LTB 686/13 - Media guidance around the strike ballot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 686/13
Ref
Date: 15th October 2013



TO ALL BRANCHES



Dear Colleague,

Media guidance around the strike ballot

On Wednesday there will be intense media interest in our ballot result. This is an opportunity for us to get our messages out about the reasons for the dispute in Royal Mail and to emphasise that although the company has been floated, the strike faces up to the impact of privatisation and of course, is aimed at protecting jobs, terms and conditions.

CWU HQ will be announcing the result to the national media, probably on the afternoon of Wednesday and we will be liaising with all national media outlets to maximise publicity.   The result will be announced to members via email, online immediately and via an LTB.  The union will also issue a press release to reps and provide information and quotes on our website and social media channels. This will all happen within minutes of each other so one way or another you will be able to access information and key messages.   These messages should be the messages you reflect locally.

We encourage CWU reps to do local and regional media interviews with both print and broadcast media. Plan to have a local spokesperson to handle media queries – this could be the branch secretary or another rep.  If however you are contacted by national media, please refer them to either Kevin Slocombe (07714504413) or Sian Jones (02089717267 or 07793314249) so that we do not get crossed wires on interview bids and/or inform us direct of the contact. (It may also be that we are refusing certain bids and that that journalist is trying to get around this by contacting local reps direct – this can be very risky so please refer them back to us unless we’ve asked you to pick up these interviews).

Questions
Journalists will want to know the reasons for the ballot and other information linked to industrial action. You will be able to use key messages from the CWU’s national material, but very often journalists will want a local angle for your area – referencing the name and location of local delivery offices, mail centres etc, how many postal workers in a given area are involved. Please be ready with this information where possible.

Journalists will want to move the story on and will probably ask questions around the potential impact of strike action – how many letters/[parcels will be held up etc. Do not feel you have to answer questions which you don’t have the answer to.








Case studies
Media – broadcast media in particular – are likely to ask for ‘real postal workers’ to interview. CWU reps are obviously Royal Mail workers and you have more protections and freedoms to speak to the media than non-reps so where possible please consider offering one or more reps in your branch as case studies for ‘the workers’ voice’ type interviews. For broadcast these people will normally need to be in uniform (so that it works for television).


Please check the CWU website for updates and information.   I am sure most of you are very experienced in managing your local media but if you need assistance with handling local media, please contact either myself or Sian Jones (0208 971 7267) in the press office for more information.

Any enquiries on this LTB should be addressed to Marcia Murray at mmurray@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,




Kevin Slocombe
Head of Communications

[midegarelu]

Looks like a strong YES vote then.

[britwrit]

Oh well. So much for the "we've got a seven-year deal on the table just waiting for a Yes vote."

[the deliverer]

Looks like a strong YES vote then.

Moya: "Oh No, No, No!