ROYAL MAIL GROUP – IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR CWU MEMBERS

[POSTMAN]

ROYAL MAIL GROUP – IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR CWU MEMBERS

Royal Mail is a company at a crossroads. This puts tens of thousands of jobs and the future of postal services in the UK at real risk.

Everyone has an opinion on the future of Royal Mail - The disgraced Board - who by any measure are a spent force, Daniel Křetínský the Czech billionaire hoping to own the company, OFCOM the regulator who are not fit for purpose, a newly formed Labour government who know how significant this issue is, the media, businesses and of course the public.

It is clear in meetings with the company, prospective buyer, government, and regulator, that we have a major opportunity to influence the future through our collective strength.

Our challenge is to move beyond the impact of the recent dispute and unite the membership behind a well thought out, detailed and coherent plan that will protect jobs and enhance terms and conditions.

This is why we are developing an engagement plan which we are asking CWU members across the UK to get behind. We are asking every local representative and Branch to meet with members in the workplace and gain backing for the CWU position.

We are confident that if all the relevant stakeholders see and feel a united workforce it will help us deliver an agreement on terms that are favourable to CWU members whilst providing the platform to grow the company and meet the needs of customers.

We need to work on the basis that it is likely the government will clear the takeover bid from the perspective of the national security investigation.
Additionally, we also anticipate EP Group and the governmentreaching a separate agreement on the government’s requirement for strengthened contractual obligations over the future of Royal Mail. The CWU have also been meeting the government regularly on these issues.

We have been in negotiations with EP Group and Royal Mail management separately over multiple issues including job security, USO, future ownership models, pay, new entrants’ terms and more.

A vital next step will be a two-day negotiating meeting with EP group in the final week of November and we will provide a full report back to our representatives and members.

It is absolutely crucial our position ahead of those talks is shared with the members and that we do everything possible to get you behind the union’s plans.

The CWU are calling for an agreement which:

• 1. Delivers an above inflation pay rise for all Royal Mail Group members.
• 2. Achieves the harmonisation of new entrants terms and conditions within an agreed timeframe.
• 3. Commits to improved new duty patterns that deliver a minimum of every other Saturday off for all delivery members.
• 4. Sees the full restoration of quality of service across the UK and an end to the chaos culture.
• 5. Gives a longer-term extension to the no compulsory redundancy commitment and improves the voluntary redundancy terms.
• 6. Brings about a UK wide end to the use of agency workers.
• 7. Introduces a fundamentally different way of running and governing the business, giving employees a meaningful stake in the business and a greater say over the future of the company.
• 8. Introduces a new business plan for growth.

We are confident that with the full support of CWU members we can deliver an agreement in line with the terms set out above.

In the coming weeks we will be putting together an engagement package including CWU reps’ briefings, live sessions with members and written communications. It is vital that all members now get behind the union to help us create the leverage needed to demand a fresh start for Royal Mail, the service and most importantly you as frontline workers.

On Thursday 21st November at 5pm we will be live on the CWU YouTube Channel to set out this information directly to frontline members. Please encourage all your colleagues to join this session.

Dave Ward
General Secretary
Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

[POSTMAN]

"a newly formed Labour government who know how significant this issue is"

[Perseus]

A minimum of every other Saturday off?

Parcel only Saturdays and mail 3-4 times a week then?

[Rve83ndxd]

A minimum of every other Saturday off?

Parcel only Saturdays and mail 3-4 times a week then?

Once a week I think you mean.

[scotchy1962]

So, unless i am reading this statement wrong, the union would like us to ignore what happened in the last pay deal and just get over ourselves, and they in turn will fight to get their list of demands talked about.
Now while it all sounds honourable i feel that any attempt to just blank out the last pay deal, without some sort of contrition, is not really facing reality, i cannot see the union getting the support it wants without first addressing the long nosed pachyderm in the room.
As for the list of demands, it is far to long.
No 1 a decent pay rise.
No 2 a job that is achievable.
No 3 no 2 tier workforce.
No 4 no giving away anymore t&c's under any circumstance.
Anything else, including having any sort of input into a private company, is just a vanity project by the union with nothing in it that interests me.

There you go cut that list in half.

[Dorset Plodder]

Well said Scotchy

I'm still very Luke Warm about the CWU. It does grate just to be told, ''That was then ... This is now ... We have to move on'' I can sympathise with those that have left the Union, and those who can't be bothered. Sometimes they just come across as a talking shop ... talking about things that the average postie has no interest in, or sees as irrelevant.

Never mind the need to Re-engage with Royal Mail Management I think the CWU need to find a better way to Re-engage with the work force! And I don't just mean pass the buck onto Unit Reps. Most Unit Reps did what was asked of them, and ended up making excuses for bad decisions that they never made. Managers went on a power crazy rampage, screwed everything up as usual and then expected the Union to help sort it out FFS!

[Hyrrokkin]

So, unless i am reading this statement wrong, the union would like us to ignore what happened in the last pay deal and just get over ourselves, and they in turn will fight to get their list of demands talked about.
Now while it all sounds honourable i feel that any attempt to just blank out the last pay deal, without some sort of contrition, is not really facing reality, i cannot see the union getting the support it wants without first addressing the long nosed pachyderm in the room.
As for the list of demands, it is far to long.
No 1 a decent pay rise.
No 2 a job that is achievable.
No 3 no 2 tier workforce.
No 4 no giving away anymore t&c's under any circumstance.
Anything else, including having any sort of input into a private company, is just a vanity project by the union with nothing in it that interests me.

There you go cut that list in half.

So we all know the union will bend over and do none of the above
In fact they will go to the new owner and ask which t&c he wants rid of and help him do it !!

[Perseus]

A minimum of every other Saturday off?

Parcel only Saturdays and mail 3-4 times a week then?

Once a week I think you mean.

No, I imagine it will be 3-4 times a week like other countries.

Anyone want to take a stab at what an attendance pattern will look like that keeps full time hours, reduced mail deliveries to 4 days a week, and at least every other Saturday off? I just don't see it.

[Rommagic]

We still losing about £134m or more a year.
Add national insurance of £120m a year where will the pay rise come from?.

[Dorset Plodder]

I love it when companies start moaning about how much the increase in National Insurance is going to cost THEM and then provide a list of Frightening Results like not being able to recruit or invest. Well Tough Shite Mate, what are you saying it's OK to pay your employees Shite Wages with Crap T&Cs provided YOU are still raking in the profits?

I don't think any of these Captains of Industry give two figs for the many financial problems their employees suffer, there's some heart breaking stories out there. Perhaps for once they should pretend they're just a ''Normal'' person living on the Breadline, and Suck it Up Buttercup!