LTB 238/20 - Changes to the USO

[POSTMAN]

https://www.cwu.org/ltb/ltb-238-20-changes-to-the-uso/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

LTB 238/20 – Changes to the USO

1st May 2020


TO: ALL BRANCHES


Dear Colleague,

Changes to the USO

Following Royal Mail’s announcement earlier this week that it was changing the USO for 3 months, there have been a number of very significant developments, including separate conversations with the Government and Ofcom and meetings with Royal Mail’s CEO Rico Back.

As a result, we have secured correspondence from the Government, Ofcom and the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, confirming that the change to the USO is temporary. These letters and our response to Royal Mail are attached.

Furthermore, you will see from the Chief Executive’s letter that Royal Mail have stepped back from all executive action and the temporary change will now be for six weeks, reviewed on a fortnightly basis, taking into account circumstances relating to the pandemic.

The letter from Rico Back also makes it clear that any duty changes will be voluntary, that there will be no job losses, no notice will be served on Scheduled Attendance and that the IR Framework is fully restored and will be utilised, where necessary.

On the basis of the correspondence from the Chief Executive, we can confirm that the Postal Executive has unanimously agreed that we will not be serving notice for industrial action relating to this six week temporary relaxation of the USO. Therefore, we are asking all CWU Representatives to engage positively in local discussions.

The company has also confirmed that they are prepared to meet with us next week to discuss a framework for talks to resolve our current dispute.

Further information from the CWU Postal National Officers dealing with the operational situation will be issued in due course.

In the meantime, we want to thank our Branches, Representatives and members, for the support you have given in ensuring that these crucial issue relating to the USO and our members’ jobs, has for the immediate future been satisfactorily resolved.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Attachment 1 – Dame Melanie Dawes to Dave Ward – Ofcom

Attachment 2 – PS to Dave Ward – Changes to Universal Postal Service

Attachment 3 – Letter to D Ward & T Pullinger – Royal Mail

Attachment 4 – DW & TP to Rico Back

[sindba]

Hmm. Thank you CWU, but this isn't really much of a victory.

All they've achieved is written confirmation of Royal Mail's public promises.

A live strike mandate should carry a bit more heft than that, really.

[LouBarlow]

Hmm. Thank you CWU, but this isn't really much of a victory.

All they've achieved is written confirmation of Royal Mail's public promises.

A live strike mandate should carry a bit more heft than that, really.

What? It is a massive victory. Written confirmation that any duty changes are voluntary and the situation is just temporary. The battle is far from over but this is the best result the CWU has achieved for quite a while. Never thought Back would even start a communication with them at this point.

[cubanpete]

If my reading between the lines is correct. Royal Mail will introduce changes in our working patterns (probably start times as opposed to duties) every 2 weeks, then in 6 weeks time they can announce swingeing job cuts. What a fabulous result that is (not).

[DGH]

What? It is a massive victory. Written confirmation that any duty changes are voluntary and the situation is just temporary. The battle is far from over but this is the best result the CWU has achieved for quite a while. Never thought Back would even start a communication with them at this point.

Agreed.

It's quite a surprise, actually. It does make me wonder if there was a strong backlash from operations managers who'd have to deal with the consequences relying only on 'guidance' ('guidance' is such a great thing for senior managers to issue. Unlike clear instructions, it allows you to blame your underling if things go wrong: follow the guidance and things go wrong? You failed to exercise proper judgement and to modify them in line with local conditions; don't follow the guidance and things go wrong? You should have followed the guidance. Modern management at its most brilliant . . .)

[rogersh]

Hmm. Thank you CWU, but this isn't really much of a victory.

All they've achieved is written confirmation of Royal Mail's public promises.

A live strike mandate should carry a bit more heft than that, really.

What? It is a massive victory. Written confirmation that any duty changes are voluntary and the situation is just temporary. The battle is far from over but this is the best result the CWU has achieved for quite a while. Never thought Back would even start a communication with them at this point.

Yes Lou I agree, this is a major Uturn & credit goes the CWU for their intervention in a plan for changes at the wrong time. As has been pointed out, posties have enough to worry about.

[guardianangel]

what a pathetic outcome ,talk,talk,talk we all know in the end we will be shafted ,the point that said we will talk again after its finished because of the economic recession coming. No duty changes you can see whats coming now ,push all the letters out in week and stall and keep back parcels for you on a Saturday working harder up to your time ,there will be no relief ,no extra pay for the already hard working postie .Royal Mail 20 CWU 0 ,not even a bonus for working harder and risking our lives.A sad day for the working class who have been let down by the people that were put there to defend us

[gb93]

A little victory me thinks.
But for sure it is only the start.
Long way to go so try & remember the union is not the enemy

[Post69]

Hmm. Thank you CWU, but this isn't really much of a victory.

All they've achieved is written confirmation of Royal Mail's public promises.

A live strike mandate should carry a bit more heft than that, really.

What? It is a massive victory. Written confirmation that any duty changes are voluntary and the situation is just temporary. The battle is far from over but this is the best result the CWU has achieved for quite a while. Never thought Back would even start a communication with them at this point.

Yep considering what the situation was! it was and is a victory and the fact that back didn't want to acknowledge the CWU in any way shape or form that is a definite move in the right direction so for me it's a thumbs up to the union I personally think Rico back has been lent on from the board who has also been lent on from certain members of the government things must have changed from the government if we are getting a video message from the other arch enemy of the trade unions Ian Duncan Smith thanking the posties on Wednesday , and yes I was correct in thinking the "I'm not happy with anything the glass is always half empty let's just walk" brigade is now sounding off because they still haven't got their day with the banners and standing next to the braziers we have to start from some point and hopefully this is that point?

[Woody Guthrie]

We have to look at this with at least a little cynicism.
If it's all about Coronavirus why have they put a fixed end date on it? What do they know that the Chief Medical Officer doesn't?

If they're not going to impose duty changes how are management going to deal with that excess indoor and outdoor hourage on a Saturday and the shortfall on Monday?
Do they think they will get enough volunteers?

Did the slideshow that was mysteriously leaked to the CWU and subsequently on here ever make it to front line managers or were they just briefed on the basic parcel only plan. We've had that before where plans that really weren't plans were leaked to the union, accidently of course.

It seems that Rico went from having one plan to another ready to go plan in the space of a couple of hours, not enough time to consult his senior operational managers.

If what the CWU are hailing as a success had been put to the union at the beginning of the week as it is what would have been the union's response? I doubt they would have been calling it a success.

This looks like a test run to me. Rico says in his letter it's up to Ofcom and the government to decide on changes to the USO. That sounds like a man ready to deny responsibility for changes he wants.

[twiddledumb]

We have to look at this with at least a little cynicism.
If it's all about Coronavirus why have they put a fixed end date on it? What do they know that the Chief Medical Officer doesn't?

If they're not going to impose duty changes how are management going to deal with that excess indoor and outdoor hourage on a Saturday and the shortfall on Monday?
Do they think they will get enough volunteers?

Did the slideshow that was mysteriously leaked to the CWU and subsequently on here ever make it to front line managers or were they just briefed on the basic parcel only plan. We've had that before where plans that really weren't plans were leaked to the union, accidently of course.

It seems that Rico went from having one plan to another ready to go plan in the space of a couple of hours, not enough time to consult his senior operational managers.

If what the CWU are hailing as a success had been put to the union at the beginning of the week as it is what would have been the union's response? I doubt they would have been calling it a success.

This looks like a test run to me. Rico says in his letter it's up to Ofcom and the government to decide on changes to the USO. That sounds like a man ready to deny responsibility for changes he wants.

Of course its a test run, there is no reason why 'key workers' that should be delivering NHS letters and important mail related to the pandemic are not delivering these types of letters on a Saturday and instead are delivering butt plugs and whatever other crap that people have bought on Amazon. It's all about profit, RM don't care about our health, they are literally exposing us to the deadly virus so that someone can get their new coat, microwave, etc etc from Amazon or elsewhere. They are using the pandemic to make changes that they would never be able to do in normal times, changes that are so easy to implement (because of union inaction) and so hard to get back if they are allowed to go through. The union should be nipping this in the bud, but instead they just sit back and let RM get what they want, pretending they won a victory when in reality they just raised the white flag. After 6 weeks, I bet the 5 day letter delivery is still in place. This pandemic has exposed the union as being complete pushovers and negligible in their responsibility to fight for our rights and working conditions. They keep saying RM don't want to listen to them, well it's their job to make them listen, FFS they have most of the work force behind them, so much leverage and they refuse to use it. Just think how long Rico would last if we went on strike and people could not get any mail or parcels from us in the pandemic. He would back down within days, government would make him back down. Rico is using this pandemic to push through his race to the bottom agenda, and to put profit before our safety, so it's time we used this pandemic to show him it's not going to happen, take him on and we will win, the country needs posties a lot more than it needs a greedy overpaid workshy capitalist like Rico Back.