National Industrial Action Ballot Timetable Announced Ltb

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches


No. 585/13
Ref: 21003
Date: 2nd September 2013

To: All Branches with Postal Members

Dear Colleague

National Industrial Action Ballot Timetable Announced – National Talks

In accordance with the position agreed at the recent Policy Forum, the Union has today announced a National Industrial Action Ballot over pay, pensions and the impact of privatisation on our member’s job security, terms, conditions and the company’s future strategy. The Ballot will cover all CWU members who work in the Royal Mail Group including Royal Mail Letters, Parcelforce and Admin Grades. The ballot will take place if current ongoing talks with the company do not reach a satisfactory outcome. The ballot timetable is as follows:

The legal notice served to the company on the 13th September 2013
Ballot papers dispatched on the 20th September 2013
Ballot closes on the 3rd October 2013

The Union is seeking an agreement that sets a legal precedent to protect our members’ interests for the long term foreseeable future, regardless of who owns the company. Further talks were held last week but there remain major differences between us and the company on a range of issues.

Legal protections - At this stage although both parties are also being represented by their legal advisors, we cannot agree on the length of the protections, the extent to which they cover our members or the legal framework in which they would operate.

Pay - The Company continues to state they will make a further improved offer in the near future but also continue to insist that pensions and other strings remain linked to any final pay settlement

Pensions - The Company has now tabled a significant amendment to the proposal that went out via the legal consultation process and talks are ongoing.

Agenda for growth - We have discussed more detail about the company’s plans for packet and parcel growth within the core letters business and Parcelforce and we have raised our concerns about the impact of this strategy on our existing infrastructure and the daily workload of postal workers.


Next Steps - The Union remains committed to ongoing talks and securing an agreement but we cannot wait forever. Whilst talks continue the company is pressing on with privatisation plans, pension changes, another round of budget cuts and an approach to parcel and packet growth that ignores the real issues and problems in workplaces. It is against this background that the Union must now defend our members’ interests by announcing the National Industrial Action Ballot Timetable.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the DGS (P) Department.


Yours sincerely



Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)

[dvbuk55]

Good! I just hope they have the infrastructure in place to get a resounding YES vote and then have the balls to carry it on until the issues are truly sorted out without some bullshit half measures that still haven't been resolved in 3 years. Consequently any 3 year deal on terms and conditions needs to be ironclad and not looser than a thingies knickers. According to dingo part of the business will be sold off despite what we do so this is the only effort we have to get the best possible outcome for the members - and not the CWU.

[Andy51]

Our office won't strike

[postality]

Our office won't strike

You mean, you wont strike

[dvbuk55]

Our office won't strike

Why? This will more than likely be the last time you and your colleagues will be able to have some impact on the terms and conditions you are going to be stuck with sine die...........strike whilst the iron is hot.

[Chelseablue]

Youre terms and conditions will be ripped apart,, pension knackered, Oh zero hours is all the rage now too

[fishtank]

I think it might be time to admit to the membership,that the fight against privatisation is all but over.
Otherwise there may be some unreal expectations out there.
Obviously it's possible to continue to fight privatisation politically right up until the last minute but it's dangerous to allow the members to believe that stopping privatisation will be one of the direct aims of this industrial action.

Speaking of aims it's about time the union clarified some of there's.
Pay.
Pretty simple. No strings,Above Inflation,Improved overtime rates.
That's the easy part.

Slightly more vague are the issues of workplace stress/bullying and unachievable workloads in delivery.
What is the union looking to get from this having not long agreed a Joint Statement on Dignity And Respect that seems to have been universally ignored by management?
Pegasus and the IWT are driving unachievable workloads in delivery offices because they are too complex and easily manipulated...but they are agreed tools which I can't see RM withdrawing so where do we go now?

Pensions?
How do you solve the issue of pensions?
Do we accept some loss of benefit..again after seeing our pension continually attacked over the last 5 years and knowing they will come after it again or do we draw a line in the sand now and say no more changes which might mean a very long strike?

[postality]

Our office won't strike

You mean, you wont strike

Love it how 1 person decides what a full office is doing...

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Our office won't strike

You mean, you wont strike

He might be like one guy we had on here in 2007 - a single person picket line

[dvbuk55]

I think it might be time to admit to the membership,that the fight against privatisation is all but over.
Otherwise there may be some unreal expectations out there.?

I doubt anyone is still under the illusion that privatisation is not going ahead. RM are in full mode for bullshitting the troops with the pros, having been through one before it looks like a done deal, the one I experienced was actually delayed by a year. It isn't about IF it's about WHEN and what we can get out of it in terms of length of the deal, security is far more important than cash or shares.

[cloherty1976]

I would say maybe 20% of logistics might strike at my office.

[dvbuk55]

I would say maybe 20% of logistics might strike at my office.

Really? I'd have thought if there was a reason for them to strike would be the fact that they're expensive in comparison to a private haulier and before you know it they'll be gone.

[cloherty1976]

Most have got pensions and aren't really that bothered

[music4essex]

I already know about a couple of folks in my office coming in and both partners work and not in RM

OH Well I can hold my head high

Enjoying the sun while still on Annual leave

Essex mum

[fishtank]

I would say maybe 20% of logistics might strike at my office.

Won't really matter.
If there's no-one to sort the mail and no-one to deliver it the guys who shunt it about from place to place are kind of redundant anyway.
If it comes down to seperate function strikes we can just skip logistics if it's that pointless.