RM and CWU hold seven hours of talks

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail and union in postal dispute hold seven hours of talks

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 891296.ece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The two sides in the postal dispute refrained from taking potshots at each last night as they emerged from what were described as “useful” peace talks.

After just under seven hours of negotiations at the TUC headquarters the two sides emerged in agreement not to make any public comment. They are due to reconvene this morning.

One source said there were positive signs but added that major stumbling blocks remained before the CWU would call off this week’s three-day national strike which is due to start on Thursday.

Brendan Barber, the general secretary of the TUC who chaired the talks, said after they broke up: “We have had useful talks but we are now going to adjourn overnight to allow some work to be done on some of the issues involved.”

He added that both sides had agreed not to make any comment on the negotiations.

Government sources said yesterday that talks with the CWU are proving to be “extremely difficult” because the union’s executive is contrary and unpredictable.

One Whitehall official said: “They were close to a deal the other day but the CWU negotiators keep getting undermined by their executive”.

It is understood that Royal Mail and government ministers believe that CWU officials with a London powerbase are obstructing compromise deals.

In an interview on Sunday Adam Crozier, the Royal Mail chief executive, highlighted the role of London employees in resisting changes. Liam Byrne, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said on the same day that while Royal Mail management deserved marks of seven out of 10 for getting modernisation plans rolled out in parts of the country, that job “has got to be finished in London”.

Royal Mail said yesterday that the volume of backlog mail, created from last week’s strikes, had fallen to five million items. Previously it said the backlog was 30million items, although the CWU said it was far greater.

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said yesterday that last week’s two-day strike had cost London businesses an estimated £200million. It said that since the industrial dispute began - London branches of the CWU have held a series of strikes since June in opposition to the company’s plans to modernise the workplace - businesses in the capital had lost £500m.

Colin Stanbridge, its chief executive, said companies had been forced to pay extra for alternative couriers while people had delayed spending as they knew a strike was pending.

There have been suggestions that the CWU sought to influence the debate on the future of the Royal Mail by paying for a report from a left wing think entitled: Modernisation by Consent.

Neal Lawson, the chairman of Compass, last night confirmed that it had received funding from the CWU but denied that the report was specifically commissioned by the union.

“I’m not going to go into who funded what and when,” he said. “The CWU has paid us money along with Unite, Unison, the NUT and others. But I don’t think there was any direct payment for that piece of work.

“What matters to me is that we do things we believe in - we’re not hired guns who will do anything for money.”

Pat McFadden, the business minister, said: “It would have been better if the organisation responsible for publishing this pamphlet had made clear to people that it had received funding from the union.”

During yesterday’s meeting the CWU was represented by Dave Ward, the union deputy general secretary, and assistant secretary Ray Ellis. Mark Higson, Royal Mail managing director for its letters business, and Dale Haddon, its head of HR, were on the other side. Mr Barber chaired the negotiations.

In the morning the CWU said it was a “huge positive change” that Mr Higson was present as he had been absent at last week’s talks which broke down acrimonously on Tuesday evening.

On his way into the meeting Mr Ward did attack the government over its handling of the dispute and said Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, had not been “telling the truth about what this dispute is about”.

If the strike goes ahead 43,700 staff in mail centres are due to walk out from 4am on Thursday, followed on Friday by 400 workers at three centres. On Saturday 77,000 delivery and collection staff are due to strike.

The current dispute arises from the 2007 Pay and Modernisation agreement, which was intended to pave the way for the introduction of new technology into the workplace.

Both sides are in apparent agreement that job cuts are necessary but disagree over their extent and the future pay and working conditions of remaining employees. Adam Crozier, the Royal Mail chief executive, said on Sunday that if the strikes were called off the two sides would sit down to discuss - for up to two months - next year’s modernisation plans.

[not me]

only 7 hours,they need to work to their time

[clashcityrocker]

Seven hours talks.
40 minute lunch break.
10 minute grace break.
15 minutes pouching off.
5 minutes over just to cover their arses.Perfect.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

only 7 hours,they need to work to their time

Might be on "Longs and Shorts" like my DO.

[not me]

only 7 hours,they need to work to their time

Might be on "Longs and Shorts" like my DO.

more like longs and not so long nowadays

[TrueBlueTerrier]

only 7 hours,they need to work to their time

Might be on "Longs and Shorts" like my DO.

more like longs and not so long nowadays

[Big Daz]

Mc Fadden should look at his party first before taking pops at us.

Within Labour there is the compass group of MP's and it chair Jon Trickett was PPS to Gordon Brown.

What is distinctive about Compass is that we are:

•an umbrella grouping of the progressive left whose sum is greater than its parts.
•a strategic political voice - unlike thinktanks and single issue pressure groups Compass can and must develop a politically coherent position based on the values of democracy, equality and sustainability.
•an organising force - Compass recognises that ideas need to be organised for and will seek to recruit, mobilise and encourage to be active, a membership across the UK to work in the pursuit of greater democracy, equality and sustainability.
•a pressure group focussed on changing Labour - but recognises that energy and ideas must come from outside the party, not least the 200,000 who have left since 1997.

[concerned]

Mc Fadden should look at his party first before taking pops at us.

Within Labour there is the compass group of MP's and it chair Jon Trickett was PPS to Gordon Brown.

What is distinctive about Compass is that we are:

•an umbrella grouping of the progressive left whose sum is greater than its parts.
•a strategic political voice - unlike thinktanks and single issue pressure groups Compass can and must develop a politically coherent position based on the values of democracy, equality and sustainability.
•an organising force - Compass recognises that ideas need to be organised for and will seek to recruit, mobilise and encourage to be active, a membership across the UK to work in the pursuit of greater democracy, equality and sustainability.
•a pressure group focussed on changing Labour - but recognises that energy and ideas must come from outside the party, not least the 200,000 who have left since 1997.

Big Daz - are you involved with Compass?

[britwrit]

McFadden added "Sure, if you take their money and then go on your merry, neo-liberal way, ignoring them, that's alright Jack. But to actually listen to them, my God, that's madness."

The minister then broke down weeping, rending his garments.

"I mean, the horror, the horror. Think of the children!"

[Big Daz]

Big Daz - are you involved with Compass?

No,

But do follow their work and have done so for a while.

[Wessex]

Funny ,I thought the government weren't getting involved between the 2 sides (cwu and management) and had denied collusion with management etc and yet here we have government comment on the talks which they weren't at and not only that they have taken sides at talks they werent at.Are they clearly lying about their relationship with RM management or am I missing something?

[mucker]

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said yesterday that last week’s two-day strike had cost London businesses an estimated £200million. It said that since the industrial dispute began - London branches of the CWU have held a series of strikes since June in opposition to the company’s plans to modernise the workplace - businesses in the capital had lost £500m.

how about the rest of the country,i get fecked of when all i hear about is london there is more to the uk than fecking london :cfo :mfo

[TrueBlueTerrier]

London branches of the CWU have held a series of strikes since June in opposition to the company’s plans to modernise the workplace

Fully agree with your post bathboy - but you can see how bad the reporting is when they think we are complaining about a repaint or changing the lights

Modernise the workplace I would be celebrating and singing RM praises if they were "Modernising the workplace" instead of RMs interpretation of Modernisation (longer walks, more packets, more bags, but no modernisation or improvement of the supporting structure)

[mucker]

London branches of the CWU have held a series of strikes since June in opposition to the company’s plans to modernise the workplace

Fully agree with your post bathboy - but you can see how bad the reporting is when they think we are complaining about a repaint or changing the lights

Modernise the workplace I would be celebrating and singing RM praises if they were "Modernising the workplace" instead of RMs interpretation of Modernisation (longer walks, more packets, more bags, but no modernisation or improvement of the supporting structure)

you forgot to mention less hours ,more manegement less foot soldiers