PENSIONS BALLOT TIMETABLE

[lovejoy]

Dear Colleague,

RE: Pension Reform – CWU Ballots

As discussed at last week’s National Briefing a special meeting of the Postal Executive was held yesterday afternoon to respond to Royal Mail’s unacceptable plans for pension reform.

As a first step the Union have agreed to hold a consultative (individual member) workplace ballot across all businesses, with a recommendation to reject the company’s pension plan.

The overall timetable for the workplace ballot is as follows:

Ballot opens: 7th March 2008

Ballot closes: 19th March 2008

Ballot declared: 20th March 2008

Specific details of how the ballot will be undertaken will be sent out in due course. Further individual member communications will also be sent out to support the consultation ballot.

In the meantime it is essential the content of this LTB is circulated to all workplaces immediately and fed into Royal Mail’s work time briefings.

Also branches should have by now sent out last week’s National Briefing material to all representatives. This set out the Union’s position and importantly places the pension debate into the context of the government’s review of competition.

Finally we understand Unite / CMA, the Union representing all managerial grades, will be holding a similar ballot with managers and urging them to reject the company’s plans.

Any enquiries on this LTB please contact the DGS (P) Department quoting reference number 67000.

Yours sincerely,


Dave Ward Ray Ellis
Deputy General Secretary (P) Assistant Secretary

Both Royal Mail and CWU told you that the pension consultation process and proposal – was not the final outcome – and did not constitute an agreement.

Both Royal Mail and CWU told you that the consultation process would be meaningful – and your views would be taken into account.

Royal Mail’s decision to move ahead with the consultation proposal means they have treated the whole exercise as a sham.

CWU have listened and acted on the views of the membership and will give you your say in a democratic (individual member) work place ballot.

The ballot timetable is as follows:

Ballot opens: 7th March 2008

Ballot Closes: 19th March 2008

Ballot Declared: 20th March 2008

Further communications will be sent out to support the consultative ballot and explain all the issues involved.

[Big Daz]

Rejection by the membership of both unions would deal a major blow to Royal Mail very senior managers.

Spread the word that the VSM pension has been looked after whilst ours was left to rot.

[jafferpants]

so the consultation was a farce. hands up all thoses that predicted that before it even started. Does anybody believe we will get a yes vote to strike ?. If ward is so concerned about it he should have thought long and hard about recommending a yes vote after the last debarcle when we had e'm by the bollocks. Sorry my friends but it's all over, the final paperwork has all been finished and will be going out any time now, with or without your acceptance. The scheme was scheduled to close in april way back last july. All they have done in the interim is pay lip service to the law. still at least the mp's pension is okay no shortfall there cos us mugs are paying for it.

[dvbuk55]

Rejection by the membership of both unions would deal a major blow to Royal Mail very senior managers.

Spread the word that the VSM pension has been looked after whilst ours was left to rot.

The major blow being? It does not say it will be a ballot for industrial action only a ballot for rejection and then presumabaly what? a second balot for industrial action - RM do not have to take into consideration any opinions whatsoever. The ballot closes two weeks before the pension closes on 1/4/8 so any industrial action is going to have be declared immediately - that's if the ballot mentions industrial action at all.

They say that empty vessels make the most noise and I fear the CWU threat is just that - noise without substance.

[dpb]

Rejection by the membership of both unions would deal a major blow to Royal Mail very senior managers.

Spread the word that the VSM pension has been looked after whilst ours was left to rot.

The major blow being? It does not say it will be a ballot for industrial action only a ballot for rejection and then presumabaly what? a second balot for industrial action - RM do not have to take into consideration any opinions whatsoever. The ballot closes two weeks before the pension closes on 1/4/8 so any industrial action is going to have be declared immediately - that's if the ballot mentions industrial action at all.

They say that empty vessels make the most noise and I fear the CWU threat is just that - noise without substance.

couldn't agree with you more, also it is not legaly possible to hold a work place ballot for industrial action. to me the consultative ballot seems pointless and only delays the inevitable I.A. ballot, by which time R.M.s pension changes will have come in to effect and be almost impossible to reverse with the psychological effect that would have on members voting decisions.

ladies and gentlemen, i give you the fete-a-compli !

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Rejection by the membership of both unions would deal a major blow to Royal Mail very senior managers.

Spread the word that the VSM pension has been looked after whilst ours was left to rot.

The major blow being? It does not say it will be a ballot for industrial action only a ballot for rejection and then presumabaly what? a second balot for industrial action - RM do not have to take into consideration any opinions whatsoever. The ballot closes two weeks before the pension closes on 1/4/8 so any industrial action is going to have be declared immediately - that's if the ballot mentions industrial action at all.

They say that empty vessels make the most noise and I fear the CWU threat is just that - noise without substance.

couldn't agree with you more, also it is not legaly possible to hold a work place ballot for industrial action. to me the consultative ballot seems pointless and only delays the inevitable I.A. ballot, by which time R.M.s pension changes will have come in to effect and be almost impossible to reverse with the psychological effect that would have on members voting decisions.

ladies and gentlemen, i give you the fete-a-compli !

It may be a "fete-a-compli" but we can still show our dissatisfaction and that in off itself is still worth pursuing. Also if the vote is overwhelming in support of the CWUs/UNITES position then RM will at least have to acknowledge that and we can then move on from there.

[k979aaa]

For some may say it all done and dusted and was before the 2007 pay and modernization agreement was voted on but we yes WE HAVE THE FINNAL SAY!. Now if you all remember back to this time last year we were offered £600 or 1.5% for everything they (royalmail) wanted now they did not get every thing and we got about 2.3% + £175 from the esos scheme. WE NOW HAVE TO ASK OURSELFS OUR WE PREPAIRED TO FIGHT OR WIMPER WE CAN GET A BETTER DEAL!.

[Carnoustie]

The CWU don't want to ballot us for industrial action, because they are not certain they'll get a big enough Yes vote. So, in essence, the CWU are going to hold a workplace ballot to see if there's any point holding a legally-recognised ballot for industrial action. As dvbuk55 rightly says, even if the workplace ballot indicates a rejection of RM's proposals, by the time a PROPER ballot for IA is sent out, counted and - assuming there's a Yes to IA - the legal minimum notice period of seven days warning of IA is served to RM, we'll be well into April and the changes will already be implemented.

We've been done up like kippers, just as I suspected we would be

[k979aaa]

The CWU don't want to ballot us for industrial action, because they are not certain they'll get a big enough Yes vote. So, in essence, the CWU are going to hold a workplace ballot to see if there's any point holding a legally-recognised ballot for industrial action. As dvbuk55 rightly says, even if the workplace ballot indicates a rejection of RM's proposals, by the time a PROPER ballot for IA is sent out, counted and - assuming there's a Yes to IA - the legal minimum notice period of seven days warning of IA is served to RM, we'll be well into April and the changes will already be implemented.

We've been done up like kippers, just as I suspected we would be

A workplace ballot is un-workable for the managers remove them as quickly as they are put down and if a union rep is found to be distributing union propaganda by said managers he will be in for a long hard grilling by the DOM at the very least! WAKE UP CWU!. SEND IT TO OUR HOME'S FOR GOD'S SAKE!.

[dvbuk55]

Why would they bother? As for RM being aware of our dissatisfaction - well I would imagine they are going to lose a lot of sleep over that. From the word go I knew there was never going to be a ballot worth a sh*t, our pensions, just like our pay and conditions, have been sold out to expediency. Please do not try to justify the manner in which the people we pay to look after our interests have behaved because their performance has been far less than acceptable. Their obvious priority is to themselves. I would just like to see published the pension rights of those we employ at the CWU, their right to advantageous loans, how much has been loaned and by whom, how much has been claimed in expenses by whom and for what - after all we now live in an age of freedom of information - except getting any information from what is supposed to be an organisation committed to communication is like pulling teeth.

[scottyb]

does that fuxx pot of a g/s think we are all as thick as him, he had his day when he sold us down the river along with the dirty dogs on the nec.... on the last IND/Action for pay and major change or whatever the fxxk they called it, ask him why did he park the pension from the last talks he had with the scum bags when the members where up for the fight,

stand and fight with a man who sells us out at the drop of a hat dont think so, he had the scumbags by the short and curlys last time then turned yellow ..do 1 fat boy.

[scottyb]

yes dv55 well said

[k979aaa]

Why would they bother? As for RM being aware of our dissatisfaction - well I would imagine they are going to lose a lot of sleep over that. From the word go I knew there was never going to be a ballot worth a sh*t, our pensions, just like our pay and conditions, have been sold out to expediency. Please do not try to justify the manner in which the people we pay to look after our interests have behaved because their performance has been far less than acceptable. Their obvious priority is to themselves. I would just like to see published the pension rights of those we employ at the CWU, their right to advantageous loans, how much has been loaned and by whom, how much has been claimed in expenses by whom and for what - after all we now live in an age of freedom of information - except getting any information from what is supposed to be an organisation committed to communication is like pulling teeth.

That i would like to see how much their expense's are but i think we have more chance of an industrial action ballot going in our favor than the former!.

[scottyb]

I know of 1 office that will be telling old yellow belly to go play with the buses......

[TrueBlueTerrier]

A workplace ballot is un-workable for the managers remove them as quickly as they are put down and if a union rep is found to be distributing union propaganda by said managers he will be in for a long hard grilling by the DOM at the very least! WAKE UP CWU!. SEND IT TO OUR HOME'S FOR GOD'S SAKE!.

In the case of this particular ballot the Managers might be quite willing to give the reps time to do a ballot and distribute information as their Union is recommending a NO vote as well. Perhaps this is one time that the Posties and Managers among us will all be singing from the same hymn sheet.