Report From National briefing held on Friday 13th November

[Geezer]

NATIONAL BRIEFING LONDON
TUC HOUSE LONDON

National briefing held on Friday 13th November 2009.

Meeting chaired by Jane Loftus.


Dave Ward Address:


D Ward thanked all the Reps across the country for their outstanding work in the current dispute.
The series of local actions which had been going on throughout the summer were the longest running series of disputes regarding the CWU since 1970s.
D Ward spoke about the use by RM of taking members off pay who had returned to their offices at the end of their shift with work.
They had been previously threatened by managers that their wages would be stopped if they brought work back. RM has now admitted that this practice had been widespread and that now the IA was over this would not happen again!
Brendan Barber General Secretary of the TUC was aware of this and other actions taken by RM management during the dispute.
D Ward spoke about the leaked document which had shown RM plan to remove the CWU from the workplace and reiterated that this document was real.
D Ward also spoke about the plan of RM to imply that the dispute was only about London, this was obviously done to split the union and also weaken the support from the general public.
Royal Mail’s reaction to the last day of strike action taken was to fane disbelief that the union was going forward without any justification belays the fact that RM had been informed the night before that the action was to be taken.
The RM adverts in most national papers the day after bore this fact out.
D Ward spoke about the ongoing problems faced by those in and around London and in Scotland.
The Divisional Managers in these areas seem to be ignoring their superiors.
D Ward said that urgent meetings with Brendan Barber and Mark Higson Royal Mail managing Director to discuss non compliance with the interim agreement will be held on Monday.
D Ward said that the 2 week review will be up next week (Thursday) and if there is no movement on these issues then the PEC will be asked to endorse IA.

Reports from Divisions:

Midlands: Paul Kennedy said forced resourcing meetings to be actioned.
SW/SW: Chris Webb said some reengagements but still problems around the division.
NW/NW: Ian Taylor said management still belligerent and revisiting for MORE hours.
London: Mark Walsh said o/t only for non strikers, flooding offices with casuals, 17 taken off pay.
NE: Gary Hodgson said discussions moved forward revisiting f/t to p/t, facilities restored.
SE: Sean Tait said hard line still taken by RM, f/t to p/t refused to budge. Some movement now.
S Central: Roger Seaborne said progress been made, casuals removed, reduced absorption.
Anglia E: Progress made changes attitude from RM changed Friday, casuals still working.
NI/Scot: Local level non adherence to agreement, executive action ongoing, casuals still working.
Engineers: RM trust issues and concerns around IRF and WCM problems.
Fleet Ser: P and M A 2007 did not affect FS. Disciplines and attendances still been abused.

D Ward reports on Div Reports:

Union has to except big picture and the scale of change which is coming. Union looking for improved job security, improved reward, shorter working week and a 2 to 3 year pay deal.
Localised disputes will be sorted. Stability for the future:
There will be meetings to address the bullying and harassment endemic in some parts of the country. Brendan Barber TUC GS and Trevor Phillips equalities commission to take part.

National Officers reports:

Bob Gibson Outdoor Secretary:

RM National Managers not aware of national agreements has become apparent and the Union has insisted that national agreements are adhered to.
To ensure this D Lang RM director and D Haddon RM director have been emailed all national agreements.
Bob said that members would have to look forward to longer walking spans with work loads and capability being looked at to increase performance.
Bob said that deliveries would have to look forward to 1500hrs urban last letter and 1600hrs rural last letter and that this would be due to the increase in the use of CWSMs and ILSMs which will be coming on line in the near future.
The protection of full time duties and a shorter working week come before pay. D2D is not an issue as this has been going on for years without movement. Unaddressed mail protects full time duties period!
Geo route and Pegasus roll out will be sorted out.

Martin Collins Indoor Secretary:

The interim agreement improves position for the union. With walk sequencing and ILSMs coming on line it means a period of uncertainty but we must address the issues that arise.
Mail Centre rationalisation is ongoing and a draft agreement has been produced. I will be handing out copies for all Reps ASAP.
As far as World Class Mail is concerned the instruction is that no cooperation is to take place.
Network 2009 is ongoing and is to be addressed through the IRF.

Terry Pullinger Logistics Secretary:

Network 2009 includes legislation, work measurement and agreement which commits RM to negotiations in the future.

Ray Ellis Engineering Secretary:

Engineers in MCs are facing certain as MTSF, WCM Pay ratios and O/T rates. Other issues are workloads/attendances/remote working and with the added problem of no management chain.
EVRs and buy downs are as per MTSF. A meeting with management will take place 1st week in December 2009 to reaffirm no compulsory redundancies.

Billy Hayes General Secretary:

Billy spoke about the current pension deficit of 3.5 Bn which is more than lightly to be around 10 Bn at the next evaluation in June 2010. Billy said that dispute was top priority within labour circles which has led to Early Day Motion 428.
Billy also said that he had been in contact with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Postal Minister Pat Mcfadden and Lord Young. There was no contact at all by Peter Mandelson Secretary of State for Business,

The National briefing finished at 1430hrs.

[dvbuk55]

Billy also said that he had been in contact with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Postal Minister Pat Mcfadden and Lord Young. There was no contact at all by Peter Mandelson Secretary of State for Business,

Apparently they were all in the queue at Greggs, Mandelson uses Subway

[rhino49]

Billy also said that he had been in contact with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Postal Minister Pat Mcfadden and Lord Young. There was no contact at all by Peter Mandelson Secretary of State for Business,

Apparently they were all in the queue at Greggs, Mandelson uses Subway

or Subways

[Cut Off King]

D Ward said that urgent meetings with Brendan Barber and Mark Higson Royal Mail managing Director to discuss non compliance with the interim agreement will be held on Monday.

So, what was the result of this meeting ????

[Night Tonic]

Its right in the middle in case anyone missed it

Union has to except big picture and the scale of change which is coming

[oggie]

The protection of full time duties and a shorter working week come before pay

that just about sums up the 4 day weeks lost to 5 day weeks with the lost 1 day s/a.

[bogstandard]

longer, later deliveries.

so if the interim agreement is anything to go by the alignment of business, employee's and customer interests iiiiiiisssssssss, business first and the other 2 are runners up, in any order as long as they don't impact on the business being first. What a f*cking surprise

[fishtank]

"Bob said that members would have to look forward to longer walking spans with work loads and capability being looked at to increase performance."
"Bob said that deliveries would have to look forward to 1500hrs urban last letter and 1600hrs rural last letter and that this would be due to the increase in the use of CWSMs and ILSMs which will be coming on line in the near future."



Bob's a cheery b*st*rd.

[dvbuk55]

"Bob said that members would have to look forward to longer walking spans with work loads and capability being looked at to increase performance."
"Bob said that deliveries would have to look forward to 1500hrs urban last letter and 1600hrs rural last letter and that this would be due to the increase in the use of CWSMs and ILSMs which will be coming on line in the near future."



Bob's a cheery b*st*rd.

Bob's laughing his c*ck off because Bob won't be doing it - easy to negotiate work for someone else when you are not affected - but hey it'll be the best deal they can get

[POSTMAN]

I think we have to look at what we want,a full time job,fairly decent pay,work till 3,and do a 4hr walk,or.....................who knows what!

[Danelectro]

"Bob said that members would have to look forward to longer walking spans with work loads and capability being looked at to increase performance."
"Bob said that deliveries would have to look forward to 1500hrs urban last letter and 1600hrs rural last letter and that this would be due to the increase in the use of CWSMs and ILSMs which will be coming on line in the near future."



Bob's a cheery b*st*rd.

Bob's laughing his c*ck off because Bob won't be doing it - easy to negotiate work for someone else when you are not affected - but hey it'll be the best deal they can get

Jesus! that Bob Gibson has been a contrary 2 faced muppet for as long as i can remember and he relies on the apathy of the vast majority who dont even vote in the PEC ballots.You would think after the 2007 agreement all these plastic gangsters would have been swept aside by now, but no we went in to this dispute with the same old faces and we are getting the same old big business agenda.The union is like trying to read a franz kafka novel while falling down a flight of stairs!

[kwikpost]

I think we have to look at what we want,a full time job,fairly decent pay,work till 3,and do a 4hr walk,or.....................who knows what!

so how many will lose their job. if all the walk's have extra work to take out it must mean fewer walk's in the office.

[fishtank]

I think we have to look at what we want,a full time job,fairly decent pay,work till 3,and do a 4hr walk,or.....................who knows what!

We are in danger of walking out of this dispute with worse terms and conditions than we walked in.
I am beginning to wonder who started this I/A and for what purpose.
I did not lose all that money to be "grateful" still to have a full time job.

[robd]

the point is though postman,the first two things you ask we already have.
bob gibson says we should accept working till 3,why?
are the schools going to shut later,no,ironically as they do you could be arriving with their mail.
as for longer deliverys,we already have an ageing workforce struggling to complete,even professional footballers only run about for an hour and a half.
i'm really fed up with it all,for the amount they paid for those plasma tv's,you could pay someone an hours overtime,everyday,for a whole year.

[dvbuk55]

The whole point I am trying to make is this, and I mean no disrespect to any other poster who thinks that Bob Gibson is right:

1. Has anyone from the union thought to ballot deliveries, network, distribution etc on what it is WE want.

2. How is it that Bob Gibson seems to think we have to bow to Royal Mails plan.

3. Where is the CWU plan - and without input from members there cannot be a composite plan.

4. Why is there no dissemination of the overall plan from Royal Mail by the Union - and it is no good saying they don't know what it is because they consistently refer to elements of the leaked document.

5. Why is it that the Leaders of the union feel they know what we want when clearly we have a different agenda.

If there was to be a wish list of what we would hope the future of Royal Mail would be, apropos you and your reward and working conditions, what would be your wish and in what order?