Trigger points

[POSTMAN]

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS

Dear Colleague,

Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond Agreement

Discussion has been taking place with Royal Mail for several weeks concerning interpretation of aspects of the Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond agreement. The three outstanding issues were:

• Payment of TPM allowance in delivery
• Delivery Office trigger points where revisions are phased
• Mail Centre trigger points

The TPM in Delivery issue was a straightforward disagreement over whether or not Royal Mail would pay TPM allowance for machine operators in the delivery function. Royal Mail held the position that the on-going cost of introducing TPM in delivery (approximately £1.7 million) was prohibitive and that machine operator tasks did not really warrant additional payment.

The delivery trigger point issue arose as a result of a new debate over how the money would be triggered if it were locally agreed to phase revisions. Royal Mail’s position was that the £600 payment should only be made when all phases of the revision had been completed.

The Mail Centre trigger point issue arose as a result of different interpretations emerging over the words in the original agreement. The relevant words are “£400 to be paid when the Mail Centre is successfully deploying walk sequencing letter mail to the transformation plan for 50% of the delivery offices within its catchment area. The remaining £600 will be paid on the same basis when the Mail Centre is walk sequencing mail for 100% of its delivery units”. Royal Mail held the position that the words “successfully deploying” and “to the transformation plan” requires more defined measures that also reflect progress in delivery walk sequencing revisions.

These issues have been discussed at length, initially by the functional negotiators and latterly on the National Deployment Group (NDG).

At a recent NDG meeting chaired by the independent facilitator, Roger Poole, progress was made when Royal Mail agreed to write to the union with a proposal to resolve all issues as a package.

A letter was received on the 19th July containing an offer comprising the following key points:

TPM Payments in Delivery

Royal Mail accepted that the full TPM allowance will be paid to staff assigned to operate CSS machines in delivery mail processing units. In addition, where there is no managerial presence, an operator will assume leadership responsibilities along with operational ones and will receive a leadership allowance. These allowances are in addition to the £20.60 delivery supplement.

Trigger Points for Phased Walk Sequencing Revisions in Delivery

Royal Mail accepted a solution proposed by the union, whereby if a walk sequencing revision is introduced in phases, following the agreement of the complete revision, a full office re-sign and where leavers across the office have signed up to go, the first payment of £600 will be made to everyone staying in the unit when the first stage of the revision is deployed. In these phased revisions the process of bedding in and joint review against the objectives will take place throughout the phasing rather than after the event and in these units the payment of the final £200 will be made immediately following the implementation of the final phase.

Mail Centre Trigger Points

In recognising that neither side has been able to find a way forward, Royal Mail proposed a new solution based on moving away from the principle of how many delivery offices are receiving walk sequenced mail in the relevant catchment area, to what level of sequenced mail is being dispatched by the mail centre.

Royal Mail proposed that the first trigger point will be reached when the mail centre is producing half the mail due to be walk sequenced in the transformation plan and the second payment when the mail centre is sequencing all of it. In Royal Mail’s view this means that the first payment will typically be triggered by sequencing wave 1 mail, the second linked to successful deployment of the full mail centre sequencing plan.

The Postal Executive Committee met on Tuesday 20th July to consider Royal Mail’s proposal.

The PEC welcomed the significant progress made, but felt further clarification was required on the detail of the new mail centre trigger point offer before confirming acceptance of the package. The National Officers were asked to convene a final meeting with Royal Mail under the auspices of Roger Poole and Peter Harwood, Chief Conciliator for ACAS. This meeting took place on Tuesday 22nd July and further progress was made in clarifying other helpful points on the new mail centre trigger points proposal. However, in response to the union seeking confirmation of detailed measures that would enable the new trigger points to be visible to mail centre employees, Royal Mail said these would be finalised in the next couple of weeks.

The meeting concluded on the basis that the company were keen for the union to communicate our acceptance of the offer, whereas we felt that it was important to wait until the detailed mail centre measures were made available. In the circumstances, Royal Mail advised the union that where, under the new criteria, several mail centres had triggered the first payment, this would be paid as soon as payroll could put in place the necessary arrangements.

Royal Mail has subsequently confirmed this intention and has agreed to work with the union to ensure clear measures and monitors of progress are in place at each mail centre.

Royal Mail will be communicating to staff shortly.

We are awaiting Royal Mail’s confirmation of implementation dates for TPM in delivery.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)

[stokes11eg]

MMM ---clear as mud as usual--but this is just another carrot that's been dangled to get folks to hurry up and make local agreements--do as we say, and you will get your £600 quid a bit sooner (Maybe!!!) And look at all the strings attached! Bet you all local reps will now be told to go out and sell this idea.THEN-somewhere down the line, something will' happen' and no £600 quid!

[hubbahubba]

MMM ---clear as mud as usual--but this is just another carrot that's been dangled to get folks to hurry up and make local agreements--do as we say, and you will get your £600 quid a bit sooner (Maybe!!!) And look at all the strings attached! Bet you all local reps will now be told to go out and sell this idea.THEN-somewhere down the line, something will' happen' and no £600 quid!

POSTMAN,same post in this forum by geezer,and i claim my spot prize!

[POSTMAN]

Where,i can't find it.

[hubbahubba]

Where,i can't find it.

it was here,honest!(maybe he deleted it?)

[Straight4ward]

Disney-Tigger.jpg

Oh s**t! "Trigger points." Sorry.

[Geezer]

Where,i can't find it.

I deleted it as you beat me to it Sire

..gif