Mandelson attacks postal union for boycotting talks

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/0 ... tal-unions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Business secretary says CWU reneging on agreements,and that it should not expect taxpayer bailout without modernising first



Lord Mandelson today stepped up his attack on the postal workers union as he bitterly accused it of "boycotting" talks on Royal Mail modernisation.

The business secretary said that the CWU was reneging on an agreement reached two years ago to introduce new technology into the company.

And he also insisted that it was "inconceivable" that the public would support a bailout of the Royal Mail's £10bn pension fund deficit without the organisation agreeing to overhaul the way it works.

Mandelson made his comments in evidence to the Commons business committee in a wide-ranging hearing that also covered MG Rover, the state of the economy, government procurement and the re-organisation of his own department.

The CWU was fiercely opposed to the plans for part-privatisation of the Royal Mail that Mandelson has had to shelve, and last week he accused it of adopting a "head in the sand" approach to modernisation.

Today he went further, accusing it of refusing to honour a deal made in 2007 that Royal Mail management had taken as an agreement to introduce new technology into the business.

The CWU was trying to renegotiate that agreement wherever it was being implemented locally, Mandelson said.

"Some local branches are now claiming that the 2007 agreement was only for one year," Mandelson said.

He said that for some months the CWU had instructed its representatives to "refuse to agree anything through the industrial relations framework". He went on: "They are boycotting the agreed process for making changes to the Royal Mail."

When it was put to Mandelson that the government should be putting more money into the company, he retorted: "The taxpayer has been very generous ... The taxpayer needs paying back, paying back in the form of a properly modernised and transformed business that will provide them with a service on which they can rely."

Mandelson ruled out government action to address the Royal Mail pension fund deficit unless it was part of a modernisation package.

"It's inconceivable, in the government's view, that the public will simply go along with the bail out of the pension fund, except in the context of transforming the company."

Also during the hearing, Mandelson:

• Said that he wanted to publish the 850-page report by inspectors into the collapse of MG Rover "before too long". Publication has been delayed because the report has been referred to the Serious Fraud Office. Mandelson said that it would take the SFO about 20 days to consider it, but he conceded that if the SFO decided to launch a criminal inquiry, legal advice might mean that publication of the report would have to be further delayed.

• Predicted that the economy would recover soon. "In the course of the coming months – and it will be months, let me tell you – we will see things picking up," he said.

• Defended the decision to merge his old business department with the department in charge of universities.

• Unveiled plans to make it easier for British companies to bid for government procurement contracts. Mandelson said government departments could not stop foreign companies bidding for work, but that they could do more to alert British firms to the opportunities coming up and to help them to bid for contracts. He said that he was already working with departments on making this happen.

[DGP1]

Mandelson ruled out government action to address the Royal Mail pension fund deficit unless it was part of a modernisation package.

Who's idea of modernisation RM's vision of just cutting costs or real modernisation that includes new machinery that actually work etc.

[Big Daz]

We are heading for one almighty bust up with the government and royal mail one that could see massive anger in the Labour Party that could cause some major internal bust ups within the PLP.

[pinstripe]

Mr Mandleson makes me rather angry. I bet he was the school bully. He doesn't change does he.

[k979aaa]

Mr Mandleson makes me rather angry. I bet he was the school bully. He doesn't change does he.

Yep he STINK'S!. :mfo

[robd]

the public deserves a service it can rely on,mr mandelson,the public had a service it could rely on!

[Ahebban]

The CWU leadership and its hard-working members are committed to change .. we have seen the evidence in DOs, MCs etc since 2007.

It is RM that unilaterally walked away from the Agreement by paying mere lip service to phase 4. It is RM that has failed to bring the 'new technology' online. It is RM that has failed to honour even the very first paragraph of the 2007 Pay & Modernization Agreement!

RM and Mandelson cannot keep hiding behind their interpretation of the terms 'efficiency' and 'modernization' and point the finger of blame elsewhere when that interpretation is legitimately challenged at local level by ordinary members.

RM and Mandy have screwed up, and if they think that the CWU rank and file are going to stand by and do nothing in defence of their jobs, terms and conditions they are very much mistaken. They chose the battleground and it is typical of RM to start calling 'foul' when they can't get their own way with the playground bullying tactics employed.

[westlondonpostie]

It's thanks to this twat that we're in the situation we're in as he was responsible for opening up the UK mail market to competition 8 years before we had to, why the f**k is this Dickhead making these decisions he's the same as Crozier, both have been caught out for being dis-honest in the past :mfo :mfo :mfo :mfo

[andy2007]

What talks have the CWU boycotted?
As far as I'm aware: RM have only TOLD the CWU what their plans are. They haven't NEGOTIATED anything for some time. Or by talks, do they mean meetings, where they tell the CWU what's happening, whether they agree or not?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

There was an instruction to go to disagreement on savings proposals as the CWU wanted a National approach but only that. There is no instruction to boycott talks on Modernisation or anything else.

Mandy being economical with reality and applying full spin. :mfo so no change there then.

[pickaname]

"It's inconceivable, in the government's view, that the public will simply go along with the bail out of the pension fund, except in the context of transforming the company."

Unelected by the public so shut the f*** up

[flaminmoses]

mandy talks of the reccesion picking up soon.
so in that case why cut shitloads of jobs when its clear to most that the reccesion had taken the larger slice of work in the last few years not the natural flow from royal mail to internet.

their usual bollocks spins isnt exacty gonna fool the posties who do the ips ffs

stand and fight
get these ***** out of office