Royal Mail's Betrayal:London Divisional Committee

[POSTMAN]

A statement produced, written and agreed by all the London Divisional Committee

Royal Mail’s has disgracefully decided to let staff know of the closures of Rathbone Place, East London Mail centre and South London Mail Centre by way of the media.

Many of our members heard that they face redundancy whilst at home with their friends and family. Royal Mail may talk about caring and new relationships but they failed to even care enough to tell our members of their plans before informing the media.

The CWU have no hesitation in exposing the fact that Royal Mail’s plan for dealing with the people issues is a complete sham.

The purpose of this circular is to expose Royal Mail’s people plan and ensure that our members know that Royal Mail has no safeguards in their plans which will lead to compulsory redundancies.

Royal Mail’s decision to announce the London closures on a day when the news was being dominated by serious situations in Libya and Japan was in our view deliberately done in order to bury bad news.

Royal Mail’s Regional Management have been saying for weeks that they need to tell staff in the Mount, Rathbone, East London and South London about their decision, yet they choose to do it via the media and that is simply unacceptable.

Royal Mail’s peoples plan for London deals with peoples issue differently than any other Mail Centre closure in history.

Many staff in London have already moved Mail Centres due to other closures and would have moved with the work as is the norm with all other Mail Centre closures.

The fundamental difference with Royal Mail’s plan for London is that there are not enough jobs on offer for the staff currently employed in the 3 London Mail Centres.

For the record, there are currently 3,325 OPGs who work at the Mount, East London MC and South London. Under Royal Mail’s new plan there are only 2,189 jobs.

Therefore there are 1,136 less jobs. That equates to a third less than the people in post, therefore one in every 3 jobs will go under Royal Mail’s plans.

However, when you get underneath those numbers the figures become even starker.

Mount Pleasant

The new Mount will have 1,421 jobs made up of:

410 Full processing

526 Part time processing

474 Collections and network full time

11 Part time collections and network

However, some of the collections numbers are simply a budget change to capture the collection hubs from SW1 and E1 collection hubs.

The truth is that the new Royal Mail plan for the Mount reduces full time processing jobs from the current 944 duties down to 410. That means there will be 57% less jobs in the Mount.

THAT MEANS despite some of South London and East London’s work going to the Mount, no one who is full time will be allowed to follow the work. THAT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER MAIL CENTRE CLOSURE.

South London Full Time Processing Jobs

In South London there are currently 543 full time processing jobs.

There are only 104 jobs in Croydon and 118 in Jubilee.

That means there are 321 staff in South London that will not have a job. That is 59% of the total full time processing work force.

East London Full Time Processing Jobs

No East London full time processing staff can move with the work to the Mount.

There are only 69 full time processing duties in Romford. There are currently 351 full time processing staff in East London Mail Centre. Under Royal Mail’s plans 80% of East London’s full time staff will have no jobs under Royal Mail’s plans.

Part Time Staff

There is currently 797 part time processing staff employed at the Mount, South and East London. (The breakdown is 406 in the Mount, 272 in South London and 119 in East London).

Under Royal Mail’s plan there are 701 part time jobs. (These are the numbers they require; 526 at the Mount, 49 at Jubilee, 57 at Croydon, 43 at Romford and 26 at Greenford).

This means that 96 part time workers will not have a job under the plan. Whilst there is an opportunity to transfer to the Mount, there will still be a surplus of part timers in South and East London.

In addition, the travelling to work distances to Jubilee, Croydon, Romford and Greenford may mean that some part timers cannot either afford to travel that far or are unable to travel the increased distances to work.

Royal Mail has stated there will be no voluntary redundancies on offer to part time workers.

Collections and Network

Whilst it is fair to say that if you perform collections and network duties these will largely be there under the new plan.

However, whilst there will be collection hubs in SW1 and E1, the work witch is currently performed by drivers, especially inward arrivals, will be performed at Jubilee and Romford.

Royal Mail has been very vague on the impact of their plans on drivers and in particular the fact that those who are tagged to collections and network but perform non driving duties, such as keys and tabs, book room and platform will not have a job under the new plan as Royal Mail will not duplicate jobs in the new plan.

Worldwide Advanced Network Distribution (otherwise known as W.A.N.D)

Royal Mail has, by executive action removed work from the Mount Pleasant office to HWDC in Langley, Slough.

Their plan is reliant on getting 355 full time employees from the Mount initially but also from South and East London Mail Centres.

Langley is not the easiest place to get to, you have to get an over ground train from Paddington and then local bus services.

In addition, it is 17 miles from central London and travels through very congested areas.

Unsurprisingly, Royal Mail has achieved less than 15% of the total percentage of volunteers they need to get to travel to HWDC.

The Mount currently has a surplus of almost 200 full time staff due to the fact that Royal Mail have transferred work from the Mount to HWDC but have not had enough volunteers to transfer to HWDC.

The WAND surplus adds to the very real peoples problems under Royal Mail’s plans.

There is real fear that Royal Mail will at some stage compulsory transfer staff to HWDC.

Managing The Surplus Framework 2 (otherwise known as M.T.S.F. 2)

Royal Mail are withholding the criteria they will use in deciding who gets a job under the new Mail Centre plan and who remains in the Mount.

Royal Mail will not be using seniority!

They Will Use M.T.S.F. 2

The criteria will be that those in receipt of a shift allowance will have first pick for a duty attracting a similar allowance (it will not be based on seniority).

The tie breaker will not be based on seniority but how long you have been in receipt of the allowance.

Remember, the vast majority of duties will be on lates and nights in the new Mail Centres.

Therefore it is highly doubtful that anyone on earlies in South or East London will have an opportunity to move to a new Mail Centre.

Royal Mail has decided to remain silent on this and therefore have kept the members in the dark.

Rathbone Place

Royal Mail’s decision to relocate W1, WC delivery offices and distribution hub to the Mount Pleasant office will also have an impact on jobs and conditions.

Royal Mail are still proposing cuts in jobs at both WC and W1 delivery offices despite the fact that they are intending to relocate the office to the Mount.

In addition, there will be a reduction in non-driving duties attached to the collection hub when moved to the Mount.

There are also a number of issues which need to be tackled, including transport to deliveries, walk sequencing and MTSF.

Royal Mail Spin (Lies Damn Lies And Statistics)

Royal Mail’s peoples plan is a sham.

Royal Mail have stated that the percentage of people who will be surplus as a result of the plan will be 22%.

However, percentages can be spun and that’s exactly what Royal Mail have done. Their figures include numbers of individuals which will not be affected by the closure.

In the main there are 1,421 individuals who choose to stay in the Mount.

Royal Mail’s plans do not take into account the massive surplus of staff that will exist in South and East London.

In addition, Royal Mail’s plans rely on achieving 355 individuals voluntarily transferring to HWDC.

There are 584 VRs in Royal Mail’s people’s plans. There are no VRs for collection staff or part timers.

Therefore for Royal Mail’s “People Plan” to be successful they will have to “persuade” one in every three OPGs to take voluntary redundancy.

This will be again the background that we are in the worst recession since the 1930s, and that the independent consultants report states:

“That London has some of the highest unemployment rates in the UK, in particular amongst women and people of ethnic backgrounds”.

If further evidence was needed to suggest that Royal Mail’s peoples plan is optimistic then it is the fact that in recent VRs, trawls at both Nine Elms and East London there were insufficient volunteers for redundancy.

Royal Mail’s plan does not add up. It is in the CWU’s opinion a recipe that can lead to one thing, and one thing only; compulsory redundancies and compulsory transfers.

Conclusion

The union has offered Royal Mail alternative propositions which, making the business savings and protects people from compulsory redundancies. Our counter proposals are also within the terms of the Agreement.

If they choose to reject the CWU’s offer then all members need to fight Royal Mail’s plans, including supporting the call for an industrial action ballot.

Remember, there is no time to lose! Under Royal Mail’s phasing programme work from the Mount will go to Greenford in a few weeks, East London collections to Romford, South London’s collections will move to both Jubilee and Croydon.

In addition, W2-W14 inward work will move to Greenford and N1-N22 inward work to the Mount. This will affect almost 300 full timers and 191 part timers.

All this within the next 3 months!

Remember, if you don’t fight the CWU expect Royal Mail to make compulsory redundancies and compulsory transfers.

Support Your Union

Give It the Tools to Look After You



A statement produced, written and agreed by all the London Divisional Committee

[dazzlin72]

Betrayed by the RM? nothing new there! The union betrayed us all by advising us all to vote yes on this great agreement, when deep down they knew it was unacceptable but didn't have the stomach to fight and had no back up plan after 3 months of "negotiating". If only they had as much fight and determination as the workers. The only reason the union "advised" us to vote yes was so they got to keep their feet under the table, and not left out in the cold, but RM are still pushing ahead with their plans regardless of what the union think. It has now come to the point that the union have got to show some steel, and this doesn't mean threatening a ballot for industrial action, this simply wont work, did it work before this agreement was ratified, no! and this is what we are faced with.
They need to show they have innovative ideas in tackling the problems ahead, and they have the opportunity to do so by negotiating and hard bargaining, not letting RM walk all over them which they have allowed to happen.
We all knew what the RM were like, a leopard never changes it's spots, it's the union that have commited the biggest betrayal.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Betrayed by the RM? nothing new there! The union betrayed us all by advising us all to vote yes on this great agreement, when deep down they knew it was unacceptable but didn't have the stomach to fight and had no back up plan after 3 months of "negotiating".

No I think its more worrying than that - I think they actually thought it was acceptable and frankly have been surprised at the debacle which followed.

If only they had as much fight and determination as the workers. The only reason the union "advised" us to vote yes was so they got to keep their feet under the table, and not left out in the cold,

Well I put it in a more measured way but in essence I am in agreement.

but RM are still pushing ahead with their plans regardless of what the union think. It has now come to the point that the union have got to show some steel, and this doesn't mean threatening a ballot for industrial action, this simply wont work, did it work before this agreement was ratified, no! and this is what we are faced with.

But what else can the CWU threaten with.

They need to show they have innovative ideas in tackling the problems ahead, and they have the opportunity to do so by negotiating and hard bargaining, not letting RM walk all over them which they have allowed to happen.We all knew what the RM were like, a leopard never changes it's spots, it's the union that have commited the biggest betrayal.

[2old4this]

London was right behind the union in 2009 we lost around 19 days pay.

And for what?.

Feeling when we went back was we were sold out, the union was looking after itself they got what they wanted and we were left with this deal.

If they ballot us again now and they did get a strike vote would you trust them again.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If they ballot us again now and they did get a strike vote would you trust them again.

Its not a matter of trust for me - it is, has and always will be a balance for me. What can I gain from IA against what I could I loose, and of course without saying that goes the same way for what my colleagues and union can gain or lose.

IMHO if people are basing their choice on whether to back a strike on what the CWU has failed or succeeded in before, then their focus is misguided. If RM come at us with minimum wage and 48 hour working weeks and no allowances would people vote against a strike just because they think the CWU let us down over the last decade - I frankly hope not. In the same vein would members go on strike if the CWU demaanded £20 per hour, £1 per D2D and shift allowance for everyone starting before 9am or working after 5pm - again I frankly hope not.

As I say its a balance for me and always will be.

[Martin Walsh]

I have heard some things but lets get this into prespective only 9 branch`s in the UK voted by a majority against the deal. Two were from London.

Yes some of London supported the deal we had been out for 19 days and some believed the deal on offer was better than continuing the strike.

But lets not run away with the fact that everyone outside London did not support the deal. In fact I could quote areas who did not support the National Strike let alone not vote for the deal.

The document in there is the facts that Royal Mail have betrayed not just London but the rest of the Union by ingnoring the fact that the agreement states that the over riding objective of the BTA agreement is to avoid complusory rednundancies. If Royal Mail introduce this in London do you really think they wont start introdcuing it else where.

Now the question is the union and membership going to stand by and allow this to happen anywhere regardless of whether its London , Stoke , preston , Cornwall , Kent or Glasgow. Or because everyone has a downer on the CWU and the agreement they are going to allow Royal Mail to get away with the ultimate sanction complusory redundancies.

[motherhubbard]

An affront to one is an affront to all.
One compulsory redundancy is one too many.
The Australian wild dog is correct - if we let it happen once it will happen again ......and next time it might be you.

[jockstrapp]

An affront to one is an affront to all.
One compulsory redundancy is one too many.
The Australian wild dog is correct - if we let it happen once it will happen again ......and next time it might be you.

I feckin hope so, near retirement and just wat to go a.s.a.p.

[Phantom]

There will be a ballot, there will be a strike, RM and CWU will have many meetings keeping everyone in the dark then the CWU will agree to compulsory redundancies via some backdoor crap! Sold down the river with our pants down, when is the CWU going to learn that RM doesn't give a s**t about the union agreements, you are dealing with senior executives from the private sector who have no intention of working with the union, none whatsoever! FFS wake up! If we strike, we need to get what we want, no compromising or anything but this will never happen because the CWU will cave in. We've had 2 recent strikes with the backing of the majority of the workforce who voted and twice we have been shafted.

[Lincox]

There should be no calling for strike action. Too many at risk of losing their homes during this period of downturn. IMO there should be an immediate ballot for work to rule and to contract. A ban on overtime. Yes this will still hit a lot of people, but I think that a ballot for this type of action can be successful and far more harmful to Royal Mail than random days strike action in different section of the workforce. This time we insist to the CWU Executive that until all of our demands are met, there will be no agreements.

[belle smith]

I have heard some things but lets get this into prespective only 9 branch`s in the UK voted by a majority against the deal. Two were from London.

Yes some of London supported the deal we had been out for 19 days and some believed the deal on offer was better than continuing the strike.

But lets not run away with the fact that everyone outside London did not support the deal. In fact I could quote areas who did not support the National Strike let alone not vote for the deal.

I think you might have the wrong end of the stick here dingo.....no one on this thread has made any critisism of London supporting the deal.
2old4this wrote this.

London was right behind the union in 2009 we lost around 19 days pay.

And for what?

But i think he's a disgrunteld Londoner, commenting on London members support for the IA in 2009.

[belle smith]

There should be no calling for strike action. Too many at risk of losing their homes during this period of downturn. IMO there should be an immediate ballot for work to rule and to contract. A ban on overtime. Yes this will still hit a lot of people, but I think that a ballot for this type of action can be successful and far more harmful to Royal Mail than random days strike action in different section of the workforce. This time we insist to the CWU Executive that until all of our demands are met, there will be no agreements.

dispraporionately the P/T staff who rely on OT.

[fishtank]

If you decide that industrial action is the way forward Lincox...then it has to be strike action.
In this type of job you could never hold a work to rule together long enough to make an impact and as belle pointed out it has a disproportionate effect on part-time members which i.for one couldn't endorse.

[ldsposti]

Strike or ia NOT for me, Never Never Never ever again

[dvbuk55]

"over riding objective of the BTA agreement is to avoid complusory rednundancies"

To me that is exactly what this betrayal boils down to - the agreement did not say there would, under no circumstances, be compulsory redundancies - the wording is quite clear "is to avoid" and that doesn't mean none.

If the circumstances are such that the workload/manpower ratio is not sustainable, the volunteers for EVR are insufficient and movement to other work areas is not available - then if there is another alternative to compulsory redundancy I am sure RM would be glad to hear it. There has probably been a lot of effort in the past to protect jobs in the round and 90+% FT, when many many many areas have given up on that stance in order to protect jobs in total because it has long been understood that 100% f/t work is not sustainable with modernisation. 75/25% as a national ratio was always pie in the sky but the powers that be thought otherwise and now they will have to face the music.

Other than the presumed trust and new understanding there was never ANY guarantees on any agreed principles of this agreement.