Strikes and National Ballot as RM Refuse to Negotiate

[POSTMAN]

Growing Postal Strikes and a National Ballot as Royal Mail Refuse to Negotiate

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6th August 2009

Thousands of postal workers go on strike this Friday, Saturday and Monday as growing unrest leads to the Communication Workers Union calling a national strike ballot.

Postal workers in Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, London and other locations (full list below) will each take 24 hours of strike action. For the first time since the national dispute of 2007 this includes Royal Mail drivers meaning cross-country mail services will be severely disrupted. In addition, a national strike ballot will be conducted in September.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary said: "Postal workers are sick and tired of an incompetent management running their business into the ground. Workers are busier than ever and being treated badly. The current round of cuts in jobs and services is unacceptable.

"Royal Mail agreed in 2007 to work with the union on agreeing modernisation. Despite explicit commitments to negotiate they are reneging on that agreement and imposing panic-driven cuts to jobs and services. This is downsizing, not modernisation.

"The company has failed to set out any clear or joined up vision of what modernisation really means. They must stop imposing change and work with the union to agree the bigger picture of modernisation that the postal service badly needs."

Strike action will go ahead over the next few days in:


Friday 7th August:
Birmingham Vehicle Operation Centre
Burslem
Coventry Parcelforce Hub
Edinburgh mail centre
Essex Regional Distribution Centre
Huntingdon
London (146 offices including all deliveries, plus mail centres and drivers)
Northampton National Distribution Centre
Peterborough delivery office

Saturday 8th August:
Boston
Bristol delivery offices
Dalkeith
Edinburgh deliveries
Hadfield (NW)
Peterborough
Skegness

Monday 10th August:
Ipswich mail centre
Kings Lynn
Stanton
Bury St Edmonds
Thetford (Suffolk)

From Tuesday 11th August Stoke on Trent will be taking continuous strike action.

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail must change

We need to modernise how our business operates for customers and are making strong progress in doing so. We cannot slow down and our customers want us to increase our pace of change. We face real challenges; the decline in traditional mail use, the impact of the economic recession and ever stronger competition. This is alongside the unavoidable need to modernise the ways we work and the technology we use. We are making changes in a calm, measured and structured way, inviting continuous involvement and dialogue with our unions and our people, seeking to minimise service disruption to our customers, whilst we change. Royal Mail continues to talk with the CWU and our people underlining the impact of any disruption on customers and on Royal Mail’s business and reputation in these challenging economic times.

That's from RM of course.

[POSTMAN]

Dear Colleague

NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION BALLOT

Despite the explicit commitments Royal Mail made in 2007– that it was not the end of the negotiating process on modernisation and that they would introduce future change by agreement – it is clear that Royal Mail has no genuine desire to reach acceptable agreements with the Union. Instead, the company continues to impose change by diktat, intimidation and bullying.

Therefore, in pursuance of Annual Conference Policies and the urgent need to achieve National Agreements to cover all aspects of Major Change, the Postal Executive has had no alternative other than to set a timetable for a National Industrial Action Ballot.

The timetable for the Ballot is as follows:-

• Notice Served to the employer on the 2nd September 2009

• Ballot Papers dispatched on the 9th September 2009

• Ballot closes on the 23rd September 2009

Communications to members are being prepared and over the next few weeks the Union will be setting out, in detail, all the reasons why we must achieve a YES vote. In the meantime, Branches should step up their local campaigns and plan membership meetings as appropriate.

Yours sincerely


Dave Ward Billy Hayes Ray Ellis
Deputy General Secretary (P) General Secretary Asst Secretary




Martin Collins Bob Gibson Terry Pullinger
Asst Secretary Asst Secretary asst Secretary

[brothermagrew]

Well done and much appreciation for Teebs and POSTMAN for bring the news of forthcoming National Industrial Action Ballot

And in the words of Marvin Gaye "Let's Get It On"

[Pinky 1]

HURRAY !! This is what we've been shouting for ....
Get it sorted Royal Mail ....cause i tell you we can't wait to get out there and support our colleagues already standing up to you
The ball will soon be in your court .....let's hope you make the right call

[Ahebban]

The momentum is gathering speed ...

are we ready to rumble? .. i think so!

bring it on! ...

[jcjd]

No national action untill october? 2 months away so what now for the offices where rm are using EA are we just supposed to sit calm, take the absorbsion stiff upper lip and all that
This ballot should be taken place NOW so national action could be taken at the start of september, as it is my london office like many others are to take are 5th day of action friday and another next wednesday , October seems a long way off hope we still have some fight left in us by then?

[baldrick]

Royal Mail must change

We are making changes in a calm, measured and structured way, inviting continuous involvement and dialogue with our unions and our people

That's from RM of course.

At my MC they are removing (senior) people from their jobs and putting them on facing and sorting.
They are treating us like dirt hoping that people get so fed up they will leave - VR/EVR is now open
to anyone to take until the end of the December. And some are so demoralised and angry at the way
they are being humiliated that they have decided to take it.

[NWpostie]

A head of steam has been building up for some time, the intimidation if you dare book overtime, flex, the EAs, general pressure, treated like donkeys, Pension erosion etc

Guess it will be a Yes vote for all, this time we better not cock it up in the Negotiations !!!!!!!! the last agreement was too ambigous and a half assed cock up.

[barclay]

Bring it on we have had enough of ignorant managers being bully boys