One day to go then...

[RTP]

He's Johnny Rep dontcha know

[fishtank]

He's Johnny Rep dontcha know

You should never mention Johnny Rep to a Scotsman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_BNAzUA3zk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dvbuk55]

Well from the tone of dingos' replies it's looking distinctly like another extension however correct me if I'm wrong here it wasn't RM who blinked and called off the strike AGAIN it was the union and lets face it there's a history.............shades of 2009? Was the Interim Agreement RM blinking again? If it was, lets hope the union have their eyes open this time. The longer the union delay the less support and impact strike action will have.

[RTP]

He's Johnny Rep dontcha know

You should never mention Johnny Rep to a Scotsman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_BNAzUA3zk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I remember that like it was yesterday.

Wonderful goal

[Martin Walsh]

Think seriously about what the CWU are attempting to achieve and we have made a great deal of progress but have yet got an agreement and that clearly the workplace issues are where Royal Mail are trying to recover the ground they have lost on the other issues.

1. Royal Mail have committed to improving the previously rejected pay award and have agreed to remove the strings. The CWU know the deal they want and the shape of the deal. Does the pay award get better if Royal Mail lose the revenue from Amazon and other parcel providers including what will be lost to parcel force when we announce a strike especially as progress has been made on most issues.

2. We have made progress on pensions.

3. The legal guarantees have no end date and the first review is after 5 years and includes no break up of the company , no outsourcing , no franchising , no one coming in on inferior terms and conditions and the protection of our national agreements. No other union has ever been on the verge of achieving anything think like what we are on the verge of doing.

4 progress has been made on the charter and industrial stability but there won't be a no strike deal or binding arbitration.

5 workplace issues have not progressed well and our side do not believe that Royal Mails lead people have been in the talks as they have been fronted by the lead delivery director but we all know other people outside the room are calling the shots. There is now a commitment that Mark Higson will join the talks and let's see if we can make progress.

This dispute is not about a strike to just let of steam it is a dispute to get the right agreement to protect our members futures. I have done lots of meetings with members since the joint statement came out and once you explain the progress and what we are looking for they understand and if we have to give talks 7 more days then they will understand that as well.

The members I represent all achieved yes votes of over 90% when the national average was 78% and they understood there is no reason why your members don't.

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

[soupdragon68]

Im sure that the management will say they have not had enough time to reach a negotiated settlement.....

Im sure that our union will give them more time and take the legal minimum to keep the ballot live.

Im sure that Royal Mail are stringing our union along in the hope they can bluff there way past Christmas pressure.

Im sure that if this happens then RM have achieved what they have always wanted to achieve. A split divided and broken union!

Im sure that a days industrial action will only strengthen our position, and focus RM on the run up to Christmas pressure we the union mean business, and are willing to do whatever it takes to secure our terms and conditions going forward!

A message from a concerned local rep....

[cloherty1976]

Think seriously about what the CWU are attempting to achieve and we have made a great deal of progress but have yet got an agreement and that clearly the workplace issues are where Royal Mail are trying to recover the ground they have lost on the other issues.

1. Royal Mail have committed to improving the previously rejected pay award and have agreed to remove the strings. The CWU know the deal they want and the shape of the deal. Does the pay award get better if Royal Mail lose the revenue from Amazon and other parcel providers including what will be lost to parcel force when we announce a strike especially as progress has been made on most issues.

2. We have made progress on pensions.

3. The legal guarantees have no end date and the first review is after 5 years and includes no break up of the company , no outsourcing , no franchising , no one coming in on inferior terms and conditions and the protection of our national agreements. No other union has ever been on the verge of achieving anything think like what we are on the verge of doing.

4 progress has been made on the charter and industrial stability but there won't be a no strike deal or binding arbitration.

5 workplace issues have not progressed well and our side do not believe that Royal Mails lead people have been in the talks as they have been fronted by the lead delivery director but we all know other people outside the room are calling the shots. There is now a commitment that Mark Higson will join the talks and let's see if we can make progress.

This dispute is not about a strike to just let of steam it is a dispute to get the right agreement to protect our members futures. I have done lots of meetings with members since the joint statement came out and once you explain the progress and what we are looking for they understand and if we have to give talks 7 more days then they will understand that as well.

The members I represent all achieved yes votes of over 90% when the national average was 78% and they understood there is no reason why your members don't.

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

Are you saying tomorrow another 7 day extension is going to be announced?

[RTP]

Looks like it.

Right, no point hanging around here any longer tonight.

Thanks for the info Dingo. That's me out for a pint.

[clashcityrocker]

There is now a commitment that Mark Higson will join the talks .

We've been negotiating with the monkey?
The organ grinder might turn up tomorrow?

[dvbuk55]

So the head honcho hasn't even been in the talks? FFS is that not just typical of a delaying tactic. Striking no later than the 27th .............that is another 2 weeks away and the groundswell of support from the original ballot is ebbing away. Are we going to have a ball crunching statement that the membership do not want?

What about the biggest march since 1971 - never happened, covered by a hastily arranged Reps update........to what end, they came back knowing no more than they went with.

A second ballot on boycotting DSA and overtime ban - never happened.

There does seem to be a pattern emerging here doesn't there? If the union bottle it they will be dead in the water like the little boy who cried WOLF, as they say talk is cheap, though looking at the cost of the upkeep is it?

[fishtank]

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

"Progress"....
Dave Ward promised us an agreement by the 13th or strike action....not "progress".

Dave expanded on the concessions made on legal protections and pay but said that no formal agreement had been concluded as yet in talks which are due to continue until as late as 13 November. "If we don't get the agreement we have set out to achieve then we will reinstate strike action for a 24-hour period as soon as possible," Dave confirmed.

[cloherty1976]

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

"Progress"....
Dave Ward promised us an agreement by the 13th or strike action....not "progress".

Dave expanded on the concessions made on legal protections and pay but said that no formal agreement had been concluded as yet in talks which are due to continue until as late as 13 November. "If we don't get the agreement we have set out to achieve then we will reinstate strike action for a 24-hour period as soon as possible," Dave confirmed.

You know what they talk fishtank. What I like is if they go to the 27th and remember they might have a legal challenge to strikes and if they win. Funnier things have happened

[welshy808]

Think seriously about what the CWU are attempting to achieve and we have made a great deal of progress but have yet got an agreement and that clearly the workplace issues are where Royal Mail are trying to recover the ground they have lost on the other issues.

1. Royal Mail have committed to improving the previously rejected pay award and have agreed to remove the strings. The CWU know the deal they want and the shape of the deal. Does the pay award get better if Royal Mail lose the revenue from Amazon and other parcel providers including what will be lost to parcel force when we announce a strike especially as progress has been made on most issues.

2. We have made progress on pensions.

3. The legal guarantees have no end date and the first review is after 5 years and includes no break up of the company , no outsourcing , no franchising , no one coming in on inferior terms and conditions and the protection of our national agreements. No other union has ever been on the verge of achieving anything think like what we are on the verge of doing.

4 progress has been made on the charter and industrial stability but there won't be a no strike deal or binding arbitration.

5 workplace issues have not progressed well and our side do not believe that Royal Mails lead people have been in the talks as they have been fronted by the lead delivery director but we all know other people outside the room are calling the shots. There is now a commitment that Mark Higson will join the talks and let's see if we can make progress.

This dispute is not about a strike to just let of steam it is a dispute to get the right agreement to protect our members futures. I have done lots of meetings with members since the joint statement came out and once you explain the progress and what we are looking for they understand and if we have to give talks 7 more days then they will understand that as well.

The members I represent all achieved yes votes of over 90% when the national average was 78% and they understood there is no reason why your members don't.

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

But all this progress was already made. Since the joint statement the main sticking points are still the same main sticking points.

All the details have to be written up the issues of a fair days work still needs to be negotiated. If there is a deal within 7 days it will go to ballot of the membership if there is no deal then the union will notify for strike action and cannot strike later than 20th November

Another extension is pointless. If The Union give legal notice for industrial action on Nov 20th, it might, just might concentrate minds in the following week.
There would still be 7 days to talk and avoid a strike, and the membership would not feel let down.

[k979aaa]

Think seriously about what the CWU are attempting to achieve and we have made a great deal of progress but have yet got an agreement and that clearly the workplace issues are where Royal Mail are trying to recover the ground they have lost on the other issues.

1. Royal Mail have committed to improving the previously rejected pay award and have agreed to remove the strings. The CWU know the deal they want and the shape of the deal. Does the pay award get better if Royal Mail lose the revenue from Amazon and other parcel providers including what will be lost to parcel force when we announce a strike especially as progress has been made on most issues.

2. We have made progress on pensions.

3. The legal guarantees have no end date and the first review is after 5 years and includes no break up of the company , no outsourcing , no franchising , no one coming in on inferior terms and conditions and the protection of our national agreements. No other union has ever been on the verge of achieving anything think like what we are on the verge of doing.

4 progress has been made on the charter and industrial stability but there won't be a no strike deal or binding arbitration.

5 workplace issues have not progressed well and our side do not believe that Royal Mails lead people have been in the talks as they have been fronted by the lead delivery director but we all know other people outside the room are calling the shots. There is now a commitment that Mark Higson will join the talks and let's see if we can make progress.

This dispute is not about a strike to just let of steam it is a dispute to get the right agreement to protect our members futures. I have done lots of meetings with members since the joint statement came out and once you explain the progress and what we are looking for they understand and if we have to give talks 7 more days then they will understand that as well.

The members I represent all achieved yes votes of over 90% when the national average was 78% and they understood there is no reason why your members don't.

If progress can't be made then we will take action no later than 27th November.

But all this progress was already made. Since the joint statement the main sticking points are still the same main sticking points.

All the details have to be written up the issues of a fair days work still needs to be negotiated. If there is a deal within 7 days it will go to ballot of the membership if there is no deal then the union will notify for strike action and cannot strike later than 20th November

Another extension is pointless. If The Union give legal notice for industrial action on Nov 20th, it might, just might concentrate minds in the following week.
There would still be 7 days to talk and avoid a strike, and the membership would not feel let down.

I second that.

[Martin Walsh]

This is not a computer game , a strike is not without risks. Who says Royal Mail won't withdraw the improved pay offer or the legal guarantees ? Remember a strike will damage their revenue and threaten the future of parcel force.

That's not to say we won't strike as if we will do if we have not achieved an agreement by next Wednesday but remember a strike does not mean we don't have further talks cause if we do strike we still have to enter negotiations to get an agreement. Whereas we are already in negotiations.

Now for those who don't understand there are numerous different meetings in these negotiations they are not all in one negotiation. There are separate pay and reward negotiations , discussions on pensions , on the legal guarantees and charter and industrial relations.

There are separate discussions on delivery , processing , network , RDCs , Parcelforce and engineers.


Mark higson would not normally be in on the delivery talks so will be now.