Draft up a letter explaining the following,(copy and past if you like) :
Dear (his name),
On (date) you, (without hardly any consultation with the Communication Workers Union), you have made the decision to (executive action).
I would regard this as executive action and in regards to the new National Agreement, by passing the following:
• The need for Royal Mail to recognise and value the CWU as an independent Trade Union with a fundamental right to represent its members on collective and individual issues within the workplace.
In regards to the “work plan”:
• Royal Mail and the CWU reaffirm their commitment to the speedy introduction of new machinery/technology and recognise the need to support this with a new standardised, six-day work plan.
Your proposal does not include the introduction of the WSM’s, (due next year), but is based on budget in which I cannot find in the national agreement.
May I also include the following from the new National Agreement?
“Planning for operational change in delivery units will be done using national planning and measurement systems, and revision tools to ensure that workload is assessed and applied accurately, is fair and manageable, and indoor processes and outdoor delivery routes are optimised, efficient and achievable – recognising any specific local issues that may need to be considered.
To ensure that any assumptions, parameters and inputs are consistent with the paragraph above – a series of structured workshops will be held with the CWU within 4 weeks of signing this
Agreement. The workshops will include appropriate scenario modelling and data validation, which will include testing areas of concern against a live environment to help clarify any specific issues that may need further investigation or understanding.
The aim of the workshops will be to provide confidence in and understanding of the planning and measurement systems and revision tools in use”.
Also:
“Key areas that will be covered as part of the workshops will include:
Traffic recording
Indoor workload tool (and associated issues)
Pegasus and Georoute (and associated issues e.g. call rate)
D2D (and associated issues e.g. call rate)
Ongoing maintenance and future developments of planning and measurement systems, and revision tools will involve the CWU through national consultation that will provide the opportunity for genuine input in advance of rollout – utilising workshops and meetings at the request of either party”.
Your version of the Indoor Workload Tool, (and its parameters), have not been part of the workshops, (to include ACAS). More importantly we may need to research the cause of “stress & Fatigue” in which may be a cause for concern within your “proposal”.
May I also request your version of the BSI on your proposal? I will strongly oppose it being based on budget. The ACAS code on BSI is any of 3 points, (or all 3):
Stress
Fatigue
Motivation
May I also include the following from the National Agreement:
• Positive engagement between the CWU and Royal Mail and a firm commitment to appropriate negotiation, consultation and communication on all delivery revision issues.
• Early CWU involvement at all levels
• Joint training on the relevant parts of this agreement
• CWU reps and Royal Mail managers playing an active part in any involvement process and the deployment of agreements.
• CWU reps being able to play an active role in Work Time Listening and Learning sessions.
•
Appropriate release will be given to allow CWU reps to fulfil their role in the process and consult with members.
• Royal Mail and the CWU commit to the sharing of all information/data.
We would also need to address the vacancies issues after the preference exercise for the MTFS structure within the new National Agreement, and of course observe the national headcount in regards to the 75% full time and 25% part time at the end of the 3 year period,(at present it is 75% full time and 21% part time).
May I also remind you of a meeting between the National Officers of the Communication Union and Senior Management of Royal Mail on Friday the 30th of April in which all initial documentation was withdrawn by the business in regards to door to door and delivery design documentation issued in December and February 2010. Both parties have agreed such documentation should have areas in which are fair and would have the confidence of all parties.
Such actions in which you are implementing are hardly “building relationships” and “trust”. It is actions such as this in which have proven not to actually work. If you observe the past industrial relationships in the past, it has actually cost, (that is the CWU and Royal Mail), more then it has aimed to save.
If we are to embark on such a massive road of change, surely actions such as the one you are implementing actually puts us back. Please also note that the actual deal itself is costing the business in excess of 1 billion pounds. It is quite clear that the senior negotiators of Royal mail and Mr Higson want this agreement to work. Please also note that the independent parties, (Roger Poole, ACAS), and the managing director Mr Higson, assured the national officers of the Communication Workers Union that “we do not want management having their own policies”
I will be passing this letter up to the relevant parties so we may nip matters such as this “in the bud”. I am aware that the “trust” and “building relationships” will not happen overnight hence my reasoning to do so.
There are a large amount of parties within our business that will make the preservation of the USO and provide the public with the service it deserves as well as motivating our workforce with fair and manageable workloads and successfully modernising our business. Of the many people that will make this commitment work, it is the person that has written this letter and you.
Your Name
Your office name
Email it to your div rep and area rep then to :
dale.haddon@royalmail.com
mark.higson@royalmail.com