CWU Membership Subscription Rates

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No. 1076/09
Ref: AK/km
Date: 8th December 2009


To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues

Membership Subscription Rates

Please find attached an advance copy of an article that will appear in the January 2010 edition of the Voice magazine informing members of an increase in subscription rates from 1/1/2010.

In arriving at this decision the FOS and NEC considered all the alternatives as well as the position our members have found themselves in during this year with regards to pay increases. However the fact remains that we are currently losing members at the rate of approximately 1,000 per month and even the increase detailed below will, if that rate of decline continues result in less income in 2010 than we are forecasting for 2009.

Accordingly the NEC has set up a Budget Scrutiny Committee to examine in detailed CWU HQ expenditure with a view to substantially reducing our running costs within the next 2 years.

This review will also, eventually necessitate a debate with branches and more details on this will be given shortly. In the meantime this advance copy is being sent to Branches for information purposes.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 0208 971 7237 or email sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

===============================================================================================================

Advance copy of an article that will appear in the January 2010 edition of the Voice Magazine:

Raising the subscriptions of the members of the Union is never a popular move. Calculating what’s needed to fund a Union that defends its members against aggressive and unreasonable employers is far from an exact science. The activities undertaken by the CWU in 2009 show just how difficult it can be to judge how much is needed to provide the services and support that members have come to expect.

The ‘Keeping the Post Public’ and the ‘Industrial Action’ in Royal Mail campaigns, to name just two, placed an increased burden on the Unions finances over and above the day to services and representation that we undertook in 2009. All this came at a cost and ensuring the Union has the ability to carry on defending its members into the future, by ensuring we get the necessary income and spend it correctly, is a serious and important role readily embraced by the Unions National Executive.

With that in mind the NEC has taken a number of decisions to ensure we do carry on defending our members’ interests. First amongst those decision is to increase subscription rates from the 1st January 2010. This was a decision not taken lightly by the national executive. They understand what a difficult year this has been for many of our members with loss of pay through strike action and pay freezes across large sections of the membership. However ensuring we have a Union to defend our members into the future was the key factor in taking this decision. Even this level of increase though will not realise as much income for 2010 as we did in 2009. Clearly other actions need to take place to ensure we spend your money in the right areas.

The NEC has therefore taken a number of decisions that will reduce CWU HQ spend for 2010 and beyond. Firstly the NEC has voted to end “Honoraria” being paid to national and field representatives out of the CWU HQ General Fund. Moving forward the NEC has established a Budget Scrutiny Committee to examine in detail the amounts and more importantly assess the value of, all HQ spend.

This committee will report to the Unions national executive in February with clear recommendations on how to reduce our spend in order that we continue to survive as an organisation going forward and most importantly how we continue to effectively defend our members who work in the communications industries.

In addition to these decisions there will need to be an in depth look at all levels of expenditure within the CWU, not just at national level but outside of HQs as well. All the money received from membership subscriptions arrives at CWU HQs, 29% of those monies are given back to local branches to allow them to represent members on the ground.

All of this is members money – and we are determined at national level to ensure that we can prove that what we do with it can be justified as being spent or invested properly on your behalf.

In difficult times our clear focus for income and expenditure is ensuring we have enough money to service the members and to ensure we spend only what we need to in achieving those aims.

It’s not, as I said at the beginning a particularly exact science and the national executive realises that isn’t as easy to do as it sounds, the saying that “everybody agrees we need to make savings – but nobody wants to volunteer first” is as true in a trade union as it is in any other organisation.

The message form the national executive to all members is that they are as determined to ensure that the right decisions are taken in this area as they are when taking the decisions to defend the members in the workplace. In other words, safeguarding the money you give to ensure you have a Union to defend you carries with it the same priority as fighting for your terms and conditions.

Your financial commitment to this Union is matched by a commitment from your leadership to use it properly on your behalf – this way, together we can build the strong effective Union that you need and pay for.

[brothermagrew]

I don't yet know what the new proposed increase in subscription rates are, but I would willingly pay a fiver a week for the CWU to defend their membership more vigorously in the Courts and at Employment Tribunals / Employment Tribunal Appeals. That of course is just my opinion.

[La Poste]

However the fact remains that we are currently losing members at the rate of approximately 1,000 per month

That's a bit scarey, sign of the times I guess, people too selfish to part with even a few pounds.

[chewi]

TAKE A PAYCUT BILLY

[dounome]

However the fact remains that we are currently losing members at the rate of approximately 1,000 per month

That's a bit scarey, sign of the times I guess, people too selfish to part with even a few pounds.

Dont think its a case of being selfish but a vote of no confidence in the union.

[OnAFlyer]

However the fact remains that we are currently losing members at the rate of approximately 1,000 per month

That's a bit scarey, sign of the times I guess, people too selfish to part with even a few pounds.

Dont think its a case of being selfish but a vote of no confidence in the union.

Exactly. People aren't happy about the Way Forward, P&M 2007 and what's happening now.

[Big Daz]

I don't yet know what the new proposed increase in subscription rates are, but I would willingly pay a fiver a week for the CWU to defend their membership nore vigorously in the Courts and at Employment Tribunals / Employment Tribunal Appeals. That of course is just my opinion.

I agree, do away with this 50% chance of a win nonsense for taking on cases.

[dongash]

CAN THE UNION HONESTLY BE SURPRISED AT LOSING NEARLY A THOUSAND MEMBERS A MONTH??? AFTER THE "JOINT " SHAFTING THEY AND ROYAL MAIL HAVE GIVEN US ( TWICE) I AM SURPRISED IT'S ONLY A THOUSAND A MONTH. TAKE A PAY CUT YOURSELVES, MANAGE YOUR UNIONS MONEY BETTER!!!! WHAT AN UTTER DISGRACE THAT WE AS MEMBERS HAVE TO STUMP UP EVEN MORE MONEY ! WE'VE HAD A PAY FREEZE, LOST MONEY STRIKING (FOR WHAT I DON'T KNOW) AS YOU ALWAYS GIVE IN TO ROYAL MAIL. WHAT A PITY THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS "UNION" DOESN'T HAVE THE GUTS THE MEMBERSHIP HAS.

[La Poste]

I agree, do away with this 50% chance of a win nonsense for taking on cases.

What's this?
Are you saying the union will only take your case if they have a 50% or better chance of winning?

[delboy]

CAN THE UNION HONESTLY BE SURPRISED AT LOSING NEARLY A THOUSAND MEMBERS A MONTH??? AFTER THE "JOINT " SHAFTING THEY AND ROYAL MAIL HAVE GIVEN US ( TWICE) I AM SURPRISED IT'S ONLY A THOUSAND A MONTH. TAKE A PAY CUT YOURSELVES, MANAGE YOUR UNIONS MONEY BETTER!!!! WHAT AN UTTER DISGRACE THAT WE AS MEMBERS HAVE TO STUMP UP EVEN MORE MONEY ! WE'VE HAD A PAY FREEZE, LOST MONEY STRIKING (FOR WHAT I DON'T KNOW) AS YOU ALWAYS GIVE IN TO ROYAL MAIL. WHAT A PITY THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS "UNION" DOESN'T HAVE THE GUTS THE MEMBERSHIP HAS.

Have to agree with you, and i can see them losing more than a 1000 a week if they put subscription rates up..
They are not even justifying the rates now, and after the balls up they made of the strikes why should we pay more..

[dvbuk55]

I want to know if the union employees and officers have had a pay rise this year - the 100k honoraria cuts no ice with me, we waste money on compaigns that have nothing to do with us, lets take a look at the expense sheets for union employees - we all know there is a "fill yer boots" attitude to expense accounts in other organisations I don't see that the CWU would be any different. Do we need CWU TV for example, how much does it cost - it was touted to be a break even enterprise with advertising - drop it, it's useless. Hardly anyone uses the CWU Website let alone the TV spectacular.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I agree, do away with this 50% chance of a win nonsense for taking on cases.

What's this?
Are you saying the union will only take your case if they have a 50% or better chance of winning?

Thats for ETs and its standard practice for lawyers so the policy is probably driven by Simpson & Millar Solicitors.

Even the CPS and Prosecuting Military Lawyers have this policy.

[La Poste]

I agree, do away with this 50% chance of a win nonsense for taking on cases.

What's this?
Are you saying the union will only take your case if they have a 50% or better chance of winning?

Thats for ETs and its standard practice for lawyers so the policy is probably driven by Simpson & Millar Solicitors.

Even the CPS and Prosecuting Military Lawyers have this policy.

I wonder if it's the policy with RM solicitors aswell. I'm sure they must be consulted before a dismissal is given.
Hang on, if the RM solicitors won't sack you unless there is more than a 50% chance of them winning and the CWU solicitors won't defend you unless there is more than a 50% chance of them winning it must mean that there is more than a 100% chance of you getting sacked.

[brothermagrew]

I agree, do away with this 50% chance of a win nonsense for taking on cases.

What's this?
Are you saying the union will only take your case if they have a 50% or better chance of winning?

La Poste please view http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... ls#p165031" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mailman71]

the union should only represent the members who pay their fees i.e. let the non members fight for their own wages and conditions.