Letter to Managers

[lovejoy]

OPEN LETTER TO ALL MANAGERS SW/SW DIVISION

TO ALL ROYAL MAIL MANAGERS SW/SW Division

As you will be aware the CWU has launched the first National Strike Ballot since 2009 as we look to defend the terms and conditions of our members against attacks from a Government pushing a senseless political ideology and an employer that is content to manage decline and run this great Industry into the ground.

Despite the risks for you as managers being equal to (if not greater than) those facing CWU members, many of you continue to push the companies’ agenda in a manner which is both aggressive and unrelenting.

PRIVATISATION

Reports from OPGs across the UK show that managers are promoting the Royal Mail mantra on privatisation. This really is a case of Turkeys voting for Christmas. On a daily basis I visit offices across the Division. Some of these units have 3 or 4 managers for 50 OPGs. Just take a step back, look at previous major privatisations and ask yourself if you think a private company would employ anywhere near as many of you? Have a look at the Pay, Pensions and benefits package of your peers in TNT because that’s what you will be looking at – if you survive the cull.

Privatisation would devastate the management grade of Royal Mail. Stop and have a think about that next time you are trying to convince our members that it is a good idea.

PAY

The communications that you are delivering to our members are misleading. There has been no straight forward pay offer from Royal Mail. There has been a conditional offer based on the CWU signing up to changes in the workplace, changes to our Pension scheme and a sub-standard 3 year protection of our terms and conditions.

The management grade has traditionally ridden on the back of our strength with pay deals. It makes no sense for you to be pushing out untruths. If we are unable to secure our aim of a no strings attached pay offer then you will also be staring down the barrel of a gun.

PENSIONS

Royal Mails Pension proposals stand to hurt managers much more than front line staff. Many of you will have to work to the age of 65 to match the benefits you would currently enjoy at 60. This comes just a year after Moya Greene and the Government claimed to have secured all of our Pensions.

Every time you brief out a company message on Pensions you are literally adding weeks to your time in Royal Mail and taking money out of your own pocket. Next time you are promoting the Royal Mail vision of a Pensions settlement, remember that we are fighting for your Pensions as well. The proper thing to do would be to join our fight. The least we deserve is your respect.

ACTING MANAGERS

Across the UK we now have more acting managers than ever before. Many of you will be CWU members caught in the awkward position of trying to ride two horses with one behind. The simple fact is there is no fence to sit on in this dispute.

I have no doubt that you will have been promised the world but the stark reality is that you are no more than cannon fodder for the substantive managers. You will be the first to revert back to the front line if the company is privatised and the chances of many of you ever becoming manager’s rank up there with the odds of Plymouth Argyle winning the Champions League in my lifetime.

The only organisation protecting this Industry and your jobs is the CWU. It is vital that you support us in the Strike Ballot vote and going forwards. We will be negotiating protections to front line jobs. The jobs that you will return to once Royal Mail have finished with you.

LEGAL PROTECTIONS

You will be aware from the Royal Mail briefing materials that the CWU has been offered a 3 year deal to protect our terms and conditions. That means that in 3 years a private owner could rip up your contract and renegotiate everything that you currently hold dear. Have a look at the Pay, Pensions, Annual Leave entitlements, Sick Pay and rights of a TNT manager because that is what you will be receiving in 3 years’ time if Royal Mail gets their way. The CWU is seeking a 10 year agreement. This is a period of time that would give us all real security.

Next time you are telling CWU members how good it is that OPGs will have their terms and conditions protected for 3 years just hold the thought of you in a nice orange shirt with £10,000 less per year in your pay packet.

ROYAL MAIL COMMUNICATIONS

Our members are receiving a level of communications from Royal Mail that border on harassment. A communication through the post almost every day, WTL sessions, team briefs, information on the TV screens, visits from the ‘Free Shares’ team and posters all over the units. This is a level of communication that smacks of a company that is 1. Failing to get its message across and 2. Desperate to convince Postal Workers that the company is right.

Next time you are reading one of these updates to CWU members ask yourself why if the Pay offer was so great or if Privatisation was a done deal would Royal Mail be desperately and continually ramming messages down our member’s throats?

SUMMARY

Over the years you have crossed our picket lines, let us fight your battles and generally avoided all responsibility for the future of this Industry. We are now embarking on the biggest fight of our lives. Postal Workers will return a YES vote for strike action, of that I am certain.

What we could really do without whilst we are fighting to save YOUR Jobs, Pensions, Pay and Protections is once again being stabbed in the back by the management grade.

Maybe next time you are asked to deliver a message for Royal Mail you can stop and think how it will impact on you. This isn’t a game anymore. This isn’t a chance for you to finance an extra holiday on our backs. This is about whether in 12 months you will have a job or not.

We aren’t even asking that you join our war. We know we cannot rely on you for that. We just want you to stop acting as Moya’s ground force. If you do that then the big targets will be exposed and the CWU will win this dispute and save your jobs.

The scale of this dispute means that it will be written into the history books. This is your final chance to make sure you aren’t in the section marked ‘lemmings’.

Regards

Chris Webb
CWU Divisional Representative
South Wales / South West

[silly suffolk]

brilliant. but probably a wasted effort on those lemmings.

[osgoody1970]

hear hear, magnificent letter!!!

[Dorset Plodder]

Very Good letter Doubt it will strike a cord with many managers as, IMHO, most of them are fairly unintelligent people. Who think they are actually doing a difficult job!

Perhaps they'll learn differently when they get their next job!

[LinChong]

[Lincox]

That will definitely be intercepted by Moyas henchmen before it reaches the target audience.

[martin the green]

Chris Webb one of the most intelligent men I have ever met and humble with it.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Chris Webb one of the most intelligent men I have ever met and humble with it.

Another future Gen Sec perhaps.

[fishtank]

Chris Webb one of the most intelligent men I have ever met and humble with it.

Lol

Another future Gen Sec perhaps.

Double Lol.
Nice letter LJ.

[mandelsons_toenail]

It's gone area wide, I sent a copy to my branch sec who has In turn mailed all reps including a hard copy for every union member in the patch.

Cracking letter

[north london driver]

That will definitely be intercepted by Moyas henchmen before it reaches the target audience.

lincox
i think its the other way round moyas knows that there are senior management waiting for her
to stack it then the knives will be out will she make christmas ?.

[silly suffolk]

been handing this letter out to managers today after some enterprising div reps lifted it for there purposes. hope chris still gets the credit though.

[mushy124]

send me a copy so i can give to my rep !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mandelsons_toenail]

Managers going mental at the last paragraph

I asked my Manager what the problem is.

He is a lemming and has no spine and will cross our picket

[Cedar_Room]

Lemmings.