National Negotiations – Extended into next week,and the next

[Yahoorsur]

Cheers Hooty
'Royal Mail positioned the agreement as a strike free Christmas – but they know this is not the terms
of the agreement. We want a strike free Christmas – we want a strike free New Year too – but this is
dependent upon Royal Mail sticking to the terms of the agreement – which includes a formal fortnightly
review. Royal Mail has also accepted that our national and local ballots remain enacted'.
That seems clear enough.

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail has also accepted that the national ballot and all local ballots remain enacted.

We've been so pre occupied with the deal or no deal shininagans,we forgot to notice that it has been 3 months since our last strike action.........oops

[dvbuk55]

Oh No. Don't tell me we are being hoodwinked by our own representatives, those good and faithful servants of the membership - now there is a surprise.

[HootyMacBoob]

Cheers Hooty
'Royal Mail positioned the agreement as a strike free Christmas – but they know this is not the terms
of the agreement. We want a strike free Christmas – we want a strike free New Year too – but this is
dependent upon Royal Mail sticking to the terms of the agreement – which includes a formal fortnightly
review. Royal Mail has also accepted that our national and local ballots remain enacted'.
That seems clear enough.

My concern Yahoorsur is that statement was sent out to all members but it aint in any agreement ive seen,
it should have been written into the interim agreement. I can only hope that it was part of an acas agreement that we are not privy to.

[Yahoorsur]

'Dvbuk the Industrial action ballot is dead , its been 3 months since the last action. So to call further national strike action we would have to launch another campaign to achieve a yes vote'


Mmmn,so who's got it wrong?

[BELIAL]

wrangled yes there will be benefits in the deal otherwise it would not be agreed by our negoatiators let alone the members.

The problem with everything is all Royal Mail"s finances are reviewed in the talks to maximise the beneifits package. Royal Mail actual finances show a pension defcit of 3.5 billion which all the calculations are worked on.

If the new pension defcits is £10 Billion then in theory the company is bankrupt as it only has a turn over of 7billion per year. The pension trustees will demand from Royal Mail what measures they are going to take to ensure that their is an assured plan to tackle the defcit.

So you see the problem we have all got.

I don't trust you. Whichever side you are on ,you are not on our side. Every time you tap away it comes out more and more like a management wish list,now you want to hold us to ransom because our employer took a 13 year pension holiday. Now where have I heard that parasitical mantra before?

[Big Daz]

If our action is continuous we can go back out.

Thats how im reading the law and guides on IA

[Big Daz]

52. Where continuous industrial action is
suspended, for example for further
negotiations between the employer and
union, the union must normally give the
employer a further notice as in paragraphs
50 and 51 above before resuming the
action. There is an exception to this
requirement to give further notice,
however, where the union agrees with the employer that the industrial action will
cease to be authorised or endorsed with
effect from a date specified in the
agreement but may be authorised or
endorsed again on or after another date
specified in the agreement and the union:-
• ceases to authorise or endorse the
action with effect from the specified
date; and
• subsequently re-authorises or reendorses
the action from a date on or
after the originally specified date or
such later date as may be agreed with
the employer.
For this exception to apply, the resumed
industrial action must be of the same kind
as covered in the original notice. That will
not be so if, for example, the later action is
taken by different or additional descriptions
of workers. In order to avoid
misunderstanding, both parties may find it
helpful for such agreements to be in
writing.

[dvbuk55]

Perhaps we have the wrong people at these meetings, we need people who read and understand legislation and who truly are in touch with the memberships wishes and are not afraid of jeopardising their position by saying no.

[Big Daz]

I belive the ballot is still live, for the simple reason I cant find anything to match the claim that it is dead and buried.

[snoddy]

Anyone else feeling duped by the "trust us , the strike ballot remains live" LIE

I will wait for the agreement to be published, then I think I will hand in my union card. Being lied to by RM is expected, but paying £3 a week for the privaledge of being LIED to by the very people who are supposed to be looking after our interests sticks in my throat

Its a dark, shameful day

Sounds like a perfect facebook campaign. If enough royal mail employees can be convinced that this is the way then maybe we have the beginnings of a new union. One that gives a s**t about what the members think.

[cedric]

Anyone else feeling duped by the "trust us , the strike ballot remains live" LIE

I will wait for the agreement to be published, then I think I will hand in my union card. Being lied to by RM is expected, but paying £3 a week for the privaledge of being LIED to by the very people who are supposed to be looking after our interests sticks in my throat

Its a dark, shameful day

Sounds like a perfect facebook campaign. If enough royal mail employees can be convinced that this is the way then maybe we have the beginnings of a new union. One that gives a s**t about what the members think.

Interesting idea Snoddy.

[The truth!]

The interim agreement reached on the 5th November allowed for the national ballot and the local ballot to be kept alive. The agreement talked about reaching a national agreement prior to Christmas.

At various stages in November and December the union debate calling for further strike action over a number of things including the lack of progress in relation to London and the national talks. After the joint statement on London things calmed down in London. other divisions had made progress which was reported on weekly conference calls.

National talks were moving forward. So no one was lying or decieving anyone , all the ballots were live at this point in line with what the membership has been informed.

When the extension was agreed prior to Christmas till January 23rd the ballot was still live but after 2 months of no action an employer can try and take out an injunction. After 3 month their is case law.

In any case the law is such as after 3 months , some of the trade dsiputes (not all ) have been resolved so some of the local units now have agreements.

The National stuff has also moved on a great degree which even if the 3 months didt rule out the ballot would leave a lot of noise around wether what we actually balloted on is still a proper trade dispute.

People can quote parts of legal guidelines but we have good employment laws speicailists in Patterson Brewer and we know what is what I can assure you.

Now in regards to where i stand on issues.

I stand for the right agreement not for any agreement/
I stand for the pension issue being resolved by the Government . This will not be an agreement with Royal Mail. But lets be crystal clear Royal mail will continue to slash and burn the industry to plug the gap in the pension defcit.
I have always stood up for the final salary scheme when others from across the country not just at Headquaters didt do at the Northmapton National Briefing in 2008.
If further action is needed then as has always been the case I will do my best to get the members I represent out on strike.

Last year a lot of brave people months before the national ballot stood on their own to protect the union from being crushed. Others stood on the sidelines when each and every Branch was asked to produce a number of offices to strike. So dont tell me I am management.

The reason we couldt run straight to National strike action was some Branch"s reporting further work was needed plus the telephone polls of members were not good enough at that stage. Plus a lot of members in processing were doing the work of the striking mail centres on overtime and extra shifts.

Look why is everyone getting so worked up over this issue the fact is that if the union did have to take more action now even if they could legally a hell of a campaign would be needed to explain why after 3 months they needs further strike action in any case.

[upmyroad]

I doubt the union would get the support for strike action now. We in London lost 20 day's around £1200 through strkie action. and most of the people in the office are wondering WHY. What was it really for. To be sold-out.

[Big Daz]

The Truth

Any chance that HQ will confirm the status of the IA ballot if asked to do so by a member or rep at any level?


I intend to ask the question of my branch.