Discussions on Royal Mail’s Modernisation Programme

[lovejoy]

Further to LtB 204/09 which reported on the recent two-day meeting with Royal Mail, a proposal was received from the Company on how we take discussions forward.

The Royal Mail proposal covered the following:

• Immediate meetings between the National Officers and Royal Mail’s functional leads to further discuss Royal Mail’s modernisation plans. The intention being to clarify the Union’s concerns around the company’s plans and what needs to be negotiated.

If these meetings were unable to make satisfactory progress then outstanding issues would be discussed at a further meeting of our senior negotiating teams.

• Renewed confirmation that Royal Mail will continue to maintain and honour existing national agreements and that changes to these or future changes to our members’ terms and conditions will be done through negotiation.

• That given the size and complexity of Royal Mail’s overall transformation programme, a proposed new engagement framework reflecting the company’s new organisational structure. This would not seek to replace collective bargaining or the existing IR Framework but would focus on all the key challenges we face. The proposal covered all levels of CWU / Royal Mail interfaces.

The PEC discussed these issues and saw Royal Mail’s proposal as helpful. As a result it was agreed that the Union should respond in the following manner:

1. We took up Royal Mail’s offer and meetings have taken place between the National Officers and Royal Mail’s functional leads. These meetings are due to continue until the end of March at which point we will review progress and see if it is necessary to hold a further meeting between the senior negotiating teams on both sides to resolve any outstanding issues. These meetings should also address the current situation out in the field.

2. We also told Royal Mail that additional meetings should be held over the same timescale to finalise a framework for future discussions and also decide how we move this year’s pay claim and industrial relations forward. An initial discussion on the above mentioned has taken place between the DGS (P) and Royal Mail’s HR Director.

3. In order to strengthen both our relationship and any future engagement process with Royal Mail the Union set out a number of additional key points which we felt must be urgently tackled. These were as follows:

• Whilst we welcomed Royal Mail’s renewed commitment to honour national agreements etc we impressed upon the company the need to quickly emphasise this to all managers and representatives in the field.

• We stressed that for talks to be successful both sides must create the right environment out in the field. We have asked Royal Mail to take a step back and reflect on the unrealistic level of savings they are demanding in advance of automation. We have explained that this is placing unacceptable pressure on our members and that the reality is constructive dialogue can only take place if we take the workforce with us.

We explained that neither party can ignore the current situation of growing executive action being met by more requests for local industrial action.

• We have asked Royal Mail to be more explicit as to whether or not any new engagement framework replaces Phase 4 (Joint Working Groups) of the Pay and Modernisation agreement. If so, we need to be certain that we deal with all of the issues that were part of that agreement.

• Both sides need to quickly understand how April 2009’s pay and conditions negotiations would fit into any agreed process.• We also reminded Royal Mail that the Union had offered the Chief Executive an industrial relations summit meeting in light of the criticisms levelled against both parties in the Hooper Report. Although this did not appear to be well received by the Chief Executive we have again expressed our desire to meet with Royal Mail to improve the general industrial relations environment. An initial discussion on this has already taken place with Jon Millidge, Group HR Director.

• We said that Royal Mail’s engagement proposal required a more robust way of ensuring that future talks were properly co-ordinated and that the Managing Director, Mark Higson, should be more regularly involved.

• We said it would be mutually beneficial if we set up a focused strand that delivers positive engagement between Royal Mail and CWU on expanding new products and services.

We have asked Royal Mail to reflect and respond positively on all of the afore-mentioned points.

Next Steps

The PEC will receive a full report on progress from the meetings that have been held between the National Officers and Royal Mail’s functional leads at its meeting of the 31st March. This meeting will also consider any additional steps that need to be taken by the Union to move all these issues forward.

The PEC has already discussed our approach to the April 2009 pay and conditions claim and we have looked at this in the context of Royal Mail’s modernisation programme and the current environment including our campaign to defeat the Government’s privatisation proposals. We will formally be agreeing and submitting our claim at the PEC meeting on the 31st March.It is now essential that branches convey the content of this LtB to all our representatives and members in all work places. We want you to impress upon all of our members and your local managers that the Union is determined to engage positively with Royal Mail and reach new national agreements that move the next phase of Royal Mail’s modernisation plans forward at pace.

However, we are also acutely aware that the actions and behaviours of Royal Mail managers out in the field are building growing resentment from the membership and that the potential for further industrial unrest is very real. It is now paramount that rather than words on pieces of paper that Royal Mail’s senior management team visibly demonstrate, through deeds and actions, that they are willing to finally move away from the command and control managerial culture that is destroying the prospects of the company and the Union moving forward together. We will continue to impress upon the company that the only way our members and Royal Mail can succeed is to fundamentally change industrial and employee relations.

Further developments will be reported next week. Any enquiries on functional issues should be directed to the relevant National Officers with enquiries on pay directed to the DGS (P).

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Martin Collins
Assistant Secretary

Ray Ellis
Assistant Secretary

Bob Gibson
Assistant Secretary

Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary

[geopip]

This LTB is a week late in coming out and most of the Offices have met their Royal Mail counter parts and have been f**ked off by them. It's all pie in the sky stuff again

[Big Daz]

Definetley too long to get the info/update out, should have been update/info monday morning with further updates during the week as PEC/NEC meetings took place. Id happily pay another pound a week to finance extra/better communcations.

[Puppetmaster]

Any vibes if RM will want monthly pay ?
was Rumoured start of year.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Any vibes if RM will want monthly pay ?
was Rumoured start of year.

Was not a rumour part of the Pay and Mod agreement says:

Joint Working Group 2 – New Reward Framework will examine pay simplification possibilities (within the existing pay bill), a new pay and reward package, different pay models, reviewing on what the local element of the ColleagueShare dividend for years 2 and 3 will be based and MTSF. The Group will also consider how to implement monthly pay. It will also review annualised hours or banked hours, flexible working, and possible changes to attendance patterns that could both benefit the business and employees and is in line with the company’s family-friendly policy. The group will decide whether it needs to operate sub groups for any element of this.

Before the agreement the target date was Apr 2007 . Since then nothing, nada, zilch - but I'd be amazed it its not brought up again during this or next years pay negotiations.

[Darren Bent]

Do CWU have authority to accept pay package deal without votes ?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Do CWU have authority to accept pay package deal without votes ?

From the rule book

4. Industrial Executives

Sub Para 5. The Industrial Executives shall be obliged to consult the membership affected by any major agreement. If a proposed major agreement concerning the terms and conditions of employment, including hours and pay, has not previously been approved by an Industry Conference, before such a proposed agreement is signed the Industrial Executive must consult the Branches or members concerned by either Branch or individual ballot, as appropriate, the result of which shall be binding on the Industrial Executive.

In the event of Branches or members deciding that a proposed agreement be rejected, the Industrial Executive shall, if it desires, place the matter before a Special Conference.

[dvbuk55]

Do CWU have authority to accept pay package deal without votes ?

From the rule book

4. Industrial Executives

Sub Para 5. The Industrial Executives shall be obliged to consult the membership affected by any major agreement. If a proposed major agreement concerning the terms and conditions of employment, including hours and pay, has not previously been approved by an Industry Conference, before such a proposed agreement is signed the Industrial Executive must consult the Branches or members concerned by either Branch or individual ballot, as appropriate, the result of which shall be binding on the Industrial Executive.

In the event of Branches or members deciding that a proposed agreement be rejected, the Industrial Executive shall, if it desires, place the matter before a Special Conference.

It would be hard to seperate what was a new proposal and what would have been agreed en masse under phase 4 of the 07/09 agreement.

[Big Daz]

That said dvbuk its policy of the CWU to give us a vote on monthly pay and we always get a vote on payrise, i doubt very much that will change.

[dvbuk55]

That said dvbuk its policy of the CWU to give us a vote on monthly pay and we always get a vote on payrise, i doubt very much that will change.

So will that be before the vote on the pension or after do you think?

[lovejoy]

we vote on the pay rise every year so will be voting this year.

On the issue of this ltb - been busy since in posted it

What a load of rubbish. never seen so much text say so little. CWU HQ could really do with a lesson on how to produce more regular and punchier comms!!

there is a months worth of meetings reported on on this brief. that means they could have put out an update at the end of the last 4 weeks. at least then members would have known something was going on.

I'm always 100 percent behind the national union but think they really do need to take advice from people nearer to the coal face.

[dvbuk55]

we vote on the pay rise every year so will be voting this year.

On the issue of this ltb - been busy since in posted it

What a load of rubbish. never seen so much text say so little. CWU HQ could really do with a lesson on how to produce more regular and punchier comms!!

there is a months worth of meetings reported on on this brief. that means they could have put out an update at the end of the last 4 weeks. at least then members would have known something was going on.

I'm always 100 percent behind the national union but think they really do need to take advice from people nearer to the coal face.

Bravo Lovejoy - all we ask is that we are kept up to date and not have rumour running rife. I am well read and I find it extremely difficult to find any information of any value. I am not sure if HQ are aware of how disenfranchised the R & F feel. I have been out on every strike in over 20 years and would go out again if asked BUT I would only go out if the leadership could show me that my interests are their interests and not the other way round as it so often seems to be.

[fmrPOSTIE]

why the big hang up on Monthly pay? get in the real world, everybody else has monthly pay and its fine...

[andy2007]

It's the transition that we're worried about. How will it be managed?
Will we have to go a Month without getting any Wages?
Or perhaps 2 weeks worth at the start of the first month, followed by the rest at the end?
An interest free loan?
Or some other method?

Do YOU trust RM to do it properly?

[bogstandard]

why the big hang up on Monthly pay? get in the real world, everybody else has monthly pay and its fine...

enlighten us all in the unreal world how will we benefit from this?