Huddersfield Daily Examiner Stories

[TrueBlueTerrier]

More mail misery after talks fail

http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/e ... _page.html

08:00, Oct 9 2007



Mail misery looks set to continue after negotiations aimed at ending the postal dispute ended without any agreement and further strikes were announced.

Officials from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail managers met for eight consecutive days to try to reach a deal in a long-running row over pay, jobs and pensions.

Some progress was made at the talks, held under the chairmanship of TUC general secretary Brendon Barber, but the negotiations ended on Monday night with the row still deadlocked.

The union has also announced further industrial action with a series of 24 hour strikes by different departments starting next Monday. The rolling action is designed to disrupt services while ensuring workers lose only one day's pay.

Mr Barber said: "I am very disappointed that this phase of intensive talks has not resolved the dispute when real progress has been made, and we have been edging towards an agreement. I will be keeping in close touch with the CWU and Royal Mail to continue to seek to find a way forward."

The union said there had been "real progress" in many areas but none had led to an agreement.

"The offer includes a pay increase of 6.9% over two years but this is subject to linking unacceptable strings including a reduction in pension benefits.

"Royal Mail's proposals also include flexibility proposals that mean, among other things, that postal workers will not know what job they are doing from one day to the next" said a spokesman.

The Royal Mail said it was "hugely disappointed and extremely concerned" that the talks had not resolved the dispute.

The firm said in a statement: "After a weekend of intense negotiations, the CWU is still refusing to accept the flexibility that Royal Mail urgently needs if it is to modernise and survive."

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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18:30, Oct 9 2007


A huge backlog of mail will start to be delivered on Wednesday as postal workers end their latest 48-hour strike, but further disruption is threatened in the deadlocked row over pay, jobs and pensions.

Up to 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will start returning to work at 3am on Wednesday after another bout of industrial action which has crippled services for almost a week.

Union leaders will meet on Wednesday to review the dispute, which developed into a war of words after Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier accused the CWU of talking "cobblers".

He disputed claims by the union about working practices in the postal organisation, especially a statement by deputy general secretary Dave Ward accusing the company of "slavery" over the way it makes its staff work. Mr Crozier described the claims as "cobblers" and said the Royal Mail was only trying to make people work the hours for which they were paid.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the two sides were close to reaching an agreement on pay and pensions, leaving flexibility as the outstanding issue. Mr Crozier said: "I doubt there is a company out there that does not ask its people to work all the hours they are paid for. For the union not to accept that is not a tenable position."

Mr Crozier claimed there were 1,442 so-called "Spanish practices" in the Royal Mail a few years ago which had been cut to 92. He said: "You cannot have that situation in the modern world. These are practices that went out in the 1970s in practically every other company."

He claimed one example was that postal staff asked for overtime if they finished two hours early and were requested to do other duties to complete their shift. "All we are asking is that people work the 37 hours 20 minutes for which they are paid. If they work longer than that, of course they will receive overtime."

Mr Crozier said Royal Mail staff were paid 25% more than workers in rival post firms. He said other companies in the business were 40% more efficient, which is why the Royal Mail wanted a long-term solution to the current dispute to help it compete more effectively.

Mr Ward responded: "What Royal Mail has got at the moment is a dedicated, hard-working and flexible workforce. To get their work done within their hours, postal workers are carrying more mail than they should, not taking their breaks, and using their own cars to take mail out on deliveries. This all ensures flexibility for Royal Mail."

The union has announced a series of rolling strikes involving different parts of the service from next Monday after talks aimed at resolving the row ended without agreement on Monday night.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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05:00, Oct 10 2007 <----------- Not for another hour mate Teebs Comments



Postal deliveries are restarting after postal workers ended their latest 48-hour strike but further disruption is threatened in the deadlocked row over pay, jobs and pensions.

Up to 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are returning to work after industrial action which has crippled services for almost a week.

Union leaders will meet to review the dispute, which developed into a war of words yesterday after Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier accused the CWU of talking "cobblers".

He disputed claims by the union about working practices in the postal organisation, especially a statement by deputy general secretary Dave Ward accusing the company of "slavery" over the way it makes its staff work.

Mr Crozier described the claims as "cobblers" and said the Royal Mail was only trying to make people work the hours for which they were paid.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the two sides were close to reaching an agreement on pay and pensions, leaving flexibility as the outstanding issue.

Mr Crozier said: "I doubt there is a company out there that does not ask its people to work all the hours they are paid for.

"For the union not to accept that is not a tenable position."

Mr Crozier claimed there were 1,442 so-called "Spanish practices" in the Royal Mail a few years ago which had been cut to 92. He claimed one example was that postal staff asked for overtime if they finished two hours early and were requested to do other duties to complete their shift.

The CWU has announced a series of rolling strikes involving different parts of the service from next Monday after talks aimed at resolving the row ended without agreement.

[mailjock]

Well jock in the box has come out and backed our flexibility and stated that there were 1442 Spanish Practices a few years ago and only 92 now. Well done lads and lassies we really deserve a pat on the back and a glass of Spanish wine for that achievement and display of flexibility.

The biggest Spanish Practice which is bleeding RM dry is the amount of 'garden-leave' managers who don't have a job and sit on their ass doing nothing or fart about with 'projects' which never see the light of day.