LTB 037/26 – National CWU DRP on the Equalisation of New Entrants’ Pay, Terms and Conditions.

[POSTMAN]

https://www.cwu.org/ltb/ltb-037-26-nati ... onditions/

LTB 037/26 – National CWU DRP on the Equalisation of New Entrants’ Pay, Terms and Conditions.
No. 37/26

3rd February 2026



Dear Colleague,

National CWU DRP on the Equalisation of New Entrants’ Pay, Terms and Conditions

The CWU has today, in line with the legally binding Dispute Resolution Procedure under 3.2, registered a formal DRP against EP and Royal Mail for failing to honour their commitment to equalise new entrants’ pay, terms and conditions.

This relates to their current failure to honour the following:

EP’s commitment of 18th December 2024, Rebuilding Royal Mail Part 1 agreement, where they agreed the following:

• EP and CWU agree that there will be a review of the new entrant grade (those who joined Royal Mail after December 2022 and going forward) and a new career path will be introduced to equalise their pay, terms and conditions, alongside ensuring the necessary flexibility to grow the business. This new career will be based on agreed incremental steps over an agreed period of time.

• The detailed negotiations to design the new career path will be concluded no later than six months post transaction, with the first step being agreed within three months post transaction.

In July 2025, under the pay agreement titled Rebuilding Royal Mail Part 2, both EP and Royal Mail agreed the following:

• EP Group/Royal Mail Group reaffirm their absolute commitment to the equalisation of new entrants pay, terms and conditions through the introduction of a new career path in incremental steps, alongside ensuring the necessary flexibility to grow the business. In line with the timescales previously agreed, we will agree the first step in the equalisation pathway in September 2025 with the full plan being agreed by no later than in December 2025.

• You will be aware that Royal Mail activated its own DRP process on 29th January, triggering a month of talks on a USO agreement, with their preferred option being the Optimised Delivery Model (ODM). These discussions commenced today. The CWU has today sent to Royal Mail a document detailing the reasons why we do not support the ODM along with our USO proposal.

The CWU DRP will now mean that negotiations on the terms of the union’s DRP will begin.

It is now crystal clear that only by supporting the CWU position on both the USO and equalisation will we apply pressure on both EP and Royal Mail to honour what they agreed and deploy a USO model which will not collapse the service.

If you are a new entrant and not a member of the CWU, now is the time to join. Equally, if you are on an old contract, it is essential you support new entrants in achieving equalisation in line with the EP and Royal Mail agreement.

Remember, the old Royal Mail board imposed the new entrants’ terms and did not want them to have collective bargaining to improve their terms. The union achieved a groundbreaking commitment to remove the two-tier workforce which Royal Mail imposed and which has led to a resourcing crisis.

This crisis has meant that 27,000 new entrants have joined and left since December 2022, and that 50% of new entrants leave within the first twelve months of service.

It is hardly surprising that there is a retention issue when a new entrant in a delivery office is earning £1.98 less per hour than someone on the old contract. This is more in outer and inner London.

There are new entrants within other operational functions, including Fleet, Engineering, Admin, Collections, and Mail Centres. The commitment that EP and Royal Mail made to equalisation is equalisation throughout the Royal Mail Group.

There will be further updates in due course.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGSP Department – hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

[Valentina@1]

Let me guess another “strongly worded” letter….its obvious they ain’t agreeing to equalisation of contracts,this is just lip service I’m afraid.

[toonshola]

I’ve heard in addition to this strongly worded letter that Ward and Walsh have flat out refused to bring branded biscuits to the negotiations. RM negotiators will have to make do with Asda home brand digestives. The big guns are well and truly out now, strap yourselves in.

[norris9]

I am on legacy terms and the pay is poor considering how much it costs to live in my area....but luckily I can get by....

It's the TOXIC CULTURE that will force me out the door at some point. If the toxicity didn't exist then I'd probably work here for life even with the shoddy wage.

People leave because of the toxic culture, and/or because they know they can do better elsewhere, and/or because of the lack of staff leading to regularly having to deliver 2 days' mail or worse.

[tramssirhc]

All this LTB does is prove what a poor agreement Ward and Walsh caved into. There's a saying amongst trade union officials that goes 'if it isn't down it means nothing'. In other words if it isn't in black and white then it's meaningless. The wording of the agreement is so vague as to be almost pointless. Ward and Walsh have been repeatedly told the way it is. Walsh said there was no plan b and pleaded poverty on behalf of a multi billion pound industry. If Ward and Walsh didn't want to be told the way it is, they should have got it down in writing when everything would happen. Its their own fault.

[chickenwittle]

The usual suspects step forward to slaughter the CWU for having the audacity to expect their employer to honour a signed agreement. Give your heads a wobble.

[Trumanity]

I am on legacy terms and the pay is poor considering how much it costs to live in my area....but luckily I can get by....

It's the TOXIC CULTURE that will force me out the door at some point. If the toxicity didn't exist then I'd probably work here for life even with the shoddy wage.

People leave because of the toxic culture, and/or because they know they can do better elsewhere, and/or because of the lack of staff leading to regularly having to deliver 2 days' mail or worse.

2 days? I had a week off and come back to a week's worth of sequenced and flats mail not thrown in , non-tracked in trays , D2D and all of the next day Tracked and specials to deliver. Everything was shoved under the fitting. I've got 3 weeks off in April with no rotared cover for my round. I can see an apocalyptic s**t show brewing and no way forward to a steady, enjoyable job without daily pulverized stress and dejection!

[tramssirhc]

The usual suspects step forward to slaughter the CWU for having the audacity to expect their employer to honour a signed agreement. Give your heads a wobble.

The CWU"s employer? Eh? I know Ward and Walsh think it's their industry they way they talk. I'd love to see Ward and Walsh doing what workers have to do. They wouldn't last two minutes.

[yellowbelly]

By their nature, all legally binding commitments have
a review clause and the opportunity in circumstances
where the very future of the business is threatened for a
company to serve notice. It is clear Royal Mail abused this
position when they ripped up the previous legally binding
protections, prior to which had served us well for over nine
years following privatisation. This is a very important legally
binding framework, and we are confident that it will serve
us well under EP Group’s ownership of the company.

It's legally binding.....until it's not.

[richietns]

By their nature, all legally binding commitments have
a review clause and the opportunity in circumstances
where the very future of the business is threatened for a
company to serve notice. It is clear Royal Mail abused this
position when they ripped up the previous legally binding
protections, prior to which had served us well for over nine
years following privatisation. This is a very important legally
binding framework, and we are confident that it will serve
us well under EP Group’s ownership of the company.

It's legally binding.....until it's not.

Yeah when we were striking last time the company said it was on the verge of bankruptcy

[Weetrogg2]

Just my opinion - if the CWU leaders think they can get a ballot over the line they’re delusional. Your asking long serving demoralised workforce to go out on strike to improve new starters terms and conditions.

The new T&Cs we voted to accept after the last dispute
and more than half the new starters are non union members.

Again this is only my opinion but if the leadership thinks they can get a strike mandate then I’ve got some magic beans they can buy - clowns

[Valentina@1]

Can’t even ballot for IA anymore,what chance have got of ever getting a decent deal in future negotiations.

Sad times 🥲