New RM offer

[Schiff]

New offer just dropped on workplace

Message from CEO Simon Thompson - Improved best and final offer presented to the CWU
After seven months of talks with the CWU - including Acas talks over the last four weeks - we have presented the CWU with a revised ‘best and final’ offer with a significant number of improvements, including:
Offering an enhanced pay deal in Royal Mail* of up to 9% over 18 months (rather than two years) – bringing the next annual pay review forward by six months to 1October 2023
Parcelforce colleagues would now also receive the enhanced base pay increase of 7% and we have committed to increasing weekly base pay for Parcelforce drivers to Royal Mail over a three-year period
Offering to develop a new profit share scheme for employees
Making our voluntary redundancy terms more generous than our original proposals – with an additional one-off £6,000 payment for those who choose voluntary redundancy in the first phase. Based on preferences expressed so far, it appears highly likely that the generous voluntary redundancy scheme will be over-subscribed
Committing to no compulsory redundancies until 31 March 2023 at the earliest
Offering to buy-out a number of legacy allowances, including delaying and phasing out the regional recruitment incentive supplement (RRIS) which will now reduce over three years from 2024/25, and be removed in 2026/27
Making Sunday working voluntary, and phasing the removal of the Sunday allowance over three years
Staggering the introduction of later start and finish times over three years. Committed to accommodating family friendly working where possible
Changing our seasonal working proposals so that employees would only work around two hours less a week in the summer, and two hours more in the winter (no more than 30 minutes a day) – with 4-10 weeks notice for employees
Agreeing to trial Yearly Flexi Hours before they are introduced at a later date
Withdrawing proposals to taper down ill health retirement payments
Offering to work with the CWU on a joint campaign to level up employment standards across our industry to avoid a ‘race to the bottom’ on terms and conditions in our sector
Offering to work with the CWU on projects to diversify and grow the business beyond letters and parcels.
You can read the draft agreement in full, along with the covering letter we sent to the CWU, here.
During the negotiations, broad agreement was reached on pay and most elements of the deal. However, over recent days, plans the company thought had been agreed became open-ended ‘reviews’ and three-month-long working groups to delay transformation, in proposals presented by the CWU. Unaffordable initiatives previously suggested by the CWU reappeared, including demands to reduce the current 37-hour working week without any corresponding change in pay, estimated to cost around £100m a year.
Although Royal Mail has made a significant number of concessions and improvements over seven months, the CWU leadership has consistently rejected offers without putting them to its members.
Royal Mail has urged the CWU to accept the offer and call off planned strike action.
Final offer
This is our final offer; we simply cannot afford any more. Further deterioration in the company’s financial position caused by industrial action will rapidly make the pay offer become unaffordable and it may need to be withdrawn.
We want to agree this further pay rise for you, on top of the 2% already paid in the summer. We recognise that the cost-of-living crisis is a serious situation, and you are already out of pocket due to industrial action.
The strikes have already added £100m to Royal Mail’s losses so far this year. In a materially loss-making company, with every additional day of strike action we are facing the difficult choice about whether we spend our money on pay and protecting jobs, or on the cost of strikes.
But we need to be clear that the 10 days of strike action planned between 24 November and 24 December – which impacts our busiest time of the year from the Black Friday deals through to Christmas – are very damaging to our business. They are also very damaging to our customers.
That’s why we have asked the CWU to call off the planned strikes. If they don’t, we have been clear with the CWU leadership we may need to withdraw the offer, look at further headcount reductions and restructuring and that the voluntary redundancy proposal of up to nine months could also become unaffordable.
Have your say
Talk to your manager and share your views on the offer, and make sure your CWU rep understands your view too.
I would urge you to think carefully about whether participating in the upcoming strikes - and risk this improved offer becoming unaffordable - is the right thing for you. If you want come back to work, we will support you.
The more we can deliver for our customers over the crucial Christmas period, the more we can protect this business – and your jobs.
Royal Mail is a great business, and I truly believe we can get through this and have a great future. I hope the CWU recognises the improvements we have made to the offer and accepts it.
Simon Thompson
CEO
*Excludes PFSL, Parcelforce and Fleet which operate as separate bargaining units.

Several months ago RM's proposals were completely unacceptable to 97% of the workforce. I don't see a huge amount of change in those proposal, but still see a whole raft of individual red lines (including my own).

Continue with, and ramp up the industrial action until Thompson is forced to listen instead of simply talk his nonsense.

[redlen]

Simon Thompson has a army of contracted Christmas Casuals in place who will jump at the chance of working beyond Christmas

And the way the CWU has thrown ANGARD to the wolves, thousands of them as well will cross the picket line.

And can you blame them some being CWU members


Royal Mail must commit to prioritising the removal of all agency staff before voluntary redundancies take place and confirm they will not hire new entrants across the business to replace existing workers who decide to take voluntary redundancy.

[datasaint]

The company have had nearly a year to sort the issue on pay out. The union shouldn't give in now they are panicking. If we stay strong we could conceivably get the upper hand.

[redlen]

The pay dispute is dead in the water having been linked with terms and conditions reforms

So much for "No Strings."

[freespeech]

How long would a postal vote take though? We've got 31 days to get an agreement signed and implemented, otherwise what's to stop Thompson just ripping it up like every other agreement as soon as we get past Christmas?

But we have learnt that he didn't "rip them up" rather he followed the agreement made and withdrew sections when IA was called. If they were ripped up why aren't the CWU in court with their legal team as these were sold as "legal protections". It's because the union effectively broke their own agreement.

[Schiff]

The pay dispute is dead in the water having been linked with terms and conditions reforms

So much for "No Strings."

Interesting username for someone so eager to fly the white flag rather than the red version.

Me. I'll continue to fight the fight to protect our pay rates, terms and conditions. No defeat. No surrender.

[redlen]

So you prefer to hide the truth rather than dealing with it?

You a "Political Officer."

[ozcabs]

I'm fighting to the end no matter what. RM even banned our cats from our yard.

[Martin Walsh]

The strikes are on why would we stall the strikes to put an offer to you which is totally unacceptable.

The new Royal Mail fell short in so many areas :

1. No back pay and it is still 7% on pay and 2% on a lump sum based on a successful revision.

2.,The CWU had to sign up to all the jobs losses and all the change program some of which we fundamentally disagree with. This includes no disagreement at local level.

3. The pay offer is conditional on all the changes listed.

4. Unlimited owner drivers now with a first phase up to 1000 but with no cap who would do Royal Mail larger format 3&4 parcels.

5. Annualised hour trial will include scan in scan out linked to what your paid by payroll

6. Later start time of last delivery 17:00 and closing 4 Royal a mail air hub depots.

7. SSP still on first 3 days of any second or more absence.

8. RRIS which over 30 thousand of members will be removed in three phases meaning these members will lose from £5 to £35 per week. So they will be receiving a pay cut.

9. All larger parcels to the 346 depots will be delivered later with almost immediate effect.

10. Alternative indoor preparation methods with trials which willl conclude by January 2022 which will mean potentially frameless offices and then a review of attendance patterns.

11. The use of new technology to introduce individual performance standards and the words in the draft agreement state key data points that impact business performance will be made more visible and help individuals see how their daily work underpins both unit and unit and company performance. This will provide an opportunity for self initiated improvement whilst making it easier to tailor training and guidance for those falling short of standards set.

12. Technology will be used in conduct cases.

[Schiff]

So you prefer to hide the truth rather than dealing with it?

You a "Political Officer."

No.

You a "management stooge"?

[freespeech]

[/quote]
Several months ago RM's proposals were completely unacceptable to 97% of the workforce. I don't see a huge amount of change in those proposal, but still see a whole raft of individual red lines (including my own).

Continue with, and ramp up the industrial action until Thompson is forced to listen instead of simply talk his nonsense.
[/quote]

Detail is important.....About 75% of the WORKFORCE voted yes. A lot of people didn't vote or voted no. I suspect that 75% is less now given the last few months. You only need to read a few posts on here to recognise that there is no way 97% of the workforce is up for a fight.

[redlen]

You need to be asking what happens after the 23 December when the statutory protections expire and you are facing possible dismissal continuing Industrial Action?

[77SAMPOST77]

The strikes are on why would we stall the strikes to put an offer to you which is totally unacceptable.

The new Royal Mail fell short in so many areas :

1. No back pay and it is still 7% on pay and 2% on a lump sum based on a successful revision.

2.,The CWU had to sign up to all the jobs losses and all the change program some of which we fundamentally disagree with. This includes no disagreement at local level.

3. The pay offer is conditional on all the changes listed.

4. Unlimited owner drivers now with a first phase up to 1000 but with no cap who would do Royal Mail larger format 3&4 parcels.

5. Annualised hour trial will include scan in scan out linked to what your paid by payroll

6. Later start time of last delivery 17:00 and closing 4 Royal a mail air hub depots.

7. SSP still on first 3 days of any second or more absence.

8. RRIS which over 30 thousand of members will be removed in three phases meaning these members will lose from £5 to £35 per week. So they will be receiving a pay cut.

9. All larger parcels to the 346 depots will be delivered later with almost immediate effect.

10. Alternative indoor preparation methods with trials which willl conclude by January 2022 which will mean potentially frameless offices and then a review of attendance patterns.

11. The use of new technology to introduce individual performance standards and the words in the draft agreement state key data points that impact business performance will be made more visible and help individuals see how their daily work underpins both unit and unit and company performance. This will provide an opportunity for self initiated improvement whilst making it easier to tailor training and guidance for those falling short of standards set.

12. Technology will be used in conduct cases.

What about Parcelforce and Fleet Martin , Why are they always excluded ?

[taurus88]

CWU are right to reject this out of hand.

There’s no point accepting a below-inflation pay rise in exchange for ridiculous performance standards, much later start times, and an all-round worse working life.

Especially when I strongly suspect that the performance standards will be used against those of us employed on the old T&Cs, with the higher pay-rate, to gradually get us off the payroll.

Big no from me. If we’re going to give up everything, let’s at least get a decent lump-sum out of it. Or else a smaller pay-rise in exchange for nothing much changing.

But the worst of both worlds? No, thanks.

[notts1862]

Keep strike going and put the deal to the members. Be interesting tonight to see what Dave and is mates got to say. Because I ain't happy. My kids will suffer this Christmas not Dave and is mate's he's still getting paid.