Royal Mail statement on CWU consultative ballot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Royal Mail is disappointed with the Communications Workers Union’s decision to hold a consultative ballot on a number of issues
We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees

Royal Mail is fully committed to the delivery of mail entrusted to us under Downstream Access contracts. A boycott of access mail would adversely impact the business, our reputation and that of our employees

Royal Mail is disappointed with the Communications Workers Union’s decision to hold its consultative ballot of its members on a number of issues. We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees.

Our position on the issues set out in the CWU consultative ballot is as follows:

CWU proposed boycott of Access Mail

Royal Mail is fully committed to the delivery of mail entrusted with us under Downstream Access contracts. A boycott of access mail would adversely impact the business, our reputation and that of our employees.
Access mail accounts for almost one in two of all the letters we handle
It was previously loss-making. In 2011/12 we made a profit of £80 million on Access mail after modernisation and before other exceptional costs

If we don’t deliver Access mail, our customers may look for alternatives, including using more email
Potential sale of Royal Mail

Obtaining ongoing access to external capital is a key part of Royal Mail’s continuing transformation process. It will enable us to combine the best of the public and private sectors.

The Government has made it clear it does not have the capital itself to invest in Royal Mail. It wants that capital to come from the private sector.

The Postal Services Act 2011 provides a framework within which Royal Mail could access external capital. Any sale is a matter for the UK Government

Ongoing access to external capital will allow us to invest in the business, secure as many good-quality jobs as possible and continue to provide the cherished Universal Service to more than 29 million addresses across the UK

Whether or not Royal Mail is publicly or privately owned, the six-day-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service is enshrined in law. It can only be changed by both Houses of Parliament. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has a primary duty to protect the Universal Service. It has ruled out any changes to the scope of the Universal Service

CWU pay claim

We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees. We have already reached agreement on a number of issues:

We will continue to have a predominantly full-time workforce

There will be improved opportunities for part time employees who wish to work full time

The extension of enhanced voluntary redundancy terms during the current modernisation of Royal Mail

CWU policy of non-co-operation with Royal Mail

Royal Mail’s fundamental transformation and modernisation programme - one of the biggest in British industry – has made good progress. We have improved our financial position and we are a more efficient company. This has been down to the hard work of our people. We need to continue the process - if we are not an efficient and modernised company we will lose business to others.
Royal Mail, its employees and its trade unions need to work together to ensure the business is successful in the future

Earlier this month we reached agreement with the CWU on the completion of the transformation process in our delivery operations and the payment of associated rewards and benefits to our employees

We know that aspects of our transformation have been hard and difficult for our people. We accept this. The role that they have played has made us a much more efficient and productive company.

For further information contact:
Mish Tullar
Director of Media Relations
020 7250 2468
07423 524154
mish.tullar@royalmail.com
Notes to editors:
The consultative ballot does not apply to employees of Royal Mail Group’s express parcels business, Parcelforce Worldwide.

[UnhappyGremlin]

Instead of constantly and repeatedly putting out the same press releases, why don't RM enter into proper, sincere and meaningful discussions with the CWU?
They appear to be more at home telling us why the ballot shouldn't proceed, whereas they should take positive action in regards to negotiations to prevent the outcome of the ballot being any kind of issue, and preventing the possibility of another ballot for IA from happening.

[intelligentsia]

Instead of constantly and repeatedly putting out the same press releases, why don't RM enter into proper, sincere and meaningful discussions with the CWU?
They appear to be more at home telling us why the ballot shouldn't proceed, whereas they should take positive action in regards to negotiations to prevent the outcome of the ballot being any kind of issue, and preventing the possibility of another ballot for IA from happening.

Open, honest and full consultations between RM and the CWU is absolutely crucial...before this dreadful coalition government bulldozes the privatisation of RM this Autumn?

[Andy51]

Instead of this crap give us a decent wage rise that's all we want

[steven100]

Lies, lies and more lies. No people get overtime etc because they are too busy lapsing. Well in my office anyway.

[pants123]

We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees.

fair to our employees, what a load of bulls..t overloaded with impossible work loads, forced to work over your time.. not getting then paid for that over time,,,, no payment of colleague shares and still owe us 200 pound from the 2010 agreement... where is the word fair in that.... ROYAL MAIL should have said COMPLETE HELL ON EARTH FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.... because that's what they want....

[pants123]

and if they send me 1 more EMPLOYEE SURVEY AGAIN,,, im taking LEGAL ACTION as it's highly OFFENSIVE in its wording...

[Kidders]

We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees.

fair to our employees, what a load of bulls..t overloaded with impossible work loads, forced to work over your time.. not getting then paid for that over time,,,, no payment of colleague shares and still owe us 200 pound from the 2010 agreement... where is the word fair in that.... ROYAL MAIL should have said COMPLETE HELL ON EARTH FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.... because that's what they want....

The word FAIR does not exist in RM

[UnhappyGremlin]

We are committed to seeking an agreement with the CWU on the way forward in Royal Mail that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees.

fair to our employees, what a load of bulls..t overloaded with impossible work loads, forced to work over your time.. not getting then paid for that over time,,,, no payment of colleague shares and still owe us 200 pound from the 2010 agreement... where is the word fair in that.... ROYAL MAIL should have said COMPLETE HELL ON EARTH FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.... because that's what they want....

The word FAIR does not exist in RM

It does. It's just that RM interpret it as they screw us over, gives us much more than it is possible to complete, then award us a pay rise that doesn't match inflation, and then fully expect us to be grateful. Even though we have suffered a real terms pay cut of about 12 to 15% in the last few years.

[I-POSTIE]

It is quite obvious as to why Royal Mail is “disappointed” with the CWU for holding a consultative ballot. I would preferably have called it a confidence vote (or more exactly, “no” confidence, vote as I am quite sure will transpire) in our employer. I see it very much in that form. If the employer (the CEO, the Chairman, the board of directors and ultimately the government) is so confident about the approach they are taking as to how they manage the company, why are they bleating? Their resistance clearly emphasises how predictable the result will be and how much of an embarrassment it will be for the general public to find out how out of sync with the employees they have become; that the employees have to vote to take measures (boycott the competitions mail) in order to rescue the publicly owned delivery service and the Universal Service Obligation, something they are charged with yet are too incompetent to manage and is taking the easy way out by delivering the company into private hands.

As, Emerson, describes, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds … .” Clearly, their approach to privatisation is conflicting with employees and the public’s opinion alike, yet they foolhardy continue with their own personal agenda. Their contradictory methodology in providing the future of the Universal Service Obligation is astounding. I have not seen anything yet that makes me believe that Royal Mail is particularly worried about the loss despite their lip service to the contrary. Certainly, a deregulated Royal Mail is a more saleable commodity than one whose new owner is bound by legislation which will interfere with their ability to achieve as great a profit as is possible. After all, it is what handicaps us, because of the lack of a level playing field when competing with, what is referred to as the competition. It is not that I propose that Royal Mail should be allowed to forgo USO but that those privateers whom are granted a licence in the post monopoly mail delivery market should also be bound in their licence, in fairness, to provide a Universal Service Obligation instead of just cherry picking mail that once subsidised the USO for Royal Mail. We, the employees, are now subsidising the USO with poor working condition and the lack of a current, fair, pay rise.

I have completely no confidence in regulators. They effectively do what the government of the day recommends (tells them) they should do. The second delivery, has gone, First Class before 09:30, has gone and Sunday collections, gone. Do you remember how fastidious management were in the day about delivering all First Class mail in the first delivery before 09:30? It was a wilful delay offence not to do so. Now they don’t bat an eyelid if delivery men and women are delivering First Class items passed 7 o’clock in the evening, as long as they get it done and don’t ask for overtime. This is how desperate this company has become. So, do you actually believe that Ofcom is going to be anymore effective than Postcomm when the day arrives that the Universal Service Obligation is the sticking point in the privatisation of Royal Mail? I, somehow, do not think the government are going to let a “minor obstacle,” such as the USO, stand in the way of their long time goal of cutting loose Royal Mail. Do You?

It would be a pleasure to truly believe that the employer backed us to do the job that we do. I don’t mean that hogwash where they give us insincere words that are not backed by actions. That they made investments in this company to make it a reasonable working experience for employees that resulted in a better service for the customer and that they forced the competition to deliver their own mail under the same USO standard thus ending the DSA piggybacking for profit idiocy. However, I believe, that the common consensus amongst employees is that management and government have chosen not to work with us to improve this company but have decided that the race is to the bottom; that a privatised, segregated delivery service, that is only interested in the most profitable areas; which delivers mail with an unspecified time frame; that does this at premium rates, is what the customers deserves. It sounds like rubbish because it is rubbish!

[borders]

amen to that post.

[UnhappyGremlin]

Well said I-POSTIE.

[barbario]

But if we were to cut out the middle man,wouldn't we make even more money. ?