CWU delivers strike threat after rejecting pay offer

[TrueBlueTerrier]

CWU delivers Royal Mail strike threat after rejecting pay offer

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The CWU has warned of industrial action at Royal Mail after rejecting the organisation’s proposals on pay and conditions as misleading and unacceptable.

Postal workers voted by 99% in favour of a straight-forward above-inflation pay rise. The union says what they have been presented with is a proposal laden with strings that will increase the uncertainty of their future.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “Postal workers want more security; what’s on offer is less. With privatisation looming, the protections Royal Mail have put on offer are not worth the paper they’re written on. Our members clearly voted – by a huge 99% – for a pay rise without strings attached yet the company ignores them.

“Only a year ago the government and Moya Greene promised postal workers that their pensions were secure – now they have reneged on their promise and postal workers’ pensions are again under attack.

“For the company to present this as some kind of benefit linked to a pay offer is scandalous. This is daylight robbery of a further £2 billion of pension scheme assets being used to subsidise privatisation. CWU is seeking a parliamentary enquiry and a review of the European state aid settlement.

“The pay rise is only there as a sweetener to swallow some very bitter pills on damaging changes to pensions, and a raft of workplace uncertainty. The deal that they’ve spun in their press release is not the real deal. Postal workers will know that.

“As far as industrial stability is concerned, the company has no real strategy for growth. Royal Mail consistently claims it has a plan for growth but it can’t explain it to the workforce. All postal workers see are budget cuts and increasingly unmanageable workloads.

“If we can’t get the assurance we want over our members’ future then industrial conflict is inevitable.”

* CWU members will today be joined by members of Unite at a lobby of Parliament to urge MPs to save Royal Mail and press the government to ditch its controversial sell -off plans.

The government is embarking on one of the biggest sell-offs for many years with plans to sell-off the Royal Mail in the autumn. The Royal Mail is the UK’s oldest publicly owned utility, dating back to 1635. Today it must deliver mail to every address in the country – six days a week including rural and remote areas.

Unite, which represents Royal Mail managers and senior managers, is now working jointly with the CWU and campaign group ‘Save our Royal Mail’ to try and stop the sell-off.

The union maintains that if Royal Mail is sold off prices will go up, business will be squeezed, the countryside will be isolated and free post for HM Armed Forces could be stopped.

Unite CMA officer Brian Scott said: “Our postal service doesn’t need privatisation. Its annual profits show, it is able to succeed in public ownership.

“Our Royal Mail management members are becoming increasingly concerned about the proposed privatisation and its implications for the public, pensioners, the disabled and small companies – as well as future employment and their pension provisions. We’ll be urging MPs to press the government to keep the Royal Mail in public hands for the public good.”

[Pat Ostman]

Couldn't give a toss what our Unite Members think. They have done their best to ruin this company with their greedy, lazy and damn right bullying techniques.

Most of them are w*****s.

[postiemids]

Couldn't give a toss what our Unite Members think. They have done their best to ruin this company with their greedy, lazy and damn right bullying techniques.

Most of them are w*****s.

Well said mate