PART DAY STOPPAGES DUE TO INDUSTRIAL ACTION

[Geezer]

Dear Peter
Date: 29th July 2009


PART DAY STOPPAGES DUE TO INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Thank you for your letter dated 27th July regarding the above which I am aware has already been communicated to the field.

It is interesting that you state that part day stoppages will have a serious effect on the performance of the office and our ability to provide a normal service. Our customers expect Royal Mail to provide a full service and so we need a full service from our employees to deliver to them. Yet you appear to be pushing the CWU into taking a full day and not a part day so where is your concern for the customer here.

Our position is quite clear we want a National agreement covering all aspects of modernisation and we want to provide a consistent and reliable service to all of our customers. Unfortunately it is Royal Mail who does not want a National agreement and who continues to refuse to negotiate with the CWU on this matter. If you were genuinely concerned about your customers and the provision of a service then you would stop posturing and enter into meaningful negotiations with the CWU.

As far as your stoppage of pay directive is concerned we are seeking legal advice on this matter and will provide you with our position in due course. At this point in time we do not accept your position and will inform our Branches accordingly.

Yours sincerely

R. Gibson
CWU Assistant Secretary

CWU Postal Executive
Dale Haddon
Mark Higson


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OFFICES WHERE THE CWU HAS NOTIFIED PART DAY STRIKES


LONDON REGION

South London Mail Centre
East London Delivery Offices
North London Delivery Offices
West End Delivery Offices and Hubs
South West, South East and West London Delivery Offices

THAMES VALLEY

North West London Delivery Offices

ANGLIA

Kings Lynn Delivery Office

SCOTLAND

Irvine Delivery Office

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Bob Gibson
Assistant Secretary
Communication Workers Union
150 The Broadway
Wimbledon
LONDON
SW19 1RX



Royal Mail Letters

Dear Bob,

SUCCESSIVE PART DAY STOPPAGES DUE TO INDUSTRIAL ACTION

I refer to your recent strike notifications for successive part shift stoppages in various locations. I have summarised in the attached appendix the offices where I currently believe such stoppages are planned. These stoppages will have a serious effect on the performance of the office and our ability to provide a normal service. Our customers expect Royal Mail to provide a full service and so we need a full service from our employees to deliver to them.

Accordingly, part performance of duties on the shifts designated for strike action is not acceptable to Royal Mail and I am writing to advise you that colleagues who only attend for work for part of the shift because they are on strike for the other part will not be paid at all for that shift. This includes both normal duty time and any associated Scheduled Attendance or overtime.

We want to ensure that colleagues proposing to strike for just part of their shift have the opportunity to fully understand this approach and to consider their position before they lose pay in this way, and we will be briefing them accordingly and giving them an appropriate period of time for reflection. In order for this we will, for the offices listed and for the first affected shift only, limit a deduction of pay to the hours the individual takes strike action.

This is an exception; otherwise we will not pay any individual who participates in strike action for the affected shift and any associated overtime, regardless of whether or not they make themselves available for work before or after the scheduled industrial action. For the avoidance of doubt, we will not be sending them home, although they will be free to go home if they wish. We will confirm our position in writing to each individual in the affected
units.

We nevertheless hope that individuals come to work for their full duty on the shifts in question in order to provide the service our customers expect, in which case they will of course be paid in the normal way for their shift and any overtime or Scheduled Attendance worked.

However I hope that none of this proves necessary and that on reflection you decide to call off this industrial action.

Yours sincerely

Peter Walls
Director Employee & Industrial Relations

[DGP1]

Who is this guy 'Walls' he sounds like a giant sausage and his job title is perhaps the most misleading thing I've seen since 'the mail is down'.

[eian687]

does this mean that if you take a days strike action they can turn around and say you are contracted for a weeks work (40 hours) so if you take strike action on one day we wont pay you for that week.....................

surely if you work you have to be paid

[pickaname]

I remember from doing GSCE Law (!) theres was case in 1992 between a teacher and a local council where the teacher was involved in a part day strike with the NUT and the council witheld a full days pay. She went to tribunal and won based on a previous case but the council appealed and it was overturned thereby making the previous judgement redundant.

Law is set via judicial precedent and not via written constitution and this case is oft cited in such tribunals so im told.

[k979aaa]

does this mean that if you take a days strike action they can turn around and say you are contracted for a weeks work (40 hours) so if you take strike action on one day we wont pay you for that week.....................

surely if you work you have to be paid

Would not put it passed them!. For they royalmail are a law unto themselves!.

[DGP1]

Just strike for a full day.

[k979aaa]

Just strike for a full day.

I think that is what they want as they think they can force us back on their terms as most cannot afford too lose one days pay a week every week or two!. And a half day strike is as good as as a one day strike and will force them too come to the table for an honorable settlement for all!.

[Martin Walsh]

No it does not mean they can withhold a weeks wages for taking one day strike action , the reason being a duty is continious for one shift only whereas each day is of the week is not continious and therefore they can not stop the whole weeks wages for taking strike action.

The union is determind to take Royal Mail on legally in regards to part day action as it was obviously hurting them and thats why they resulted to this tactic. But it was the right tactic to call off the part day action whilst we take legal advice as we had some 8000 workers who protentially were going to be stopped more pay then they were taking action and that would have not been correct. Especially as we take legal advice and in any case we are taking strike action next friday.

[DGP1]

I know people are worried about losing money but the loss of money in the long term is going to be much more, anyway the last time I was on strike it only cost me about £40, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things.

[dvbuk55]

Who is this guy 'Walls' he sounds like a giant sausage and his job title is perhaps the most misleading thing I've seen since 'the mail is down'.

Well I know what it rhymes with

[upmyroad]

Just strike for a full day.

I think that is what they want as they think they can force us back on their terms as most cannot afford too lose one days pay a week every week or two!. And a half day strike is as good as as a one day strike and will force them too come to the table for an honorable settlement for all!.

So far we have lost 5 days pay. and now we are out on friday 7th and wednesday the 12th. If the union thinks people will carry on lossing pay like this while others are still working they can think again.

[DGP1]

Just strike for a full day.

I think that is what they want as they think they can force us back on their terms as most cannot afford too lose one days pay a week every week or two!. And a half day strike is as good as as a one day strike and will force them too come to the table for an honorable settlement for all!.

So far we have lost 5 days pay. and now we are out on friday 7th and wednesday the 12th. If the union thinks people will carry on lossing pay like this while others are still working they can think again.

This is not going to be a quick fight, it will run on for months and you should be prepared to lose even more money. The rest of us are trying to get our ballots through but it does take time (and TBH the union should have balloted us nationally before now).

[upmyroad]

Just strike for a full day.

I think that is what they want as they think they can force us back on their terms as most cannot afford too lose one days pay a week every week or two!. And a half day strike is as good as as a one day strike and will force them too come to the table for an honorable settlement for all!.

So far we have lost 5 days pay. and now we are out on friday 7th and wednesday the 12th. If the union thinks people will carry on lossing pay like this while others are still working they can think again.

This is not going to be a quick fight, it will run on for months and you should be prepared to lose even more money. The rest of us are trying to get our ballots through but it does take time (and TBH the union should have balloted us nationally before now).

I dont mind just so long as everyone esle is out at the same time we are.
This union is no longer fit for purpose. Letting some 80% to 90% of it's members work while only a few strike is insane. for over a month now all we hear is the other's are being balloted and then we see on here they haven't even received their ballot papers yet. 1 out all out. Ill strike and not cross any picket lines biy this union is really taking the f**king piss now.