Postal workers hit out over back to work deal

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.witneygazette.co.uk/news/wgh ... work_deal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

POSTAL workers in Oxfordshire said tonight they were bitterly disappointed as details emerged of the agreement that halted a series of strikes planned in the run-up to Christmas.

Paul Garraway, Oxfordshire branch secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union, who works at the East Oxford delivery office, in Sandy Lane, said he had searched the agreement in vain for signs of concessions by Royal Mail.

The dispute has been over Royal Mail’s modernisation plans, working terms and conditions and alleged bullying and harassment.

Royal Mail has now pledged to review changes implemented this year, while there will be “genuine negotiations” in offices where changes have been made without agreement.

Both sides agreed there would be no victimisation, or settling of scores, arising out of the dispute.

But Mr Garraway said: “People here are all incensed. It doesn’t bode well for the future – for our members or the public, or the universal service.”

Next week, local representatives are due to be briefed by senior union officials who signed the interim agreement.

Mr Garraway said he hoped to discover that he had missed something in the document.

He added: “I’m disappointed. Our members have fought hard and stayed rock solid. All we have done is agreed to call off the strikes.”

He said he believed Royal Mail management had a strategy to keep the CWU talking until Christmas.

Mr Garraway said: “Most people here believe we will pay for this in the New Year. The quality of the service will go in the next few years.”

However, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said “significant concessions” had been made by the Royal Mail. He said: “There’s no doubt that the strength of support from postal workers in the strikes has made Royal Mail think again. They have made significant concessions this week that are clear for everybody to see.

“Those concessions have allowed us to suspend strike action and work towards a full and final agreement.”

He added: “The agreement ensures the imposed change that has led to the bitter local disputes will now be subject to negotiation and agreement.”

Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson said he was delighted a “sensible agreement” had been reached.

A series of local and national strikes since September have caused hundreds of thousands of items of mail in Oxfordshire to be delayed.

Chris Clinkard, owner of the Beautiful Group in Witney, said his business, trading through the e-Bay Internet site, had taken a massive hit as a result of the strike and that he had been forced to use couriers costing 60 per cent more than Royal Mail.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

CWU TV - have a 10 minute video that has Barbers Statement, Daves Statement (with extra explanations) http://www.cwutv.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; may help clarify a few things

[dvbuk55]

CWU TV - have a 10 minute video that has Barbers Statement, Daves Statement (with extra explanations) http://www.cwutv.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; may help clarify a few things

Definitely clears it up for me - more of the same. There is no agreement - RM are going to continue in the same vein and local reps will be dealing with it in the same way they dealt with it before or NOT which is more to the point.

[fishtank]

CWU TV - have a 10 minute video that has Barbers Statement, Daves Statement (with extra explanations) http://www.cwutv.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; may help clarify a few things

Sorry clear as mud ,still looking for real concessions, is it the old invisible ink trick or is there a special features bonus agreement available?

[banner18]

What concessions did you want? Surely change by agreement is a concession?

[fishtank]

What concessions did you want? Surely change by agreement is a concession?

The REMOVAL of implemented executive action would have been a good STARTING point.

[dvbuk55]

What concessions did you want? Surely change by agreement is a concession?

That was the agreement in 2007 it isn't a concession it's part of the original agreement - they just didn't adhere to it and guess what - I've more chance of winning the lottery tonight than any adherence to any agreement.

[banner18]

What concessions did you want? Surely change by agreement is a concession?

That was the agreement in 2007 it isn't a concession it's part of the original agreement - they just didn't adhere to it and guess what - I've more chance of winning the lottery tonight than any adherence to any agreement.

I agree, we went on strike, now they have to adhere to that. If they don't, we go on strike again.

I don't really trust them either, but what else could we have got? A complete change of the management structure? Would be good, but that is really in the realms of politics rather than industrial relations due to the government being the owner.

I look at it like this.

Change by agreement = fair workloads = no B & H = good moral

We got this by striking.

I agree, Royal Mail as an organisation stinks. The bonus structure is diabolical. Since when does a company not link the bonus systems of managers and workers together so that everyone works for the same goal????
The lower management rule over with big sticks rather than with carrots, getting change through and getting their bonuses.
The general attitude at Royal mail is that the harder someone works, the more work they are given. Flexibility seems to only apply to a certain section of the workforce.
The company has had the government loan for years and are moving painfully slow at using it to modernise the business.

Surely these are all problems deeply engrained into RM as a business, striking was not going to change this.

[dvbuk55]

What concessions did you want? Surely change by agreement is a concession?

That was the agreement in 2007 it isn't a concession it's part of the original agreement - they just didn't adhere to it and guess what - I've more chance of winning the lottery tonight than any adherence to any agreement.

I agree, we went on strike, now they have to adhere to that. If they don't, we go on strike again

No! You don't go on strike again this side of Christmas - in the New Year there will be a forging ahead with change - read the script closely and you will see that part of the negotiations include a "non disruption of service" clause - do you know what that means banner 18? It means no strikes.

[Lincox]

The way I read it is that the ballots both national and local are still live. We have to make sure that CWU HQ is hit with every case of imposition by management, every case of B&H, every case of unagreed lapsing, everycase of non payment of overtime, so that in two weeks time when they do the review, they have all the ammunition they need to reinstate the action if this is necessary. Anyone that has seen the CWU/TV where Dave Ward has said that he firmly expects there still to be massive problems at local level, because he does not think Senior Management will get the message of the agreements down to the local managers, who will continue to act in the disgusting manner of the last year.
If this is the case, and by god if it is, if the cwu executive have any courage left in them, they will do what management have done with the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement, totally ignore it, as it is not legally binding, throw it back in their faces and return to industrial action. I really hope this does not happen, but I am not optimisitic for the future.

[fishtank]

The way I read it is that the ballots both national and local are still live. We have to make sure that CWU HQ is hit with every case of imposition by management, every case of B&H, every case of unagreed lapsing, everycase of non payment of overtime, so that in two weeks time when they do the review, they have all the ammunition they need to reinstate the action if this is necessary. Anyone that has seen the CWU/TV where Dave Ward has said that he firmly expects there still to be massive problems at local level, because he does not think Senior Management will get the message of the agreements down to the local managers, who will continue to act in the disgusting manner of the last year.
If this is the case, and by god if it is, if the cwu executive have any courage left in them, they will do what management have done with the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement, totally ignore it, as it is not legally binding, throw it back in their faces and return to industrial action. I really hope this does not happen, but I am not optimisitic for the future.

I like your post i really do but you have to understand the strikes are OVER.
Any attempt to return to IA would be met by general apathy by the majority of Members.
RM know this,The CWU know this and we have to accept this.

[stephen500]

Just a shame that after 8 mins approx the video freezes and I don't get to hear what Dave Ward is dissapointed about re Mark Higson's statement!!!!!!!

[dvbuk55]

Just a shame that after 8 mins approx the video freezes and I don't get to hear what Dave Ward is dissapointed about re Mark Higson's statement!!!!!!!

Yes you are right Stephen, Royal Mail didn't like that bit so they cut it out Dave Ward complained about it to Mark Higson who replied "It is in the "Interim agreement""