Email to Dave Ward

[pickaname]

I recently emailed Billy Hayes regarding the issue of a national ballot, he forwarded it to Dave Ward and here is his response for those who are interested. May be a generic email, maybe not.

Dear Mr. Hayes,



I work at CENSORED Delivery Office as a Postman. I have a few points to make.

Every day at work i witness harassment by our DOM of staff who claim overtime , managers throwing off walks and Door to Door items as we are under staffed; even our cluster DOM throwing walks off, lapsing of duties even though we are under staffed, managers doing favors for staff who adhere to the same ideology as themselves. Who knows what other corrupt activities take place behind the scenes.

I've never known things to be as bad as they are now. Stress at work is now the norm, and staff are constantly worried about being caught out by the DOM as his job these days seems to be less about running the office consistently and more about policing its staff.

When are we going to have a NATIONAL BALLOT on strike action to fight this mob head on instead of office by office ballots. We asked for a ballot nearly two months ago and still have not received the papers. The situation on the ground is becoming unbearable.

I urge the CWU to start protecting its members futures by calling for a national ballot to end this mob rule by incompetent management.



regards ME

Dear YOU



Thank you for your email that was sent to Billy Hayes.



The points that you make are unfortunately definitely on the increase and would be unacceptable to any employee. I have described in interviews and in letters to our members that one of the fundamental problems within this industry is without doubt is a managerial culture of bullying that I personally believe comes from the very top of the business. The Postal Executive will be meeting tomorrow to determine our next steps. Please be assured we will be considering, at that meeting, a timetable for a National Industrial action ballot. However, difficult that maybe for some of our members we are fully aware that we are now in a battle for the very future of our industry.

I believe there are fundamental issues which must be presented to our members as stark choices i.e. whether people have a job or compulsory redundancies, whether people have a pension or not, whether people get any benefits from change or not and whether the Union and the workforce have any say in the unrealistic work rates that Royal Mail seem intent on pressing ahead with regardless.

The Union also has a responsibility to continually look for solutions and we will be weighing up our options with this in mind. I want you to also know that there are some very difficult logistical issues that we will be considering as part of any ballot process. Regrettably, this has probably affected your own office ballot. Therefore, to summarise, I do accept that stress levels are now at breaking point in most offices and the Union must do something about that. A national strike ballot is very much on the agenda and will be discussed tomorrow.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

DGS (P)

[westlondonpostie]

[DGP1]

Any chance of that Smilie put onto the board

[Cut Off King]

I am relieably informed that an offer of talks has been put forward by the cwu (14 day hold on our action for a hold on RM exec. action )
PEC will meet again on Thursday to review RM responce, and to discuss whether or not to ballot us nationaly if they walk away.

[k979aaa]

Well done pickaname we now know that the CWU H/Q know's your concerns and ours and every member of the CWU!. IT IS TIME OUR UNION LISTENED TO US ALL AND FIGHT THE FIGHT THAT MUST BE FOUGHT FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL!.

[krussel]

Hey great job well done mate

[Martin Walsh]

Royal Mail have rejected the CWU`s two week offer of talks with no executive action or industrial action.However Royal Mail do want further talks. The Postal Executive must now call a national ballot tomorrow as Branch`s who do not have any ballots on going can no longer be allowed to hide.

I hope that for all our sakes that we do get a yes vote. However the fact is that just 400 offices out of 1500 have so far requested ballots in line with the cwu policy when it should have been far greater especially as local offices could lump all their problems in their ballot . I am just grateful that those of us who already have live ballots in place have something to fall back on if we did somehow get a no vote.

Those of us who have already vote yes and taken strike action will deliver yet again , however in other areas a lot of work will have to be done, and there can not be anymore hiding places for Divisional Reps , Branch secretaries and Area reps. We all know those who are doing the work and taking the union forward. Those who are not needs to have a close look in the mirror because if we dont win this one then we will not have a union in the workplace in the future.

[DGP1]

F*** 'em, get those ballot papers out now and let us take IA up to and over Christmas.

[k979aaa]

Royal Mail have rejected the CWU`s two week offer of talks with no executive action or industrial action.However Royal Mail do want further talks. The Postal Executive must now call a national ballot tomorrow as Branch`s who do not have any ballots on going can no longer be allowed to hide.

I hope that for all our sakes that we do get a yes vote. However the fact is that just 400 offices out of 1500 have so far requested ballots in line with the cwu policy when it should have been far greater especially as local offices could lump all their problems in their ballot . I am just grateful that those of us who already have live ballots in place have something to fall back on if we did somehow get a no vote.

Those of us who have already vote yes and taken strike action will deliver yet again , however in other areas a lot of work will have to be done, and there can not be anymore hiding places for Divisional Reps , Branch secretaries and Area reps. We all know those who are doing the work and taking the union forward. Those who are not needs to have a close look in the mirror because if we dont win this one then we will not have a union in the workplace in the future.

Yep the olive branch has been firmly returned too sender!. The next branch shall be a birch branch and a special branch of workers who will put a stop too royalmails shenanigans!.

[dvbuk55]

Royal Mail have rejected the CWU`s two week offer of talks with no executive action or industrial action.However Royal Mail do want further talks. The Postal Executive must now call a national ballot tomorrow as Branch`s who do not have any ballots on going can no longer be allowed to hide.

I hope that for all our sakes that we do get a yes vote. However the fact is that just 400 offices out of 1500 have so far requested ballots in line with the cwu policy when it should have been far greater especially as local offices could lump all their problems in their ballot . I am just grateful that those of us who already have live ballots in place have something to fall back on if we did somehow get a no vote.

Those of us who have already vote yes and taken strike action will deliver yet again , however in other areas a lot of work will have to be done, and there can not be anymore hiding places for Divisional Reps , Branch secretaries and Area reps. We all know those who are doing the work and taking the union forward. Those who are not needs to have a close look in the mirror because if we dont win this one then we will not have a union in the workplace in the future.

That is a very worrying figure, roughly 25%, or slightly more, have asked for a ballot and yet almost every area must be facing the same EA that has been rife for almost two years.

I would vote to take industrial action tomorrow and would man the picket line as I have in the past - but I have to be realistic and with part timers here not in the union, no move over the last couple of years to seriously recruit new members, total apathy by the Reps which has cascaded to the shop floor I would very much doubt that a yes vote would be a realistic prospect - I sincerely hope they would but it would be a herculean task to overcome the distrust of the union in a short enough time to be of anyuse in this coming ballot - and if this ballot fails, it would be goodnight Vienna.

Is there any advice dingo which could sway the majority to accept that this ballot is THE ballot and demands a yes vote.