ROYAL MAIL PUTTING PROFITS BEFORE YOUR FUTURE

[POSTMAN]

ROYAL MAIL PUTTING PROFITS BEFORE YOUR FUTURE

A statement by London Divisional Committee RE:London Mail Centre Review

Dear Colleague

Royal Mail’s decision to send out an unagreed preference exercise asking if you want to take voluntary redundancy is both underhand and a desperate attempt to scare you into thinking you have no future in Royal Mail.

Royal Mail’s decision breaks both the MTSF Agreement and the Business Transformation 2010 Agreement.

Royal Mail’s unagreed preference exercise also treats your union with contempt. Last Thursday the union put forward an alternative proposal to Royal Mail’s National Operations Director, Mark Higson, which had at its cornerstone a total commitment of no compulsory redundancies. Royal Mail, at the end of that meeting, said they would take some time to consider the CWU’s alternative proposal. At no stage did Royal Mail mention that they were putting Communications out or a preference exercise. Instead they told the CWU Divisional Reps, by telephone, late on Friday afternoon of their intentions. This is a both underhand and a disgraceful way to treat you and your union.

Royal Mail’s Peoples Plan does not add up. It requires multiple moves; no one is safe whether they work in the Mount, East or South London. Remember, under Royal Mail’s plans you could be moved to a closing Mail Centre to allow someone from that Mail Centre to move to outer London. Royal Mail’s Peoples Plan is different from any other Peoples Plan for dealing with Mail Centre closures. Remember, there are 1,100 jobs less under their plan. No matter how many times Royal Mail spin the job numbers the fact is that their plan will lead to compulsory redundancies.

THE CWU ARE THEREFORE ASKING THAT YOU DO NOT SIGN INTO THIS UNAGREED EXERCISE.
This exercise has not been agreed by the union and will make compulsory redundancies inevitable.

In addition, there will be job losses at Rathbone Place due to the relocation to the Mount. However, Royal Mail will not discuss with the union the details of how the move will take place and the impact on the people working there.

THE CWU BELIEVE THAT IF YOU CHOOSE TO SIGN INTO THE PREFERENCE EXERCISE YOU WILL BE CONDEMNING OTHER COLLEAGUES TO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCY.

Remember under any future plan, there will still be voluntary redundancies so individuals will not lose out. However, it is the union’s view that any preference exercise must give all members of staff the widest range of options so that an informed decision can be made.

HOWEVER, IT IS VITAL IN THE MEANTIME THAT YOU DO NOT FILL OUT THIS PREFERENCE EXERCISE.



Furthermore, we believe that you should not speak to any advisors from “Clear Choice”. Remember Royal Mail pay “Clear Choice” on the basis they get people to leave the business first and meet Royal Mail’s plans. “Clear Choice” is answerable only to Royal Mail. They do not put your interests first.

So a proper preference exercise should be jointly agreed between RM and CWU and should include options to stay in Royal Mail employment as well as choosing your locality.

THIS CURRENT UNAGREED PREFERENCE EXERCISE THAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN IS DESIGNED TO SEE WHETHER THEY CAN ATTRACT 589 INDIVIDUALS TO LEAVE IN ORDER TO PUSH AHEAD WITH THEIR PLANS, WHICH WILL LEAD TO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES AND COMPULSORY TRANSFERS.

Your union will not accept compulsory redundancies and will be announcing an industrial action ballot timescale this week.

We will also be meeting with you at meetings at your workplace or if Royal Mail refuse us permission to enter your building to talk to you then we will have the meetings outside. Your union will not be silenced or stopped from representing your interests.

SUPPORT YOURSELVES BY NOT FILLING IN THE PREFERENCE EXERCISE
Conclusion

We fully realise that this is a worrying and stressful time for individuals. However, the only way we can stop Royal Mail from making compulsory redundancies and transfers in London is by standing together and forcing them to put people, not profit, first.

THEREFORE, THE CWU RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING:-

Do not fill in or return the preference exercise

Do not speak with “Clear Choice”

Do not accept compulsory redundancy or compulsory transfer

Demand that Royal Mail put your jobs and your future first, not their profit

Support the union, fighting to protect your future


A statement by London Divisional Committee

[Straight4ward]

It looks as if the 'entente cordiale' is crumbling.

[fishtank]

If it's a non-binding preference exercise...what are the LDC so scared of?
If no-one wants VR surely that will strengthen their case....and if it's over-subscribed that will show that compulsory redundancies may not be as inevitable as they think.
So....is it binding or non-binding?....the truth anyone?

[dodger162]

The rush to have an IR ballot could well be counter productive. Better to wait until there is firm evidence that RM plan to issue CR, that way there will be much more support. Go to early and you could end up with a damaging split which will not be in the member's interests.

[jockstrapp]

FFS please offer me redundancy so I can retire.

[Martin Walsh]

Fishtank to answer your points : All perfernce exercises are non binding. However Royal Mail`s decision to put out an unagreed perference exercise which only asks indivduals whether they want to take VR is outside of the MTSF agreement , outside of the BTA agreement including the mail centre section and is different to any other mail centre closure preference exercise. It is designed to scare people.

We met with Royal Mail the morning before and gave them an alternative proposal they did not say anything about a perference exercise. To send a home address mailing takes some time and they would have know then. Part of the CWU`s proposal was to agree a joint perference exercise which will give staff the full options including the jobs available their times etc as well as VR . Royal Mail`s unagreed perference exercise only asks the VR question.

There are 589 Voluntary redunancies needed to be achieved at the three sites that equates to one in every three staff leaving on VR. However that still will not resolve the issue as there are 1100 jobs less under their new plan then there are at present.

It was therefore agreed that we would ask our members not to fill out the VR exercise and not to talk to clear choice advisors to put more pressure on Royal Mail. We will be meeting with the members in the four sites involved and tomorrow the PEC will be asked to endorse the Industrial action ballot timescale.

No Dodger everyone who has seen the plan is convinced that there will be compulsory redundancies even Royal Mail have admited their plan is risky. This is partly why they have attempted to go out with the unagreed perference exercise only asking the VR question. However what the union cannot afford to wait for is the first complusory redundancy to happen before balloting. The reason being is that there are 6 phasing quarters in Royal Mail`s plans the first two will not in our view result in complusory reduancies however the thrid will in our view start to see CRs. If the union wait till the first one then we will already of accepted the plan and the work will be going under the first quarter and the second quarter so it will then weaken the unions postion and mean that work has already moved and the union has accepted the mail centres closing therefore condeming those in the later phases to CR. Thats why the ballot must be prior to any work being move. The plan they want to deliver has 1100 less jobs that means that 40% of the London Mail Centre staff will not have a job under the new plan. Can you imagine if Royal Mail said in your office that they were cutting staffing levels in your office by 40% would you managed to resolve the surplus by voluntary means ?

[Cut Off King]

As Roger Poole is ( according to certain people on this site ) an arbitrator to the 2010 agreement, why isn't he intervening in this London dispute ????

I thought that nothing could go wrong as we had an independent arbitrator to settle minor tiffs like this !

[fishtank]

I understand that it was devious sending out the preference exercise but you can see why they did it dingo.
The LDC say their will be compulsory redundancies...It was obvious that Royal Mail would try to come up with figures to disprove that...no matter how unreliable they are....i don't trust preference exercises either..too many members are just fishing to see what they would get and have no intention of leaving.

The problem is this though....by telling members not to fill it in...RM now cannot lose because if they don't get the figures they want...they will simply blame the LDC for provoking member non-co-operation.
I think rather than put more pressure on RM...this has taken the pressure off.

[hans solo]

As Roger Poole is ( according to certain people on this site ) an abortraitor to the 2010 agreement, why isn't he intervening in this London dispute ????

I thought that nothing could go wrong as we had an independant arbortraitor to settle minor tiffs like this !

cos hes only a puppet to business f all for our interests

[Phantom]

Fishtank to answer your points : All perfernce exercises are non binding. However Royal Mail`s decision to put out an unagreed perference exercise which only asks indivduals whether they want to take VR is outside of the MTSF agreement , outside of the BTA agreement including the mail centre section and is different to any other mail centre closure preference exercise. It is designed to scare people.

We met with Royal Mail the morning before and gave them an alternative proposal they did not say anything about a perference exercise. To send a home address mailing takes some time and they would have know then. Part of the CWU`s proposal was to agree a joint perference exercise which will give staff the full options including the jobs available their times etc as well as VR . Royal Mail`s unagreed perference exercise only asks the VR question.

There are 589 Voluntary redunancies needed to be achieved at the three sites that equates to one in every three staff leaving on VR. However that still will not resolve the issue as there are 1100 jobs less under their new plan then there are at present.

It was therefore agreed that we would ask our members not to fill out the VR exercise and not to talk to clear choice advisors to put more pressure on Royal Mail. We will be meeting with the members in the four sites involved and tomorrow the PEC will be asked to endorse the Industrial action ballot timescale.

No Dodger everyone who has seen the plan is convinced that there will be compulsory redundancies even Royal Mail have admited their plan is risky. This is partly why they have attempted to go out with the unagreed perference exercise only asking the VR question. However what the union cannot afford to wait for is the first complusory redundancy to happen before balloting. The reason being is that there are 6 phasing quarters in Royal Mail`s plans the first two will not in our view result in complusory reduancies however the thrid will in our view start to see CRs. If the union wait till the first one then we will already of accepted the plan and the work will be going under the first quarter and the second quarter so it will then weaken the unions postion and mean that work has already moved and the union has accepted the mail centres closing therefore condeming those in the later phases to CR. Thats why the ballot must be prior to any work being move. The plan they want to deliver has 1100 less jobs that means that 40% of the London Mail Centre staff will not have a job under the new plan. Can you imagine if Royal Mail said in your office that they were cutting staffing levels in your office by 40% would you managed to resolve the surplus by voluntary means ?

When is our stupid union gonna wake up? Royal Mail have NO f***ing INTENTION of working with the CWU, they don't give a s**t about it, stop trying to get them honor agreements, THEY WILL NOT!!! We need industrial action at all levels and we need to stay out till we get what we want, at the moment the CWU is agreeing to everything Royal Mail want or a watered down version of what Royal Mail want. I'm 2 seconds away from saving my £3+ week by quitting from this shite union!

[Phantom]

There will be compulsory redundancies, forget the union agreement on this cos its just bollocks, take the money chaps.

[steven100]

As i've said before we need to have all strike for 1 week, this way we will hurt RM, no mail for one week will send a strong message to the management above(hopefully). Then maybe 4 weeks later another 1 week strike. Massive backlogs will happen and no phantom share money but hay who cares about the share money. RM is just run by a bunch of crooks. who get joy by bullying staff.

[fishtank]

As i've said before we need to have all strike for 1 week, this way we will hurt RM, no mail for one week will send a strong message to the management above(hopefully). Then maybe 4 weeks later another 1 week strike. Massive backlogs will happen and no phantom share money but hay who cares about the share money. RM is just run by a bunch of crooks. who get joy by bullying staff.

Before we send a message to management...HQ need to send a clear message to the membership and before that can happen they will need to decide just where their priorities lie.
We cannot go into industrial action with half-assed mixed messages over whether BT2010 is worth fighting for or a dead loss and we certainly can't unless HQ realise that there will be absolutely NO trust involving the present senior management team at Royal Mail.
Going out and then back in with a "form of words" or another "interim agreement" is simply not an option.

[pants123]

money is all business is about,, ive become very cynical these days.......... human beings are a sacrifice to the cause,, humans are expendable,,,,,,, used to make money,,,,, i, like thousands of human beings are used to make money for those who consider themselfs as gods and live a life of superior status.......... its the way its been for thousands of years and as sad as it sounds will always be by those humans who rule our world at the top,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,until nature of this planet takes it's course, change of it's global shift to a new pattern of life.... it's happening now and is always changing........ its just a natural progression of life..... all life is governed by the rules of this planet,,,,, money and power is governed by people,,,,,,, and is way inferior to the forces that govern our planet,,,,,,, earth....

[Wessex]

money is all business is about,, ive become very cynical these days.......... human beings are a sacrifice to the cause,, humans are expendable,,,,,,, used to make money,,,,, i, like thousands of human beings are used to make money for those who consider themselfs as gods and live a life of superior status.......... its the way its been for thousands of years and as sad as it sounds will always be by those humans who rule our world at the top,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,until nature of this planet takes it's course, change of it's global shift to a new pattern of life.... it's happening now and is always changing........ its just a natural progression of life..... all life is governed by the rules of this planet,,,,, money and power is governed by people,,,,,,, and is way inferior to the forces that govern our planet,,,,,,, earth....

These are questions that philosophers and political scientists try to answer I guess.