My thoughts and instincts on the Letter To Branches 8 March

[fedupwithislot]

These are my observations from the Letter to Branches and NOT the full document, life is too short to summarise in full so I'll stick to the LTB

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION - 2010 AND BEYOND

It is noticeable that it only emphasises the “gains” for us and glosses over the bad news like longer outdoor delivery spans and later starts and finishes.

I can’t comment on mail centres etc only on the final mile that is deliveries, so here I go…..(COMMENTS IN BOLD)

Job Security/Managing the Change
We have strengthened our existing Job Security Agreement and have secured an unequivocal commitment that the overarching objective is to complete transformation without recourse to compulsory redundancies. COMMENT - Oh really! Wait until privatisation then we will see.

Unlike most other worldwide postal administrations, who introduced the same machinery alongside a part time resourcing model, we have secured an unequivocal commitment to transformation being completed in 2013 with a 75% full time and 25% part time split. COMMENT - The only way to achieve this is by making delivery rounds bigger to fit in with FT hours post modernisation thus reducing the number of part-timers required thus achieving the 75/25 split.

We all know that the introduction of new machinery will bring about job losses. However, the negotiated package includes elements which will help offset these job losses and protect jobs in the future. This includes Door to Door now becoming part of measured workload, a shorter working week and strong commitments by the business to develop specific new products and services which will help grow jobs. It is important that our representatives utilise the terms of the agreement to minimise job losses in their local discussions. COMMENT - There should be no local discussions/deals all agreements should be at national level to avoid any differences and jealousy across the company.

The Job Security section also confirms that existing full time employees will retain full-time status similarly part-time employees will be entitled to retain their existing hours if they wish through transformation.

Generic Operational Transformation
The introduction of new machinery means there will be a standardised 6 day work plan, alongside changes in attendance times including later Saturdays. COMMENT - This really sucks!! Royal Mail in all it’s bumf states it is a family friendly organisation, and if you have recently given birth of have youngsters that fall in to criteria that meets the statutory rights to flexi-hours then fine. But there are a vast number of people that have hobbies, watch their kids play sport or indeed partake or watch sport on a weekly basis on a Saturday then they will really feel the impact. I have always been a firm believer that seniority should not play a part in one person having every Saturday off and others getting none. All Saturdays should be rotated fairly and the early finish should be retained. The ideal solution would be to scrap compulsory Saturdays all together and have a skeleton staff to deliver SD items, redelivery of 739 items and man the callers’ office. Scrapping Saturday would mean job losses, but would there be any more than this shambles proposes anyway? I doubt it. But However, we have built in safeguards to ensure we can review the work plan in practice to enable other important principles, including innovative attendance patterns with more Saturdays off to be delivered at local level. COMMENT - There should only be national agreements because local agreements have too many grey areas and are open to abuse by management. Every delivery office should run on the same model, no exceptions

The agreement ensures we are now able to place the CWU right at the centre of developing and influencing the World Class Mail Project. COMMENT - Be careful, very careful that the members do not desert the union after this fiasco!!! There might end up not being a union at all Mr Ward. This will be achieved through effective involvement forums at all levels. Royal Mail has accepted any issues affecting employee terms and conditions will be subject to our normal negotiation procedures.

On future productivity we are now able to directly influence the company’s benchmarking approach. This will help us understand why there is a broad range of performance and take appropriate action.

Delivery
The Delivery section has achieved the following:-

• Long standing conference policy removal of private cars on delivery confirmed.

• Achievement of conference policy removal of weight off the shoulder. COMMENT - At least when the weight is on the shoulder it can be limited, we will just be given more and more and more. Hot weather, snow and other adverse conditions will just be an inconvenience, if not a danger.

• Achievement of conference policy Door to Door into workload plus retention of the remuneration. COMMENT - OK here we go… These are put in to the frame (mostly, some others do it differently) during the prep, which means that you get tied up a little later that if they weren’t. So de facto they are already included in the workload. Currently the lower payment is 1.67 pence per item (raising on bank holiday weeks and the odd occasion the items are larger than standard). Full-timers and part-timers are paid the same rate per item per delivery point - here are some averages based on 3 items per week on a non bank holiday week based on 1.67 p per item:

300 calls = £15.03
400 calls = £20.04
500 calls = £25.05
600 calls = £30.06

The proposal to do away with a limit of 3 items and to basically let it be unlimited over the week along with a standard payment to £20.60 for full timers pro rata for part time is really, really unfair. In our office full time rounds are the same a part-time rounds in terms of size the only difference is in the fact that the full-timers do IP sorting. So why, when the bag weights are the same, number of calls about the same and number of D”D items about the same, should there be a different payment? This just causes jealously and division, something RM is good at it doesn’t need the union helping it.

• A revised revision process that involves the CWU from start to finish which was one of the fundamental issues of the national dispute. COMMENT - So you can cock it up again? Oh spare us all!

• A firm commitment from the business to a minimum of one in four Saturdays off. COMMENT - Not good enough if late finishing is brought in the in my opinion the negatives of late finishing outweigh the positives of a Saturday off a month. Some might say if you don’t like working Saturdays then get a job that has Saturdays off, but hey it is not me moving the goal posts is it. I would bet the majority of CWU members would echo this.

• The establishment of a national review group overseeing Door to Door. COMMENT - It is a done deal isn’t it? What’s to oversee?

• Joint Workshops to determine and communicate work measurement and performance standards and the agreement of the revision tools which is another issue which was at the heart of the dispute.

Strongest ever words on innovative duty patterns with built in review and support.

Reward
At a time when the company is uncertain about the future and faces unprecedented challenges, including volume decline, we have secured the stability of a 3 year reward package. The terms on offer will outstrip Government public sector pay policy and the trend that exists in virtually all major external companies due to the impact of recession. COMMENT - Except, that is, if you are a senior manager or your name is Crozier!!

The terms on offer include:-

- 6.9% (over 7% taking into account the compound effect) increase in basic pensionable pay flowing through to everything.

COMMENT - Can you remember the pay rise last year? No we didn’t get one did we. We took the hit for the greedy bankers (no I didn’t mix up the b & w keys I did say bankers) and chief execs, yet do you know what the inflation rate was for the whole of 2009? Well the annual inflation rate was 2.1%, so last year well all had a pay cut in real terms of 2.1%. This year we are going to get 2%, as of today 11 March, the inflation rate is 3.4% so a further reduction in real terms 1.4%. Most analyst believe we are moving out of a period of low inflation in to period of higher inflation. The stick the Bank of England uses to combat inflation is higher interest rates, meaning higher mortgage costs etc. Already this April we are likely to be 3.5% worse off than April 2008. April 2011 you will get 1.4% again likely to be below inflation and finally 3.5% increase in April 2012 – if by this time the company is not in the hands of a private equity firm then you may be only 1.4% worse off than you would have been in 2008.

- Through pay simplification we have consolidated existing monies and created new additional and permanent (non pensionable) basic pay supplements, which will rise in value in future pay rises and be paid 52 weeks per year. This will ensure the Union continues to prioritise higher guaranteed pay. COMMENT - Oh really, will believe that when I see it.

- The first reduction in working hours since 2000. When benchmarked with external companies the hour reduction places Royal Mail workers very favourably and up with the best in the UK in terms of the length of the working week. Although the reduction is on gross hours, in net terms it will mean delivery employees are working 35 hours 40 minutes per week and mail centre employees below 35 hours due to relaxation allowances. COMMENT - Is something hidden here? 40 hours minus meal relief of 3 h 20 mins = 36 h 40 mins. Oh…….. the penny has dropped you won’t get paid for the meal relief, got it. Use the (1 hour reduction) 12 minutes a day you get wisely, take up a hobby, take the wife and kids out for the day.

- We have increased paid maternity leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks and paid paternity leave from 1 week to 2 weeks. COMMENT - Must get the missus pregnant secure in the knowledge I can have an extra week off.

- Overall cash lump sums on offer through the course of the agreement, linked to transformation, are likely to exceed £2,500. This includes an enhanced approach to colleague share. COMMENT - You are also likely to get a return from the phantom colleague shares April 2010 - £400 pro rata, April 2011 - £536 and April 2012 - £536. You are entitled to this money from the previous half baked agreement; it should have formed no basis whatsoever in this unbaked agreement. Do not be blinded by the mirage, it is a carrot to allow use of the stick!! Our office did not get anything from the last agreement even though we reduce the hours and made the DOM massive savings, again this a problem when things are left to local level agreements. It is likely that the deliveries will be privatised by then anyway and the private equity firm will not payout anyway.

- The opportunity for local units to negotiate additional earnings packages through regular SA and overtime in conjunction with innovative attendance patterns. COMMENT - When you are doing the collection at 3 pm everyday at the end of your round there will be no need for any scheduled attendance so they can forget that one.

Deploying the Agreement
We have agreed a completely fresh approach on how the agreement will be deployed. This includes greater support for local representatives and will ensure the focus is on joint problem solving and practical solutions rather than disagreement, imposition and industrial action. COMMENT - Reps will do what the managers tell them, nay they will implement what the managers tell them to, just like after the last agreement, what happened then, more industrial unrest.

Reviewing the Agreement

In order to build trust Royal Mail has agreed to continue with the independent involvement of Roger Poole and the Chief Conciliator of ACAS. We will all recognise that their involvement has served us well and places a very strong discipline on both parties to honour the agreement. We would also like to place on record our thanks to Roger Poole and Peter Harwood, Chief Conciliator of ACAS for their assistance to date. COMMENT - Waste another 4 months then.

Communications

The Union is putting in place a substantial communications plan which will cover a National Briefing, meetings and individual member communications. It had better be better than how we found out about this; leaks over the weekend of 6/7 march and an announcement on 6 o’clock news on Monday 8 march, surely the Communications Workers Union could improve it’s communications.

We will outline a provisional ballot timetable this week, which will be confirmed following the outcome of our discussions with Government and Royal Mail on pension issues. COMMENT - A big fat NO from me.

Pensions

The Postal Executive are fully aware that unless we identify a Government led solution to pension problems, then the company still faces huge financial challenges and CWU members could face the prospect of a further attack on their pension entitlements.

To counter this, the Union has continued to campaign for the Government to face up to its responsibilities and put in place a solution that can secure the future. In recent weeks the Union has published our policy paper and has continued to meet senior politicians, the trustees and Royal Mail.

Previously, the Government has made it clear that a modernisation agreement is the key enabler to them taking appropriate action. Now we have secured an agreement it is essential that we discuss the matter further with the Government and Royal Mail before confirming a ballot timetable on the agreement. COMMENT - Should not have even contemplated any of this without a clear and comprehensive agreement on pensions first – this money belongs to us, sort it out!!

Summary

By any standard the proposed ‘Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond Agreement’ is comprehensive and covers virtually every aspect of change. It provides the Union with the best opportunity to be fully involved at every stage and at every level of our organisation. We can justifiably state that we have delivered on the commitments we made at the start of the national dispute. Whilst some of the changes in the proposed agreement will not be popular – everybody knows they are unavoidable with or without an agreement. COMMENT - Blah blah blah

[noggin1969]

[number one]

I'll 2nd that! well done sir!!

[royalmailchat]

[taxi4leighton]

theres nothing left to add your post.
i hate when management patronise us, when your own union does it, it hurts a hundred times more.
the deal we have been offered means we will work harder for less money.
as Bob Dylan once sang,"Theres no success like failure".

[chriscrack007]

spot on young man

[Stammerking]

Thanks for that post just about to print and put on the board for tomorrow to educate