Heard a rumour today is it true

[rogue]

royal mail have been talking for the last few days but i have heard no mention of the ballot being suspended and until i see it in black and white with an agreement attached that without question resolves all current disputes as far as i am concerned its just a rumour

[concerned]

can yo go ahead with the national ballot even if your union says not to?

[mclovin]

Suspended for 1 week I heard.

[carpbarbel]

billy's to busy to attend to us, as he is having a meeting with gordon brown friday at chequers, maybe he will disguss a safe seat at next election then we will be rid of him . dont know about a safe though they all will scrambling for the one of two that may exist.

[Big Daz]

Dont forget 18 branches did not get their membership records done in time to stick with the original timetable and falling foul of the law will do us more harm than good. To fall at the last hurdle and to have to start again would be a disaster.

That is why we have had a delay,


LTB 771/09 - National Industrial Dispute Over Royal Mail’s Failure To Reach A National Agreement Covering Protection Of Jobs, Pay, Terms And Condition
No. 771 /09 Ref: TK/PM/lm Date: 10 September 2009


To: All Branches with POSTAL Members

National Industrial Dispute Over Royal Mail’s Failure To Reach A National Agreement Covering Protection Of Jobs, Pay, Terms And Conditions And The Cessation Of Managerial Executive Action

Dear Colleague

Branches will wish to know that an Industrial Action Ballot Notice was served on Royal Mail today, 10 September 2009, regarding the above dispute.

The timetable for the Ballot will be as follows:-

Ballot Opens 17 September 2009
Ballot Closes 8 October 2009

Yours sincerely
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS
Tony Kearns Dave Ward
Senior Deputy General Secretary Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
More info +

[dvbuk55]

That's so Billy and his oppos will be able to attend the Labour Party Conference uninterrupted, of course there is a week to go yet, and it is odd that the ballot closes a week later than it should - it was supposed to be 9th to the 23rd, 16th to 30th, now 17th til 8th October. I sincerely hope that the Branchs who have let us down with their paperwork have been censured, after all there are full time officials in each area.

[Carnoustie]

it is odd that the ballot closes a week later than it should... now 17th til 8th October

Which means with the legal requirement to give a minimum 7 days notice of strike action, we can't have a National strike until 15th October at the very earliest.

If the CWU take the Yes vote and then fanny around asking Crozier to 'pleeeaaasssseeee come to the table, we promise we won't do anything while you decide if you'll talk properly', the first strike date then gets pushed even further back. Yeah, that puts it closer to Christmas, but that may not necessarily be a good thing.

Some people in my office are already wavering after getting grief from the missus and that will only get worse if nationwide all-offices strike action doesn't start til close to Christmas. This ballot should have been underway well before now

[Wild Cat]

I can't believe the ballot has been pushed back again. Hayes and Ward have no thought for those who are fighting on the ground losing money week in week out whilst these two idiots at the top dither and plead with royal mail to come to the table,oh those nasty posties they are going to stop me from getting my safe labour seat,what am I going to do now? I'll bury my head in the sand and have a drink and a pie and hope it will be all sorted out by tomorrow and I'll get my safe labour seat.

The one thing is clear that Hayes and ward have to go and if they even try to call off the strikes and fudge an agreement then I for one will be the first to volunteer for unofficial industrial action as we will have to take this dispute into our own hands as that it where the power should be with us and not rm or hayes/ward.

[BELIAL]

I heard a whisper today that our negotiators have taken on board a vital lesson from 2007 and that due to the complete lack of faith in RM management chiefly because of their underhand conduct and duplicitous actions , IA will only be stopped when a satisfactory outcome has been agreed. Talk talk =backlog backlog

[brothermagrew]

I heard a whisper today that our negotiators have taken on board a vital lesson from 2007 and that due to the complete lack of faith in RM management chiefly because of their underhand conduct and duplicitous actions , IA will only be stopped when a satisfactory outcome has been agreed. Talk talk =backlog backlog

And not this time in a whisper but shouting from the rafters, I to hope that our negotiators have also taken on board another vital lesson from the past - PLEASE ensure that all CWU membership figures are scrupulously in order, thereby preventing any possible High Court challenge for an injuction.

[Spedley]

It would be pointless calling it off now.

The YES vote is a bargaining chip for the table so it is pointless making deals before we 'play' (unless the Union thinks it will be a NO vote).
Even if the vote is YES then it doesn't mean we will strike, just that legally, we can.

[shimmyrule]

it is odd that the ballot closes a week later than it should... now 17th til 8th October

Which means with the legal requirement to give a minimum 7 days notice of strike action, we can't have a National strike until 15th October at the very earliest.

If the CWU take the Yes vote and then fanny around asking Crozier to 'pleeeaaasssseeee come to the table, we promise we won't do anything while you decide if you'll talk properly', the first strike date then gets pushed even further back. Yeah, that puts it closer to Christmas, but that may not necessarily be a good thing.

Some people in my office are already wavering after getting grief from the missus and that will only get worse if nationwide all-offices strike action doesn't start til close to Christmas. This ballot should have been underway well before now

I fear itll be the same old same old again.

Carnoustie reckons we cant strike til oct 15, we prob wont, and the cwu will use the same old tactic of the threat of industrial action bla bla.

Then , all of a sudden, xmas is upon us, and hayes and ward will trot out the same old pysh, we dont want to harm the customer, its near xmas!

Xmas will come an go,the business gets the mail through, royal mail withdraw from talks, and we go on a meaningless strike about jan/feb.
Yes, well done the cwu!quality!

[concerned]

do you not think that CWU keep pushing strike back because they know they messed up with the 2007 agreement and now are trying to stall for time so they can work out what to do? dont you think they should answer to you a bit more? Seems pretty slack and laid back their attitude.....

[POSTMAN]

While the national ballot is some way away,there is more than enough going on to keep RM busy,London is out again on Wed and i'm sure others will be as well during that time,and as you are aware the backlog is immense.

Royal Mail have also had talks on strike days and they have never had that before,so,so far it's working.

[BELIAL]

it is odd that the ballot closes a week later than it should... now 17th til 8th October

Which means with the legal requirement to give a minimum 7 days notice of strike action, we can't have a National strike until 15th October at the very earliest.

If the CWU take the Yes vote and then fanny around asking Crozier to 'pleeeaaasssseeee come to the table, we promise we won't do anything while you decide if you'll talk properly', the first strike date then gets pushed even further back. Yeah, that puts it closer to Christmas, but that may not necessarily be a good thing.

Some people in my office are already wavering after getting grief from the missus and that will only get worse if nationwide all-offices strike action doesn't start til close to Christmas. This ballot should have been underway well before now

I fear itll be the same old same old again.

Carnoustie reckons we cant strike til oct 15, we prob wont, and the cwu will use the same old tactic of the threat of industrial action bla bla.

Then , all of a sudden, xmas is upon us, and hayes and ward will trot out the same old pysh, we dont want to harm the customer, its near xmas!

Xmas will come an go,the business gets the mail through, royal mail withdraw from talks, and we go on a meaningless strike about jan/feb.
Yes, well done the cwu!quality!

I understand your scepticism given the conduct of the last dispute. But make no mistake ,this IA is unlike any other previous action. This is more than a step change, its a different escalator altogether . If the membership fall down on this vote then the officials join the dole queue .