The agreement

[Martin Walsh]

There is no doubt that this is the worse period in any dispute. This period is when indivuduals dont know whats in the agreement and when people naturally think they have been stitched up.
People jumped to conclusions at Brendan Barbers statement about no strikes before christmas and clearly people think they have been betrayed.

However what Barber actually said was that the delivery of both parties of this agreement will lead to a strike free christmas period.

The words of the agreement on 1.6 allows the union to still take strike action if we do not feel they are abiding by the terms of the agreement. The National ballot and all local ballots are still live.

1.6 states : The operation of this agreement , the progress of negotiations , and the initial monitoring of the implementation of this agreement will be fromally reviewed by both parties and the norminated independent person during the WC 16th November, and fortnightly thereafter. In the reviews the success of this agreement will be tested against genuine progress on all key principles set out in paragraph 4 and achievement of agreements to resolve the local disputes.

The intention of both parties is to make significant progress by early December with the aim of concluding a final agreement by the end of 2009. Diaries will be cleared to ensure four days a week will be scheduled for work on concluding this agreement. The delivery by both partiesof the terms of this agreement will ensure that there will be no industrial action in the run up to and during the christmas period.

The simple fact is if Royal Mail are not adhereing to the agreement then we will call further strikes we will know that within two weeks.

I realise that people get wound up when they dont know the detail of whats been agreed but be in no doubt what has been agreed is the best we can achieve at this moment the test at both local and national level is that Royal Mail will keep to what it has agreed. We will know within first couple of meetings in London whether they are playing the game if not then we will once again notify of stike action.

For the first time every PEC member voted for this agreement that should tell you something.

I do despair sometimes at the negativity of some of the posts especially as you have not even seen the agreement. I think it puts down the scafice of our members who in some areas have lost 18 days pay.

This agreement was always going to be a framework for further talks but it does allow local talks on impostion and achieves a number of other important things. The reason why we have not done a deal on the bigger issues is that there are very complex issues and the committment to meet 4 days per week should tell you that we think we need a further 28 days of talks to achieve all those issues.Best will in the world we cannot negotate the bigger issues when strike action is taking place.

There is no doubt that Higson was the one who was more worried about the agreement and personally I think he wont last long in his postion. I still believe that the Hawks like Tolhurst, Cameron in Royal Mail will try and pull back some ground by not adhering to parts of this agreement but now is the time to test this by getting in both Locally and nationally to see if they abide by what they have agreed.

[wranglered]

I have to say when we read the agreement we will not be sharing your optimism...the fact that all the PEC voted in favour tells me something too...and it aint good...not that I am surprised having had dealings with around half of them..

one phonecall to Sheffield is all it takes...the CWU are finished and it is time another union stepped forward to try and do what the CWU have patently failed to do...improve the terms and conditions of those they leech money off every week...

Well done Royal Mail...they have shown up the CWU leaders for what they are....in it for themselves only....

[baldrick]

I think the problem is that a lot of us have no faith in RM Management
abiding by agreements, and have yet to see any sign that they will now.
But I do agree that we need to know the details, and then see if they
will engage in meaningful negotiations.

[noggin1969]

I'll get my coat

[Tamsky]

Ive been to umpteen local members meetings over the last period and have visited most picket lines where support for the Union has been solid. We know from our daily working lives that Delivery offices are operating at crisis point every day due to successive years of cuts and no replacement of full time staff who have left the business.

Support for the Union is however conditional on securing a workable agreement which does not abandon Delivery workers to part time status, and leave them at the whim of any petty jumped up bullying manager. We need the support of a strong national union at local level. We did not get this in 2007. Support is also conditional on the Union making an genuine attempt to seek a resolution to this dispute in the face of an RM senior management team who want to de recognise our Union.

This may well be a hostage to fortune, since I have not seen the agreement, however I think the PEC is right to suspend action in order to test the sincerity of RM.
However,
The problem is that when I consider the local issues which need to be addressed - Part time promotion to Full time, an end to bullying over unagreed performance and throughputs, restoration of pay to those members unable to comply with 30 minute flexing, and end to unagreed lapsing, an end to harrassment of members off sick - I do not see how these can be resolved at local level.

If the CWU is to retain the confidence of members it must set a dealine of 1st December for any local resolution, otherwise Xmas strikes are inevitable.

[Martin Walsh]

Look dont talk to me about distrusting managment , I have been through the most bitterset dispute in CWU history where our relationship with all managers is virtually non - existant. We have had 18 days out and been solid all the way through. However at some stage you agree the right words on the resolving of the local disputes and the national issues you have to test whether management will abide by the agreement or not. If they dont then we will simply activate the ballot again in two weeks time.

Now I understand that some believe that Royal Mail will drag their heels past the christmas but the agreement also states that Royal Mail will not imposed any further change during the course of this negotations. Bearing in mind they want to introudce budget cuts in January in time for the financial year then it hardly an advantage to Royal Mail to drag the negotations out.

I realise that some on here want to see us striking until Royal Mail cave in and surrender to all our demands. However thats not how disputes are settled when you have so many issues to negotiate for the future as well as resolving the bitter local disputes and bullying and harrassment.

However surely we owe it to our members to test it now and if they are not serious we can still hit them with action before December.

[Yahoorsur]

,Ive slept on my first thoughts,so ok lets give the document the benefit of the doubt.
keeping my fingers and toes crossed that we are not being shafted.And lets see if RM are genuine,and that they can be held to account for this.

[jim1911]

I agree with Wranglered :cfo :mfo We need The transport and General Workers Union to step in URGENTLY

[postmanx]

Not long now - Lets all wait and see??

[Martin Walsh]

Jim the TNG is now unite. Unite reprsents the CMA still want them involved ?

[norbert]

Jim the TNG is now unite. Unite reprsents the CMA still want them involved ?

UNITE pay a lot of money to New Labour , look at who the " Yorkshire Ripper " was trying to impress over pensions . A lot of RM's Senior Management had to go after 2007 , people like McCarthy who had a bad reputation at BAE , the article I read about Higson stated that he was fighting for his life so yes there would be a lot of vanity involved .

It speaks volumes about RM's Senior Management that their own negotiating team have been overruled before by Higson , in 2007 it was Crozier putting the spanner into the works .

He didn't sound good at all , it was like he was reading from a shopping list whilst Dave Ward came over much better without having to read off something , the media didn't exactly break their necks to show Higson's " speech " either

To me it sounds there's been a lot of pressure from No.10 ( a weak government with a General Election due next June ) , the DTI , Whitehall or whatever ! ( the real employers like in 2007 ) to get this . The Lord of Darkness went very quiet too . It's said that Brown threatened Ward in 2007 , I'm inclined to believe it

[johnnyp]

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