London strike update

[Martin Walsh]

I can now confirm that we will be serving notice to Royal Mail on Monday of our intention to ballot all London Postcode members.

The ballot time scale with be that ballot papers will be dispatched from Monday 18th May and the ballot will close on Friday 29th May. The ballot results will be on a workplace to workplace basis due to legal advice. All London Branch`s are confident of a massive yes vote and we are all now ensuring that offices which need a further meeting have one next week.

If you were in any doubt that London`s fight and scotlands etc is a national fight then please see what we have written to the regional director for London, ( pease see below an extract from a letter sent by us to management which they are not best pleased with )

WE ARE WRITING TO INFORM YOU THAT UNLESS YOU AGREE IMMEDIATELY TO ALL THE DEMANDS SET OUT BELOW , WE WILL BE BALLOTING ALL LONDON DELIVERY OFFICES,ALL 3 MAIL CENTRES,ALL DISTRUBUTION HUBS, PLUS LAMU,EAST LONDON VOC ,PRDC,NINE ELMS VOC AND GREENFORD VOC.

WE DEMAND THAT ROYAL MAIL ABIDE BY THE EXCISTING NATIONAL AGREEMENTS. WE CONSIDER THAT ROYAL MAIL BY THEIR ACTIONS ARE IN BREACH OF MTSF ,IR FRAMEWORK, PAY AND MOD AND PAY AND MAJOR CHANGE 2003. ( THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE )

WE FURTHER DEMAND THAT ROYAL MAIL ENTER IMMEDIATELY INTO NEGOTIATIONS NOT CONSULTATION WITH THE CWU AT NATIONAL LEVEL , REGARDING THE NEW NATIONAL AGREEMENT THAT THE BUSINESS COMMITTED TO UNDER PAY AND MOD , PHASE 4 , FOR A LONG TERM FUTURE FOR MAIL CENTRES , DISTRIBUTION , PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS , RDCs AND DELIVERY OFFICES. THIS AGREEMENT WOULD INCLUDE AN ENHANCED REMUNERATION PACKAGE FOR OUR MEMBERS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE ONGOING SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY IN ADDITION TO ADDRESSING THE LONG STANDING CLAIM FOR SHORTER WORKER HOURS.

So you can see this is not just a London fight and it is one others Branch leaders and divisons should be fighting.

This weeks National Briefing will be a watershed for this union. A home posting from the national union will arrive at members homes tuesday expaining in frank terms its time to fight. Hopefull on Thursday we will see others parts of the country willing to stand up and fight. Cause if they dont then the concept of a national union may even be called into question.

[patrickstar]

fantastic effort london,we are all behind you!!!!

[postmanx]

fantastic effort london,we are all behind you!!!!

so when do we start !!! (North England). well done London And Scotland:Applause

[lovejoy]

We are at a cross roads thats for certain. I applaud the actions of London and Scotland (although it is worth noting that some parts of Scotland aren't on board from what I hear).

Dingo you call for a National Response but that can only be led Nationally. CWU HQ have been nowhere near open enough with their opposition to RM over the last 12-18months. I know there are worries over IA wrecking the fights against privatisation but it is no good being a public company but allowing the members to be savaged in the workplaces.

Now though I feel is not the time to look back. Those citing various reasons for not standing up - Pay and Mod agreement, economy, members lost fight -are looking for a way out. Every one of these issues can have a positive spin if there reps are prepared to stand up and be counted.

It is clear that RM have a number of key policies including

- Complete de-recognition of the National Union - leaving the weaker offices to be completely picked off. You may think things are bad now but they would be a damn sight worse without the CWU

- Forcing through changes without agreement - longer delivery spans, more D2Ds with no more payments, an all out attack on FT work, Delivery office and Mail Centre closures on a local basis leading to member being exposed like they are in the North West right now.

- No more national agreements. Threats such as regional pay, terms and conditions will become a reality.

- Pay Freeze - If we let RM get away with this tactic in 2009 then a precedent has been set. It is clear that they have seen an opportunity and are making a cheap shot. Its as simple as this...... The senior managers bonuses are paid out based on profits and company position. As always the big fat bonuses will be paid this year and there is no cash problem in RM (except to few people are getting to much of it). Also it is interesting to not they are citing the 0% inflation as a reason to not offer a pay rise. I don't ever recall the company being keen to pay us 4 or 5% when inflation was at that level do you???

We all have different views on some of things that have happened recently to lead us to this point but what is vital is that we unite moving forward.

We all know that it would be easy to shy away from comflict at this time. It always is!! People will also be worried about the media portraying us as greedy during difficult economic times. With a lot of hard work we can turn this around and make it a fight for jobs. This will force the Government into a corner as they can hardly be seen advocating further jobs losses at this time.

With the right campaign, comms and leadership (at all levels) it wont be just London and Scotland ready to fight. A postal worker is a postal worker wherever they are based. The issue is the campaign thus far has not been good enough. That has to change or in 12 months time the 'good old days' forum on here will be the only one we are all using as RM and the Government would have crushed any last resistance.

As Dingo says..... There is a National Briefing on Thursday. All Area reps, branch secretaries etc are invited. When they get back you need to demand information from them. THIS IS YOUR UNION, THIS IS OUR FIGHT.

[pinstripe]

There are a lot of us, not in London or Scotland who would support a National Ballot, simply to let RM know that we have had enough, but we have had no communication from the CWU at all. If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't even know that London was being balloted and I live an hours drive from there. I don't know how anyone can demand that all CWU members stand up, when most don't even know the band's started playing.

[Stormproof]

There are a lot of us, not in London or Scotland who would support a National Ballot, simply to let RM know that we have had enough, but we have had no communication from the CWU at all. If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't even know that London was being balloted and I live an hours drive from there. I don't know how anyone can demand that all CWU members stand up, when most don't even know the band's started playing.

Totally agree, no communication from either HQ or local reps! CWU start communicating with your members, we NEED to know whats going on.

[Martin Walsh]

There is a mail shot from CWU Hqs which should arrive at your homes tuesday or weds this week containing a letter on the current issues and a four page doucment.

Lovejoy I agree that CWU HQs should take the lead but the fact is that when it did on savings some branchs and divisons undermined the positon.

The fact is that this is a watershed for CWU if people who are leaders of this union either at National , Divisonal or Branch level aint up for a row to protect their futures then they are letting all the members down. Believe me when you stand in front of members and explain Royal Mail plans for them and that they have to fight it our members support the union.

In my opinion there are too many so called leaders who dont want to meet members and explain the issues as that is to much hard work for them. A meeting with members is better then an hundred LTBs as you can explain and answer questions thats what we have done in London and it is hard work. But its the only way to get members on board.

[lovejoy]

There is a mail shot from CWU Hqs which should arrive at your homes tuesday or weds this week containing a letter on the current issues and a four page doucment.

Lovejoy I agree that CWU HQs should take the lead but the fact is that when it did on savings some branchs and divisons undermined the positon.

The fact is that this is a watershed for CWU if people who are leaders of this union either at National , Divisonal or Branch level aint up for a row to protect their futures then they are letting all the members down. Believe me when you stand in front of members and explain Royal Mail plans for them and that they have to fight it our members support the union.

In my opinion there are too many so called leaders who dont want to meet members and explain the issues as that is to much hard work for them. A meeting with members is better then an hundred LTBs as you can explain and answer questions thats what we have done in London and it is hard work. But its the only way to get members on board.

Dingo as I've said I will 100% support any campaign moving forward but for you to suggest the national union took a lead on savings is quiet frankly a joke. One LTB, A couple of Divisional Reps briefings and one officer (yes not even all of them) raising it at a national briefing is not leadership!!

When you put that against the propaganda the members face every single day from RM its a joke. I agree some reps AT ALL LEVELS are shying away from the fight. I do believe though that if CWU HQ get their act together with letters to members, email / texts etc then these reps will have to come on board or they will be exposed!!

I'm sure we can get up for a fight and as i've said its about looking forward and not bad. If we can't move on then our campaign will stall whilst blame culture ensues.

[Pinky 1]

There are a lot of us, not in London or Scotland who would support a National Ballot, simply to let RM know that we have had enough, but we have had no communication from the CWU at all. If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't even know that London was being balloted and I live an hours drive from there. I don't know how anyone can demand that all CWU members stand up, when most don't even know the band's started playing.

Well i'm a long way from Scotland and London, but without this site i would know nothing !
We had a manager sent up to Scotland and that was the first our office had heard about it. We are a national company with a national union. We are all doing the same job, so if my colleagues in other parts of the country are having such major difficulties that they have to have a strike ballot, how come i don't get to hear about it ? Surely it affects me as well. I agree with you Pinstripe, i would like to see a National Ballot.
As for the CWU, get your arse in gear. I pay my subs and i want to know what's going on with my colleagues around the country !

[POSTMAN]

Interesting about comms to members,we had a gate meeting this week,i was not there as it was my day off.I obviously already know the score but my office didn't.
When the 1st leaflet came out from London Div a few weeks ago my colleagues asked me what it was all about,when the second one came out they asked me again.They also asked me what the gate meeting was about and why do we have to go out on strike!!
They had no idea about Scotland,they had no idea of the s**t going on up and down the country with the pay & mod deal,with the part time culture,job cuts ect ect.

Not everyone is like us on here and are internet savvy!

[shimmyrule]

Im amazed at the lack of details about whats happening all over the country, like many, im frustrated at paying my subs, yet having to rely on hearsay/rumour/ about whats happening here and there.

This is the sad thing about the cwu, its very non informative.

I think this site give much more info, from all over the country, and for me, its a great source of whats happening in differing locations.

Its all i need to rouse the troops in my office, so keep up the postings folks.

Its just a pity more posties dont proscribe to the union motto- Unity is Strength.

Division is going to be the ruin of this union, and fook the job once and for all.

[savo]

same here. i didnt have a clue about what was happening until i was told about this site, i even have to tell my office rep what is going on as he dosnt have interweb. Have told most of the lads at my office about RMC but i dunno if any have joined yet.

Whoever is responsible for CWU national communication need a rocket up their arriss !!!!

[darth]

i am registered on the cwu site for news updates,i get emails and txts from the divisional rep,occasionally recieve letters from cwu hq.the noticeboard is kept upto date at work.i cannot understand how people dont know whats going on.incidentally im from the south west and i have work colleauges who also say they dont know whats going on even though they have recieved information..particulary when letters come from hq.perhaps the chain of communication needs to looked at in the london area and how much people are prepared to register on the cwu main site etc.this website has also been brilliant for upto date information.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

There is one simple thing that the CWU could do to improve communication and that is to get email addresses for all members and send out a weekly digest of main areas of interested. This will engage members and will help when ever there is a need to galvanise members.

Before anyone says they do LTBs and BOBs they do but TBH these are long winded and people don't have the time to read and digest every single full stop and comma the just need brief bullet points and a short overview with links to LTBs in case they have missed them.

[brothermagrew]

same here. i didnt have a clue about what was happening until i was told about this site, i even have to tell my office rep what is going on as he dosnt have interweb. Have told most of the lads at my office about RMC but i dunno if any have joined yet.

Whoever is responsible for CWU national communication need a rocket up their arriss !!!!

CWU Communications Department:

Kevin Slocombe, Head of Communications: kslocombe@cwu.org or 020 8971 7497

Why not give him a ring or drop an Email this savo?