CWU Letter to all London delivery members

[POSTMAN]

COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
TO: ALL LONDON DELIVERY MEMBERS


A statement by London Divisional Committee

Dear Colleague

BACKGROUND

You will be aware that Royal Mail has announced their planned
London Mail Centre closures. Royal Mail’s plan is to close
Rathbone Place, close South London Mail Centre, close East
London Mail Centre and reduce the Mount Pleasant Mail
Centre by 57% of its current staffing level.

Royal Mail’s slash and burn approach will mean that there will be
compulsory redundancies for the first time ever in Royal Mail.

FACTS

Royal Mail’s plans mean that one in every two full time staff in
the Mount will not have a job. In South London Mail Centre
two out of three people will not have a job. In East London,
four in every five postmen and women will not have a job. The
jobs that are on offer have vastly inferior attendance patterns.

For part timers, not only are the jobs not there, but some of the
jobs which are available require them to work only on a Saturday.

For Collection and Network jobs, Royal Mail seem to have put
together a duty set which is totally unpalatable in terms of
attendance patterns or security.

The jobs that are available are based on the assumption that
individuals can actually get to the new Mail Centre.

ROYAL MAIL’S BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

Royal Mail is guilty of the worst bullying and harassment ever
seen in Royal Mail.

Royal Mail has told individuals in Mail Centres that unless they
attend an individual career interview with an outside company
they will lose their opportunity to sign for a job.

Even when Royal Mail’s senior management denied this was
happening, Royal Mail managers in East, South and the Mount
were informing our members that if they did not attend they
would lose their ability to sign for a job.

It is clear that Royal Mail are unable to resolve the people
issues without bullying and intimidating the workforce.

Royal Mail are using a selection criteria which is blatantly
unfair, given the lack of jobs. Instead Royal Mail is using the
criteria of how long you have been in receipt of an allowance
to decide who gets a job.

In one case, we have an individual who has been in Royal Mail
for 38 years and 8 months. This individual went onto nights at
the last resign. Royal Mail now shows his seniority as 8
months, disregarding his 38 years. How can this be fair?

The CWU has argued consistently that MTSF2 was never
designed to deal with the number of staff the London review

is dealing with, against the limited number of jobs which
are available.

HOW DOES ROYAL MAIL’S PLAN AFFECT YOU
IN DELIVERIES?

Royal Mail’s plan will have a massive impact on all who work
at Delivery Offices or in Distribution Hubs.

These are some of the likely impacts:

•
Compulsory redundancies will become the normal tactic
when dealing with revisions in the future.
•
Compulsory transfers will also become normal policy
when dealing with delivery revisions. Remember, Royal
Mail under the Mail Centre review, mapped individuals to
any office within 15 miles of their home address and
believe that is a reasonable travelling distance.
•
Royal Mail’s Mail Centre plan will mean that your offices
mail will be arriving later as a result of the longer travelling
distances. Remember, E1-18 work will come from
Romford, SE1-28 from Croydon, SW1-20 from Jubilee,
N1-22 from the Mount and W2-14 from Greenford.
•
Under walk sequencing, 40% of your mail will arrive later
than at present. Mark Higson, the Managing Director,
stated that all Royal Mail are committed to is achieving
their work plan. This means that as long as they get your
work into delivery offices before 10.00 in the morning then
that has met their objective.
•
Be in no doubt work arriving later means you will have
later starts, no 4 day weeks, no 9 day fortnights and
more of your jobs will be part time.
•
FTCs (Fixed Time Contracts) will have their contract
terminated, ie, made compulsorily redundant (sacked).
•
Equally, one of Royal Mail’s contingency plans for
dealing with surplus staff in the Mail Centres means
placing surpluses against delivery office overtime and
non contracted SA.

NEXT STEPS

All branches in London have agreed that we cannot stand by
and allow Royal Mail to impose their plan by executive action.
Royal Mail’s plan will not only condemn Mail Centre members
to compulsory transfers and compulsory redundancies, but
will also mean that all delivery offices in London will have later
starts, no ability to either maintain their improved attendances,
or to achieve them, more part timers and we will also see the
sacking of Fixed Term Contracts many of whom have worked
over two years in the industry.

London members will therefore be balloted for strike action.


All members, when they decide to join a trade union, commit
to the principle that we are stronger standing together than we
will ever be standing individually. This is one of these
occasions when if you don’t fight, then you will be next in the
firing line.

The National Postal Executive are submitting an emergency
motion to the unions annual conference which begins next
week (22 May 2011) seeking a national ballot over job security.
Royal Mail’s con over colleague share, pensions and Royal
Mail’s new business plan which attacks delivery offices in the
worst possible way, including virtually removing all overtime.

However, the national ballot will take time to organise as well
as time to campaign in order to get a yes vote.

THE REASON WE HAVE TO BALLOT LONDON NOW
IS THAT WE HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE.

Royal Mail are already moving work from Mail Centres and this
accelerates from June, including the inward work which is
what delivery offices rely on.

The union fully realises that all members will be concerned
that this is another strike following on from 2009.

However, the CWU has been left with no choice other than to
fight Royal Mail’s blatant attack on London postal workers.

The CWU has put forward a fair alternative which would see
the closure of Rathbone Place and one Mail Centre. However,
it would have committed Royal Mail to a guarantee of no
compulsory transfers or redundancies, a commitment that
delivery offices would not get their work later than they would
do presently. Royal Mail rejected this proposal.

We therefore have no alternative but to commence a ballot of
London Delivery Offices. Remember, in the next few weeks
Nine Elms, East London, Rathbone Place, the Mount and
some Distribution Hubs may be taking strike action and
Managers or individuals may bring work to your office whilst
your colleagues are on strike. This work will be performed
by individuals who are trying to break a lawful strike by
union members fighting for a future. It is important that all
members in delivery offices are aware of the seriousness of
this situation.

MYTHS ABOUT THE 2009 DISPUTE EXPOSE

We realise many members have memories of the 2009
dispute, including how many days of action they took.

However, it is worth reminding members of the circumstances
which led to the dispute and the outcome of the dispute.

In late 2008 Royal Mail confirmed to the CWU that they were
no longer willing to pay for change. They stated that in the
future that whenever there was a delivery office revision that
office would not receive a share of any savings. In addition,
Royal Mail wanted to reduce some of the PBS monthly
bonuses. Royal Mail also wanted to remove all improved
attendances, including 4 day weeks and introduce later starts.

The CWU carried a policy that until there was a national
agreement in place, which meant that staff would receive a
share of the savings as a result of any revision they deployed,
then no revisions would be agreed.

Royal Mail then decided to introduce revisions by executive
action. Royal Mail introduced 60 revisions in London without
agreement removing jobs, earnings and improved attendances.

On 5 November 2009 CWU secured an interim agreement with
Royal Mail. This agreement allowed for a period of calm in
order to negotiate the bigger deal. In addition, it allowed for
the resolution of Royal Mail’s executive action. As a result a
number of offices had their 4 day week attendances restored.
Others got hours back and a number had a resign. All of this
would not have happened without the strike action that
London members took.

In addition, the Business Transformation Agreement
allowed for an instant 2% pay rise along with a £400 lump
sum payment. Equally, all members in delivery received a
£20.60 weekly delivery supplement which is a permanent
addition to basic pay and increases in time with pay rises
in future years. This was despite the fact Royal Mail wanted
delivery staff to deliver door to door items without any form
of payment.

Furthermore, the union ensured that there was a further 1.4%
pay rise which members received in April 2011 and next year
a further 3.5% is on offer. This was achieved against the
background of a public sector pay freeze. The union also
achieved a £1,000 payment for the introduction of 2 revisions
and also a reduction of one hour off the working week which
is the equivalent of a 2% pay rise.

You also kept your monthly bonus on a reserve rights
basis which had been under threat.

Any people reviewing the dispute will acknowledge that your
sacrifice was not in vain and led to the protection of your
terms and conditions and improvements.

CONCLUSION

Faced with all these threats, the union will be stepping up the
campaign to ballot the Delivery membership in London.

We will be holding meetings in all workplaces.

There is absolutely no doubt if Royal Mail get away with their
plans then not only will compulsory redundancies become a
reality, it will also become Royal Mail’s preferred way of
dealing with surpluses including in deliveries.

Remember, all Delivery Offices are facing massive job losses
due to walk sequencing and delivery best practice revisions.

Only by voting Yes will you stop Royal Mail from imposing
both compulsory redundancies and transfers and the
destruction of your delivery job forever.

Vote Yes



A statement by London Divisional Committee

[kwikpost]

don't hold your breath for a YES vote.

[silly suffolk]

don't hold your breath for a YES vote.

if its a no we are all finished.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

don't hold your breath for a YES vote.

if its a no we are all finished.

I agree - on a national vote I am a for a strike

[plum]

Yes, i am 100% in favour of a strike. However those workplace meetings the union are planning to have with members are likely
to be stormy. Morale is at an all time low at my office with many former union loyalists wanderring around like they have given up the ghost.

[BT2010]

Yes, i am 100% in favour of a strike. However those workplace meetings the union are planning to have with members are likely
to be stormy. Morale is at an all time low at my office with many former union loyalists wanderring around like they have given up the ghost.

its an absolute must that we get a YES vote, anything else and RM have got exactly what they have set out for.


A BROKEN MEMBERSHIP.

[clashcityrocker]

No to compulsory redundancies.
No to any further attacks on our terms and conditions.
No to the imposition of a new business plan.

Yes to industrial action.

[woofwoof]

don't hold your breath for a YES vote.

http://fanchants.com/football-songs/lee ... bastard-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BT2010]

woof, i have a feeling your in my neck of the woods

MOT.

[hans solo]

its not just fcukin london that get bullied and harrased every day
scotland and north england have been shat on for years while cwu watch

[BT2010]

its not just fcukin london that get bullied and harrased every day
scotland and north england have been shat on for years while cwu watch

agreed

the whole situation up here needs bringing to a head ASAP.

see you on the cobbles

[fishtank]

Yes to industrial action.

I wouldn't mind seeing a list of aims and objectives first.

[jockstrapp]

#########.....VOTE YES.....######## and let the CWU get you the deal of the century......

[Big Daz]

I agree

If a IA ballot is called then Dave and PEC need to be very clear as to the objectives and supply info/evidence that our objectives are realistic,atainable and achiveable. Whatever the rights and wrongs of BT2010 it certainly wasnt what mbrs were expecting. We need a solution that will gain and retain real majority support.

[fishtank]

MYTHS ABOUT THE 2009 DISPUTE EXPOSE

Rather than continue to try to polish the turd it may have been wiser to hold up the hands and admit we screwed up a little but have learned from our mistakes and don't intend to repeat them.
Just a thought...a different direction maybe.

Sometimes we delivery members act like idiots but we aren't completely stupid.