Update

[hermon]

Well said Martin - too many ill-informed people overreacting on here, along with the usual anti union knobheads.
2 weeks of no strike now is ideal to save and prepare for the battle at the crucial time of year.
It could work to our advantage.

[theotherone]

You have had months to prepare this information. If you believe that you have done things correctly then you don't back down. You destroy RM's argument in the courts

That's not how it works.

RM would have asked for an interim injunction until the full case had been heard.

That could have taken anything up to 2 months with the present backlog in the court system, it would hardly have been classed as priority.

We might have destroyed their argument... in January.

Spot on Woody.An interim injunction was not worth the risk.It's 2 weeks of dates not a whole dispute lost.

[jbo5066]

All I need to know is if the union still thinks they have the firepower to come out on top, or at least get something resembling a decent deal ...

[Schiff]

You have had months to prepare this information. If you believe that you have done things correctly then you don't back down. You destroy RM's argument in the courts

That's not how it works.

RM would have asked for an interim injunction until the full case had been heard.

That could have taken anything up to 2 months with the present backlog in the court system, it would hardly have been classed as priority.

We might have destroyed their argument... in January.

So that makes it the union's cock up for not using functional strikes from the start of the dispute and introducing them at the wrong time. It feels like we are in the middle of amateur half hour with the CWU leadership. We deserve much better than this shitshow.

[worktotime]

Those criticising the CWU for alleged mistakes do not understand the anti trade union laws. We have to list on functional action 1800 workplaces , and what day of the functional days they are going on strike , which out of the 142 different grades are on the and then list when the 115 thousand members are going on strike.

Royal Mail asked questions points on just a few. We may have been able to argue that our information was correct. However what if a judge said that Royal Mail’s questions needed answering and you have 30 days to come up with the answer via a full hearing but in the meantime I am awarding a temporary injunction stopping all strikes on both ballots . What would your reaction of been then ?

Not worth the risk. We have therefore names the 12th November on Pay and 14th November on Change. We will be agreeing further dates after Tuesday. This does mean that if we want to take Black Friday as a strike day we have to serve notice by the 10th November.

Anyone who does not think the strikes are working should note that Royal Mail wanted to go to ACAS and that they have started using the anti trade union laws to try and prevent strikes.

Let’s be honest there were plenty on here and elsewhere saying the new dates we announced on Friday was to much action. Clearly at that time we could not reveal that there was a potential legal challenge.

We have 115 thousand members the vast majority out on strike , I always say that in any strike action you don’t listen to the John Wayne’s who want as much strike action as possible and you don’t listen to the Charles Hawtreys Carry on ) who normal want as little strike action as possible. You have to listen to the core of 115 thousand. That’s is what we always will do.

Martin it has went from 1500 workplaces to now 1800 who is telling truth ffs.why was it not worth the risk if your in right fight till the death if in wrong hold your hands up. JUST BE HONEST WITH MEMBERS CWU MESSED UP.

well said , they f****d it simple as that , so why f**k about call a weeks strike and its s**t or bust imo . we will lose more than money if thompson gets his way , lets stop f***ing about and get on with it and show them we arent messing about , and im guessing the pressure from some members forced the union into doing this rolling strike , which wasnt right . same as some members asking for a work to rule , But we dont have to now as there is an overtime ban nationally , so happy days ,

[chrisj]

So the CWU still peddling falsehood or they do not actually read what RM wants - just like the many drone members.

The sick policy is not paying SSP only after the first sickness. In fact, it is the reverse of the usual SSP. You get SSP for first 3 days and thereafter, you are back to normal.

Where does it state that there is no finish time until done after annualised hours? The savings will be minimal if the job is done the right way: and RM can never enforce a take ot and finish no matter what!

The CWU should get real and stop wasting our money. They will become irrelevant if they carry on this way... I don't understand why Simon is still allowing them to collect subs straight from pay... He could be more vindictive if he wanted to...

Get there and negotiate and stop putting our jobs at risk. It is not as bad as they are making it!

* Employers are not obliged to give everyone unconditionally - only entitled employees will feel it is the right.

[chrisj]

So the CWU could not reveal to us members that there was a legal action but left members thinking there was additional strike actions along with what was announced.

Why can't they just be honest right from the off! What would have happened?

* When you base your negotiations on simply striking then you leave yourself open and little room to manoeuvre. These should never have got to this stage - failures are on both sides!

[weara]

12th Saturday and 14th Monday
What a joke cwu
We want honest anwers

[chrisj]

been in plenty of jobs, and this cwu union is the weakest union ive paid for to be a member hands down to represent its workers, inept,lack of ideas, they would rather laugh and slag off the royal mail while we are all losing money ,than actually do something to help its workers, what a waste of time this is, terms and conditions gone, later starts coming in for sure, ,

Could not agree more!
They turn it into a slanging match and about Simon Thompson when the whole board and shareholders are behind him. Customers don't really care that much and the public have other things to worry about...
It is not the union's job to be losing their member's money or risk their livelihood while giving money to political parties and politicians.

[Acca Dacca]

So the truth is the rolling strikes were never going to happen and the union knew it - basically hoping that RM wouldn’t put in a legal challenge which as we know was never going to happen as it would have just been a stalling tactic anyway no matter if the figures the union gave were correct or not ( and Andy Fureys words are that it is practically impossible for them to be )

I understand what’s happened and why we can’t do it now with the timing etc but it’s still a complete sickener

[Woody Guthrie]

The sick policy is not paying SSP only after the first sickness. In fact, it is the reverse of the usual SSP. You get SSP for first 3 days and thereafter, you are back to normal.

Show me where in Royal Mail's proposal it says that?
You must have plucked it from somewhere.

Where does it state that there is no finish time until done after annualised hours? The savings will be minimal if the job is done the right way: and RM can never enforce a take ot and finish no matter what!

''Something that's important to cover off is that we're looking to enhance the commit to deliver principle, whereby if you're allocated some work for a route on a day, we would want that work to be completed. So if we look at our competitors, they wouldn't cut off and return to the Depo. With some work outstanding. What we're looking for within the really flexible hours approach is to have that ability to flex on the day outside of those scheduled hours. So that if there are variations from day to day, we complete that work. And if we go over the scheduled time, we bank those hours.''

[fallenworld2022]

members are right to be angry, why didnt the cwu announce this on friday night, sat morning when they announced the new two strike dates, they clearly knew then, why the delay to its paying members, just more anxiety on a friday,saturday and sunday with the family , maybe this is all a joke for u cwu, but this is postal workers careers going down the pan, get the finger out and starting doing action rather than same boring slagging matches with royal mail, its past that stage now, anybody can do that workplace banter! pathetic!

[notts1862]

We must have poor legal system no problem with other unions legal system. Seriously thinking off withdrawing from the union and crossing any picket line. I might not be popular with my work colleagues but I'm so fed with this amateur union I'm not prepared to lose any more money .

[Martin Walsh]

It is important to understand Royal Mail write to the union detailing breaches to pickets line numbers after every strike , we have a blow by blow account of certain picket lines which has to be responded to.

We did the same with the letter we received asking a number of questions on the notice. We were confident on the vast majority. They even tried to use that area and local reps had told some units the wrong day for the action.

Our position was to not back down and respond to their letter answering all the questions they asked. As a contingency we also named the additional 2 days which had to be served on Friday to be within the legal 14 days notice.

Royal Mails letter came over after we had served notice saying that they potentially taking us to court.

[taurus88]

Those criticising the CWU for alleged mistakes do not understand the anti trade union laws. We have to list on functional action 1800 workplaces , and what day of the functional days they are going on strike , which out of the 142 different grades are on the and then list when the 115 thousand members are going on strike.

The point is that it’s not our job to understand these laws - that doesn’t make it unreasonable to expect our trade union to know and understand them. This is the second time our union has had to back down because of it’s schoolboy understanding of things that it ought to be aware of. Giving Royal Mail two weeks back when we were already struggling to build momentum only serves to make us look weak.