Royal Mail blames small militant core

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b792aa46-c26d ... ab49a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Talks aimed at heading off more national postal strikes will resume on Tuesday, with the state-owned operator arguing that the dispute is being driven by resistance in the capital and a handful of militant areas, incl­uding Bristol, parts of the Midlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

That view is rejected by the Communication Workers Union, which points to the 76 per cent majority of those voting in a national ballot for industrial action.

It accuses Royal Mail of imposing changes that go beyond previous agreements without consultation.

CWU leaders met Royal Mail executives for seven hours on Monday at the headquarters of the Trades Union Congress in London.

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said neither side would be making any comment.

“We have had useful discussions today and the talks are being adjourned to allow further work to be done overnight on some of the issues involved,” he said. “We will be reconvening again in the morning here at Congress House to continue the talks.”

The CWU earlier said that the presence of Mark Higson, Royal Mail managing director, at the talks was a “huge, positive change”, as he had not attended negotiations until now.

Royal Mail said the backlog of 30m letters and packages delayed by last week’s two 24-hour strikes had fallen to 5m by the end of Monday. Up to 120,000 CWU members are to stage three further one-day strikes from Thursday unless the dispute is resolved.

The two sides came close to a deal last week that would have suspended strikes and further changes in working practices for the rest of the year, allowing time to reach a new deal on modernisation, job security, pay and workloads.

The talks broke down with each side blaming the other. The CWU said Royal Mail negotiators had been overruled by senior management, while Royal Mail accused the union of being unable to sell a deal to militants on its executive.

At it heart lies different interpretations of a four-phase 2007 agreement on pay and modernisation. Royal Mail says London and some other areas have yet to sign up fully to phases one to three, which included utilising all paid work hours, undertaking work outside normal duties and “full co-operation and support for trials and subsequent deployment of new technology”.

The CWU says it has fully delivered on phases one to three and accuses Royal Mail of imposing unilateral changes without negotiating phase four, a new deal on further modernisation and job security.

One flashpoint has been replacing bicycles with vans, which provoked a walkout in Lincoln, a moderate area, because the union health and safety representative was not allowed to check the vans. Another dispute involves delivery rounds. The CWU says loads are getting heavier because of changes in the way Royal Mail estimates the number of items in each tray of hand-sorted post, a charge the operator rejects.

[clashcityrocker]

Does anyone know how I can join the militants.Would be willing to travel.

[pinstripe]

Does anyone know how I can join the militants.Would be willing to travel.

There are 2 ways I can think off.
1. Ask questions in WTL meetings that your manager cannot answer.
2. Stand on the picket line , making sure that management see you.
Either of these and you are militant in RM's eyes, both and you're hard core.

[mandelsons_toenail]

im hardcore then....

and being punished for it by my DOM and LINO

[Bluebird]

I am definatley hardcore, love nothing better than toying with them during WTL sessions

What an insult that report is to the rest of us, the media gave interviews from pickets from all over the country all having the same issues, who writes these articles

[clashcityrocker]

How lucky you are to still have WTLL sessions.Ours stopped years ago. They resurfaced briefly when the DOM found out his bonus was affected if he did not have them but now we only occasionally have a huddle but questions are not encouraged.
I would like to be hard core but at the moment I shall have to settle for just being a plain picket line militant.
I feel I am being discriminated against.
Could I be honorary hard core?Is anyone out there competent to decide?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

How lucky you are to still have WTLL sessions.Ours stopped years ago. They resurfaced briefly when the DOM found out his bonus was affected if he did not have them but now we only occasionally have a huddle but questions are not encouraged.
I would like to be hard core but at the moment I shall have to settle for just being a plain picket line militant.
I feel I am being discriminated against.
Could I be honorary hard core?Is anyone out there competent to decide?

there is a test - if we strike on Thursday/Friday/Saturday - attempt to cross the threshold onto RM property. If you cant, your a loyal CWU member, if you have an instant physical reaction such as retching etc, then your a True Militant.

Its a joke before anyone has a sense of humour failure and its not aimed at anyone.

[dongash]

IF "BEING MILITANT " MEANS THE "RIGHT " TO STRIKE , WHEN YOU ARE BEING TREATED LIKE s**t. THEN I AM AFRAID I AM MILITANT !!! THESE KIND OF REMARKS SHOW THE MENTALITY OF ROYAL MAIL. THIS STRIKE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LONDON ETC, IT'S TO DO WITH THE TREATMENT OF STAFF ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

[rievaulx]

I've posted something similar on another forum - that probably only gets read by a couple of people every 24 hours - but I want an answer fast, so I'll try posting here. I'm a Parcelforce driver who supports the strike, but as some may already have gathered PFWW are not officially part of the strike, even though we're represented by CWU and are part of the RM network. Now PFWW management (as part of RM management, of course!) are instructing drivers to collect normal RM parcels from Post Offices, which is surely breaking the strike? I'm all set to black this stuff, but will be asking my CWU rep tomorrow what the policy is - it's not a 'militant' depot (like most PFWW, I suspect), but want to know if I'll be backed up at least by the CWU, if no-one else.

[alan84]

We had a ttl yesterday but no opuetunity to ask questions because the management put a dvd on then buggered of an left us.

[kingtubby]

IF "BEING MILITANT " MEANS THE "RIGHT " TO STRIKE , WHEN YOU ARE BEING TREATED LIKE s**t. THEN I AM AFRAID I AM MILITANT !!! THESE KIND OF REMARKS SHOW THE MENTALITY OF ROYAL MAIL. THIS STRIKE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LONDON ETC, IT'S TO DO WITH THE TREATMENT OF STAFF ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

Unfortunately, it's all too easy for RM to toss out words like 'militant' to the media, in the full knowledge that they'll never have to justify their use.

[clashcityrocker]

[
Unfortunately, it's all too easy for RM to toss out words like 'militant' to the media, in the full knowledge that they'll never have to justify their use.

You can substitute the word "modernisation " for militant and the sentence still makes perfect sense.

[Fred B]

I remember watching Arthur Scargill being asked on television if he was a 'militant'. His reply was: 'If a militant is someone who thinks no child should be born into poverty, that every child is given a good education, that when he or she leaves school, there is a decent job for them, that they have good housing, if they fall ill, they have good treatment in a NHS hospital, that in old age they are not poor, then I am a militant'.

[gerardy]

Statistics show that this number has drastically increased over the last couple of years
and now stands at over 60 000.
CWU sources have said that they would like to take this opportunity to thank Royal Mail for the large increase in numbers.
Royal Mail good for something then.

[dudleylicious]

"Talks aimed at heading off more national postal strikes will resume on Tuesday, with the state-owned operator arguing that the dispute is being driven by resistance in the capital and a handful of militant areas, incl­uding Bristol, parts of the Midlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh".

For Feck Sake our office was the 4th in all of the UK to take action against Exec action .so we must be top of that militant areas hit list that RM have
I'm very proud of the part we have played in this dispute

I'm afraid RM you're feckin wrong again it certainly is a case of the wee boys showing how its done .

Well done Broxburn/Bathgate DO same again on saturday