Urgent Can you please circulate to all your what’s app groups , reps and members :
London Calling Update. Joint Statement reached to allow intensive negotiations :
Dear Colleague
Royal Mail and CWU have agreed a Joint Statement which confirms that there will be a period of intensive negotiations on all aspects of our dispute over pay and change.
The aim of both parties is to try and reach and an agreement on all aspects of our dispute. This includes the so called final pay and change offer they made earlier this week.
This also includes the 10 thousand job cuts which Royal Mail announced and the threat of compulsory redundancies.
For the first time the CEO Simon Thompson has signed the joint statement stating he will personally lead the negotiations on behalf of Royal Mail. The negotiations will take place with the involvement of ACAS.
Royal Mail’s quarterly finance results will be announced on 17th November and clearly this is huge pressure on Royal Mail to try and resolve the dispute. Remember shareholders and potential investors want to make money not be embroiled in lengthy disputes.
To create the right climate for these negotiations, Royal Mail have agreed to pause the one to one interviews they were going to carry out in Deliveries and Parcelforce on redundancies . Remember in Deliveries they were going ask whether you wanted to leave Royal Mail by redundancy due to your local revision and then design the revision by the numbers who want redundancy.
However it would also appear that Royal Mail senior managers have told the COMs to still have one to ones with staff on your units new start times , any allowances you have , the new terms of sick pay and Royal Mail’s proposed season variations. It is essential that members know that all of the above is subject to further negotiations and therefore the unions strong advice is do not attend any one to one meetings with your COMs on unagreed changes.
Royal Mail have also agreed that subject to work load that normal overtime will be offered. Royal Mail have also said they will takes steps to deescalate the tensions in offices to create the right environment for negotiations over the next ten days.
The CWU have got some fundamental red lines which clearly we will hold our ground on and that is no compulsory redundancies, no new owner drivers and no to the creation of a cheaper workforce competing for work with the existing workforce.
The CWU know the strength of feelings over Sundays , later starts , sick leave and annualised hours.
We do believe that we can find acceptable solutions to most of what Royal Mail’s change program providing they are willing to compromise too.
If Royal Mail are then it may be possible for our CWU negotiators to reach an acceptable agreement by the 15th November. Remember any agreement will be subject to an individual member ballot.
However if the negotiations fail and Royal Mail are not prepared to move on the key issues then we will continue to take strike action.
Remember we have not stood down any action on the basis of these intensive negotiations.
Therefore the two 48 hours strikes covering the Black Friday week and Cyber Monday weeks are still on.
The Postal Executive have also provisionally agreed a hard hitting program of action from the 3rd December up to Christmas Eve. This will be announced if talks fail.
In every dispute there has to come a time when both parties create the space for intensive negotiations to resolve the dispute. The next ten days is this opportunity. Unfortunately it will not be possible or helpful to give reps and members a running commentary on the intensive negotiations. In fact ACAS will want a period of radio silence to assist the negotiations. The CWU will update you when there is something to say.
However whilst the CWU hope for the best we must also prepare for the worst. Therefore gate meetings will continue throughout London.
The important message is your solidarity in standing together and striking has forced Royal Mail into these negotiations.
Remember if we continue to stand firm Royal Mail will have no other option but to reach an acceptable pay and change agreement.
We will update you further in due course.
Thank you for your United and unwavering support.
A statement by the London Divisional Committee
At least that sounds more positive than previous meetings. Maybe that's why our COM dished out a Branch Specific letter covering those unagreed changes to everyone returning from duty on Friday Afternoon (along with a quick pep talk) hoping to get in with the BS before the Cease -Fire? 