Royal Mail response to CWU consultative ballot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/royal-mai ... ive-ballot" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail notes the outcome of the CWU consultative ballot and is committed to seeking an agreement with the union on the way forward that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees

Since 2011, we have been in talks with the union about a new agreement to replace the existing business transformation agreement that ended in March 2013.

Royal Mail and CWU have made good progress on a proposed new three-stage settlement. Phase one was agreed in February 2012 and phase two in the summer of 2012. These cover 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

The CWU’s consultative ballot is not a ballot for industrial action. It sought its members’ views on a number of issues, about which our position is set out later in the release:
The CWU’s threatened refusal to handle Access letters and parcels
The Government’s planned sale of Royal Mail Group
A new agreement on pay and benefits
CWU policy of non-cooperation with Royal Mail

Royal Mail believes that any direction by the Communication Workers Union that postmen and women should refuse to handle Access letters and parcels would be unlawful. Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.

Royal Mail notes the outcome of the CWU consultative ballot and is committed to seeking an agreement with the union on the way forward that equips the business for the future and is fair to our employees.

Refusal to handle Access letters and parcels

Royal Mail believes that any direction by the Communication Workers Union that postmen and women should refuse to handle Access letters and parcels would be unlawful. Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.

Under Downstream Access contracts, Royal Mail accepts letters and parcels at its mail centres that have been partially sorted by large customers and other postal operators, and delivers them across 29 million homes and businesses for an agreed price.
Royal Mail is the designated provider of the universal postal service in the UK. Royal Mail is required by law to allow access to our network and deliver all the mail we are asked to. Royal Mail is fully committed to the delivery of all of the mail entrusted to us. We have consistently made clear we will take all appropriate steps to prevent any disruption of this. All our employees must continue to handle all mail, deliver to the same high service standards as normal and do the job that they are paid to do, as stated in their contracts of employment.

Letters and parcels delivered by Royal Mail under Downstream Access contracts account for around half of the daily post bag and makes a significant contribution to the business. Any action against access letters and parcels would adversely impact on large numbers of the general public and the postal industry as a whole by increasing e-substitution. It would also severely impact on our business, our reputation and that of our employees.

Direct Delivery

The CWU has cited concerns over competition in direct delivery as a rationale for its proposed action. Royal Mail made a detailed submission to Ofcom describing our concerns over the potential threat to the Universal Service posed by unfettered direct delivery competition.

In response, and following a consultation, Ofcom set out its guidance for the postal market. We welcome Ofcom’s acknowledgement of its duty, powers and willingness to act at any time if it sees the universal service under threat as a result of direct delivery competition. We are also pleased the regulator made clear how it would intervene if direct delivery competition threatened the financial sustainability of the universal service. It could, for example, require other postal operators to deliver to a certain specification, such as a minimum number of days a week or a specified geographic area.

Planned sale of Royal Mail

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

Whether 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.

A change of ownership does not affect terms and conditions of our employees. All terms and conditions and collective agreements that apply to employees would remain in place were there to be a change in ownership of the company. While no one can rule out changes in the future, this has always been the case.

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 and secure as many good quality jobs as possible. The UK 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.

In 2008, in his independent review of postal services and the Universal Service, Richard Hooper made a number of key recommendations to Government, with a view to maintaining a stable Universal Service across the UK.

Mr Hooper’s recommendations included the relief of Royal Mails historic pension deficit, regulatory reform and allowing Royal Mail continuous access to private capital. The Government facilitated this package of measures through the passage of the Postal Services Act 2011. This has allowed the Government to transfer the historic Royal Mail Pension Plan to its own accounts, and appoint Ofcom as the new postal services regulator. Ofcom has since reformed the regulatory framework for postal services in the UK. The Government has stated that it aims to complete implementation of Hooper’s package of reforms through a sale of shares in Royal Mail in this financial year.

A new agreement

We are fully 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 has been in talks with the CWU about a new agreement since late 2011. We had made good progress on a proposed new three-stage settlement. Phase one was agreed in February 2012, and phase two in the summer of 2012. We have also written to all pension scheme members about proposals to make changes to pensions so that we can continue to keep the plan open.

Royal Mail and the CWU 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

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 business. This has been down to the hard work of our people.

Over the past ten years around 50,000 jobs have been lost in the company, all through voluntary redundancy. Change on this scale is hard and difficult for our people. We accept this. Our modernisation programme is helping us to respond to the changing marketplace and, in particular, the growing parcels market.

In 2012-13 Royal Mail delivered an average of 58 million items a day, compared to 63 million in 2011-12. Letter volumes fell by 8 per cent and parcel volumes increased by five per cent. Our parcels businesses already account for nearly half of Group revenues and we need to continue the process of modernisation if we are to capitalize on the opportunities for further growth. This is also essential if we are to safeguard as many high quality jobs in Royal Mail as possible into the future.

ENDS
For more information contact Mish Tullar on 07423 524154
Notes to editors
The consultative ballot does not apply to employees of Royal Mail Group’s express parcels business, Parcelforce Worldwide.
- See more at: http://www.royalmailgroup.com/royal-mai ... MaQdr.dpuf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ldsposti]

Utter Crap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I wouldn't have a problem with DSA if we simply increased the price, 60p a letter seems quite reasonable to me,

Unfortunately because of the Access Headroom enforced by legislation and the "overseer" (OFCOM) its not an option.

[Pat Ostman]

Royal Mail believes that any direction by the Communication Workers Union that postmen and women should refuse to handle Access letters and parcels would be unlawful. Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.

Who would they move to?

f***ing leachers

[redneck]

I don't see any private company anywhere in the industry capable of handling 50% of the DSA mail successfully, even if they have the usual long period of notice to prepare as per anti-union legislation enshrined by successive governments.

[north london driver]

so what did royal mail say about the rest of the ballot instead of going on about something our union
has already agreed on.as for privatisation this will be agreed on in september buy the goverment.
why have our union stop talking about a wage increase.
we have been balloted on four agenders of two we can forget about, so now our union can go back to
royal mail and talk for a few more months then go to acas to waste a bit more time then come back to the members
with another deal in november.

[cloherty1976]

Back pay just before Xmas sounds good to me

[Jynxx]

Back pay just before Xmas sounds good to me

we have been screwed over like that before, RM once dragged out a pay deal until October then didn't back pay it to april.

[cloherty1976]

At least we got it and it least it will be a few hundred quid instead of the £8 a week which you hardly notice today

[gosickwithstress]

With Reference to royal mail response

***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**

What a joke - They want to have a look at Bordon Delivery office Revision in Hampshire.

Our seem to be budget cutting revision goes live on the 24/06/2013, During the planning We nearly got
a few part timers made up to full time, Which soon got thrown out the window when
our CWU rep went on holiday for a week. Obviously this didn't meet the unfair impossible budget targets
that royal mail keep imposing on us, Year after year. There's no recognition for all the hard work we all do,
And about to do. Im sure a few people are going to get a big bonus for this, But theres no talk
about when us posties get ours. I believe all revisions are more about budget cuts than Inovative modernisation.
The more parcels we deliver the more hours we are going to need to deliver them. Staff should be listened to
more than just put apon, After all we are the ones out on the rounds and have the knowledge and the tools.
Why sell, when we are starting to profit, More and more year after year. Royal mail has been around
hundreds of years, And is fully capable of standing on its own feet without the need of any investment.

Anyway "We are where we are" and we are all "professional postpeople"...."Happy Days"... from Super Bordon.

[borders]

so what did royal mail say about the rest of the ballot instead of going on about something our union
has already agreed on.as for privatisation this will be agreed on in september buy the goverment.
why have our union stop talking about a wage increase.
we have been balloted on four agenders of two we can forget about, so now our union can go back to
royal mail and talk for a few more months then go to acas to waste a bit more time then come back to the members
with another deal in november.

lets face it the DSA point is sabre rattling by the Union , it would be impossible to police even if it was lawful . at least the Union can now go into talks with RM regarding Pay , Pensions , Work related problems etc on a strong footing after those results . now , whether they come out with anything acceptable to the members is any ones guess ? when it comes to Privatisation there will be another ballot and if those numbers are true it seems we are prepared to go on strike ?
in the meantime this give us plenty of time to put some money away each week to help lessen the financial strain if we do go on strike . if not a nice little Brucie Bonus for Xmas and the New year !!!