the country would vote yes in an industrial action ballot to help reach an acceptable national agreement on Royal Mails mail centre clousre program it is highly unlikely. The fact is that a lot of delivery offices remain uneffected by the mail centre closure program and a lot of mail centres which are not facing closure have indicated they would struggle to get a yes vote.

Off course if the dispute was widen to include pensions , the deliver strategy and our claim for shorter working week etc then I think within a reasonable time we would be able to get the membership to vote yes for action.

But we are not yet at that stage. Believe me CWU Headquaters consult with the Divsional Reps and Branchs effected and its the branch`s they listen to in these kind of siturations. The Branchs which represent the 14 mail centres and 1 RDC didt want to take a chance on the rest of the country getting a yes vote and wanted just their offices balloted. Of course if they take action then it could in theory lead to an unoffical dispute across the country as work could be diverted to other mail centres.

But thats a pressure point for Royal Mail as well !

I didn't know that there were 14 Mail Centres being Balloted. I though it was just Crewe and Liverpool, plus NWRDC. Because we are directly affected by RMs refusal to meet the CWU, until a week after the deadline for Balloting us. Still, the more, the merryer!

On a more personal note: Why is it that the only stickers we got, to advertise for a yes vote. Say "MAIL CENTRE WORKERS OPPOSING MAIL CENTRE CLOSURES", instead of having some which read "RDC WORKERS OPPOSING MAIL CENTRE CLOSURES"?

[POSTMAN]

Whilst its would be good to think that the rest of the country would vote yes in an industrial action ballot to help reach an acceptable national agreement on Royal Mails mail centre clousre program it is highly unlikely. The fact is that a lot of delivery offices remain uneffected by the mail centre closure program and a lot of mail centres which are not facing closure have indicated they would struggle to get a yes vote.

This is a very sad state of affairs,give me strength ffs.

[Martin Walsh]

Yes 14 mail centres are being balloted and 1 RDC these include , swindon,Reading Oxford , Covertry , Milton Keynes, Northampton , manchester , Liverpool , Warrington RDC , Sotckport , Crewe and Oldham.

Postman it should come as no surprise as mail centres closures are nothing new , in fact in London we had 10 mail centres back in 1994 and now we have 3. The fact is that we had a london wide ballot back in 1994 over the mlo restructuring programme and achieve the code of pratice agreement which made up the majority of the MTSF agreement. Even then it was differcult to get a yes vote in the delivery offices albeit we did eventurally get a 60 % yes vote.

Other mail centre closures which have led to ballots and some strikes were Dartford , Southend and Liverpool before the migration of work to Warrington.

The fact is none of these led to a national strike ballot because the feeling was that we wouldt get a yes vote.

Its a nice mantra one out all out !! But as someone who has been involved in local , Area , Divisional and National strikes plus 4 of the biggest unofficial action disputes ever I know there are issues which you can deliver on and there are issues which you cant. The fact is for one you have to have a trade dispute to legally ballot , what is the trade dispute for a delivery office in cornwall or essex or scotland or Northern Ireland over a mail centre closure in North west or midlands.

Now the thing which we should be pushing is the pension issue , job sercuirty , the hooper report , long term benefits and future workings in delivery , mail centres and RDCs.

This is an issue which Headquarters needs to be challenged on and held to account on. On mail centre clousres they have listened to the REPs and Branch`s on the frontline who do not want to take a risk on the rest of the country diluting their industrial acton ballot. As the majority of the offices being ballot are confident of achieving a big yes vote.

[pinstripe]

You know what your right a strike vote wouldnt get a yes across the board but if you lumped all the things together that are major concern to members like MC closures pensions job reductions geo reviews ect ect and called for a simple work to rule running with a serious campaign of do your job properly i would lay some bloody good money you would get a very good % vote for it! That would be using brains and the resources of our union in a constuctive and unusual way that in a very short time would bring about the desired result i am sure!

I agree and disagree here. I think nationally, especially in delivery offices, we would happily vote for strike action simply because of RM's attitude. (Whether they would actually vote with their feet when the time came is another matter)
Sadly however, our leadership has been shown to be weak and has done little to regain the confidence of the members. Leaving the threatened MC's and RDC's on their own will only weaken us further.

[BELIAL]

Yep ,I've reconsidered ,MC's ,RDC's,network ,stuff em ,they can fight their own battles as long as my Do gets its mail in on time. Ah the joys of being part of an integrated mail network,with a clear and effective national strategy
Maybe leadership should sometimes be motivational ,inspirational ,informative and educational, instead of passive reactive and accepting