Shorter Working Week – January 28th Deployment

[fishtank]

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS

Dear Colleague,

Shorter Working Week – January 28th Deployment

Further to today’s email to Branches and Representatives a document has been agreed with Royal Mail this morning. CWU Representatives should now positively engage in discussions to see if a local agreement can be reached that delivers a 39 hour week for all of our Full Time members from the 28th January or failing this as soon as possible and before the 30th January. Part Time members will see an adjustment in their hourly rate from the 28th January.

If agreement cannot be reached by the 30th January 2013 then the unit will revert to a default position of having 4 options placed before them for our members to decide which option they would prefer. The chosen option is the one that will be implemented. If option D is chosen this will mean a locally agreed temporary arrangement will be introduced that places our FT members on a 39 hour week. The discussions will then be moved to a CWU Divisional Rep and Delivery Director for resolution and where this cannot be resolved between them within 24 hours it will move to national level for resolution. If option D is chosen Part Time members will still move to the higher hourly rate.

These have not been easy discussions on what we believed to be a straightforward issue when we agreed the original statement in the summer and it would have been very easy to have ‘fallen out’ over this. However when considering our options as a Union we needed to take account of the situation regarding the SWW as it affected our members on the ground. The facts are that we currently have approximately 540 delivery units who have still to receive the SWW out of 1474 delivery cost centres (includes SPDOs) across the UK and a small number of Distribution units. Our Mail Centre and Network members are not affected by the discussions that have been taking place. This was clearly not an issue to have a fall out over.


We have important discussions ahead of us that will affect the whole of our membership and we need to focus on the future and the outcome of those discussions. Hopefully we can all move forward together. We do appreciate the support received from our Branches and Representatives in bringing this to a conclusion.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03
Email address: hnutley@cwu.org

Yours sincerely


Bob Gibson
CWU Assistant Secretary

[fishtank]

Pace of Change / Shorter Working Week –
A National Joint Statement between Royal Mail and CWU

Royal Mail and the CWU have previously agreed that the one hour reduction in the standard working week will be introduced no later than the w/c 28th January 2013 in all functions, for all eligible full time employees remaining on a 40 hour week at that point. Where this happens in advance of the appropriate planned revision, the reduction in hours will be allocated in time from that date. A Nationally agreed range of options for implementing this will be issued in due course. Similarly the shorter working week will be introduced for part time employees no later than the w/c 28th January 2013 by applying an hourly rate increase in the usual way.

To meet the requirements above it is agreed that from the 28th January 2013 the divisor used to determine the hourly rate for all PT employees will be 39. This will in effect mean that all PT employees will receive an increase in basic pay. The amount will vary depending on the number of hours worked.

In order to capture the 1 hour due to all full time employees as detailed above DOMs and local CWU representatives should positively engage in local negotiations to identify and agree an adjustment to attendance times that delivers a 39 hour week. The joint aim will be to conclude these negotiations as quickly as possible. The adjustment to attendance times agreed will be recorded in a signed local agreement between the CWU rep and local manager. Copies will be forwarded to the respective HQs.

Where an agreement cannot be reached before the 30th January 2013 the employees in the unit will be provided with the following list of options in no order of preference and all of equal status. The employees will then decide which option will be introduced based on their wishes that delivers a 39 hour week.

Attendance times can be altered so that duties finish 12 minutes earlier each day of the week. This applies to 5 day week duties. Where other duty patterns exist the reduction will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Attendance times can be altered so that duties start 6 minutes later each day of the week and finish 6 minutes earlier each day of the week. This applies to 5 day week duties. Where other duty patterns exist the alteration will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Attendance times can be altered so that duties start 12 minutes later each day of the week. This applies to 5 day week duties. Where other duty patterns exist the reduction will need to be adjusted accordingly.

A Locally agreed temporary arrangement that delivers a 39 hour week for the Unit.
The option agreed will be recorded in a signed local agreement between the CWU rep and local manager. Copies will be forwarded to the respective HQ’s. Where the unit chooses option D this will move into a fast track disagreement process to be resolved by a CWU Divisional rep and the Delivery Director. Where they cannot resolve the disagreement within 24 hrs this will be moved to national level for resolution.

Any disagreement over the interpretation of this agreement will be referred to the signatories below for resolution. In all instances all eligible employees are entitled to move to a 39 hour week from the w/c 28th January 2012. Both parties are encouraged to conclude an agreement that delivers an adjustment to attendances based on a 39 hour week.


Signed………………………………………. Signed……………………………………..
Mike Newby Royal Mail Bob Gibson CWU

[fishtank]

A Nationally agreed range of options for implementing this will be issued in due course.

[Broxi51]

Our manager stood and talked & talked until he was blue in the face about how the business
will NOT consider any option that finishes your duty 12 minutes earlier each day and tha twe should choose
one of his options along with the heart felt plea tha twe should trust him and that he wouldnt lead us down the
garden path.

four words to him. Get it up ya!!!!!!

[houseoflords]

Is your manager Nick Clegg?

[Cut Off King]

Our manager stood and talked & talked until he was blue in the face about how the business
will NOT consider any option that finishes your duty 12 minutes earlier each day and tha twe should choose
one of his options along with the heart felt plea tha twe should trust him and that he wouldnt lead us down the
garden path.

four words to him. Get it up ya!!!!!!

Maybe he'll be having the last laugh as you'll be doing the same amount of work in a day, but you'll now have 12mins less to complete the task,

or did you think that he'll adjust your duty so that you'll do 12 mins less work in a day ?

I don't think that he'll let you off sorting in the morning or take a few calls off your delivery will he ?

No you'll be doing the same duty, only less time to do it in

[Broxi51]

Maybe he'll be having the last laugh as you'll be doing the same amount of work in a day, but you'll now have 12mins less to complete the task,

or did you think that he'll adjust your duty so that you'll do 12 mins less work in a day ?

I don't think that he'll let you off sorting in the morning or take a few calls off your delivery will he ?

No you'll be doing the same duty, only less time to do it in

Oh, I dont know. Lapsing will be a bigger no in the office. At the moment there is
only a few who say no to lapsing but with 12 minutes less per day then more will join the no brigade........hopefully

[daveyeff]

12 minutes overtime a day then.

[dvbuk55]

After all the talking over days on end it boils down to the Rep at the unit to make an agreement on a local level - and in areas where no rep exists...........so much for holding the line. What the union should have said was "All units that haven't had a revision will start 30 minutes later Mon & Tues wherever practicable until such time as a revision takes place when duty times and workload will be adjusted accordingly." That solves everyones problem pro tem without reps becoming embroiled at unit level. It really is time the union manned up and took some of the responsiblity for these agreements. They are the ones who want to sit at the table making policy decisions that amount to "leave it to the rep".

[POSTMAN]

This was clearly not an issue to have a fall out over.

[Cut Off King]

This was clearly not an issue to have a fall out over.

Just exactly what would it take for the CWU to fall out with RM ?

[dvbuk55]

This was clearly not an issue to have a fall out over.

Just exactly what would it take for the CWU to fall out with RM ?

I think if RM was to de-recognise the CWU we would be called out on strike immediately - I think that would be classed as a falling out.