am i the only one thinking this ? !

[protect us]

the first set of strikes were one day and not effective (just created a heavy saturday!) we then cause mass disruption in aug and therfore the rm cack themselves and decide it time for peace and talk ! - now we finally get to the point of totally bringing the system to a standstill and clogging it up - we have brave and loyal lads /lasses in liverpool,london e.t.c making the way for us all to show these two twats :lfo :cfo things aint fair ! = and now look - we hear nothing , spend all weekend skint and worried sick we will be destroyed ,and now still no news and the backlog is getting more cleared just as we had them :cfo :lfo worried ! the sooner we have an idea on whats on offer the better , however in the meantime all are hard clogging is dissapearing from the negotiating tools !! = i hope the package is fair otherwise we must ALL ( well i say all there will always be the Sausage,Chips,And,Beans ) take action before its too late ! THANKS TO ALL THE HARDCORE DENYING THEMSELVES TO PUT THINGS RIGHT FOR US GOD BLESS XX TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS :cfo :lfo

[Trends Guild]

the first set of strikes were one day and not effective (just created a heavy saturday!) we then cause mass disruption in aug and therfore the rm cack themselves and decide it time for peace and talk ! - now we finally get to the point of totally bringing the system to a standstill and clogging it up - we have brave and loyal lads /lasses in liverpool,london e.t.c making the way for us all to show these two twats :lfo :cfo things aint fair ! = and now look - we hear nothing , spend all weekend skint and worried sick we will be destroyed ,and now still no news and the backlog is getting more cleared just as we had them :cfo :lfo worried ! the sooner we have an idea on whats on offer the better , however in the meantime all are hard clogging is dissapearing from the negotiating tools !! = i hope the package is fair otherwise we must ALL ( well i say all there will always be the Sausage,Chips,And,Beans ) take action before its too late ! THANKS TO ALL THE HARDCORE DENYING THEMSELVES TO PUT THINGS RIGHT FOR US GOD BLESS XX TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS :cfo :lfo

From someone who has never been in a union - would you mind explaining to me why you don't know what is in the package? Have you not yet been told, and if not, why? (I don't know how these things work...). Thanks.

[baldrick]

The Union negotiating team get the best deal they think they can from the employer, they then have to take it back to the elected leadership of the union (the Postal Executive Committee) who have to decide whether it is acceptable or not.
If they think it is acceptable they will put it to the membership to vote on in an individual postal ballot.

Sometimes we are told what is being offered as talks progress, but recently Royal Mail has been insisting on secrecy until the agreement is accepted.

[Carnoustie]

... Sometimes we are told what is being offered as talks progress, but recently Royal Mail has been insisting on secrecy until the agreement is accepted ....

That should read 'insisting on secrecy until an agreement has been finalised'.

The negotiators then take that agreement to the PEC, and if they ratify it, they put it to a ballot of the membership.

Only if a simple majority of us vote Yes is it then deemed to have been accepted.

We could still return a NO vote if the agreement is unacceptable

[baldrick]

Yeah sorry - I meant until the agreement is accepted by the PEC (not the membership).
In the past the negotiators would usually keep us informed of the latest position, but since Leighton & Crozier took over they have insisted on 'closed' offers, ie kept secret until the PEC agrees to recommend it.

[Trends Guild]

Yeah sorry - I meant until the agreement is accepted by the PEC (not the membership).
In the past the negotiators would usually keep us informed of the latest position, but since Leighton & Crozier took over they have insisted on 'closed' offers, ie kept secret until the PEC agrees to recommend it.

I see, thanks. Sounds like a psychological trick - surely there must be a hell of a lot more pressure to accept a proposal which is a 'done deal' in the eyes of the RM and the CWU leaders. Sorry...what's the PEC?

[catch]

I see, thanks. Sounds like a psychological trick - surely there must be a hell of a lot more pressure to accept a proposal which is a 'done deal' in the eyes of the RM and the CWU leaders. Sorry...what's the PEC?

That's what it seems like to me yeah. It also gives the wildcats time to die down.

PEC is the postal executive committee.

[rollingthunder]

Postal Executive Committee.

[baldrick]

Yeah sorry - I meant until the agreement is accepted by the PEC (not the membership).
In the past the negotiators would usually keep us informed of the latest position, but since Leighton & Crozier took over they have insisted on 'closed' offers, ie kept secret until the PEC agrees to recommend it.

I see, thanks. Sounds like a psychological trick - surely there must be a hell of a lot more pressure to accept a proposal which is a 'done deal' in the eyes of the RM and the CWU leaders. Sorry...what's the PEC?

Yeah, also it means we can't put pressure on the negotiators to change things during talks, and gives us less time to mobilise the membership against bad parts of any final agreement, and as we are presented with a total package we have to accept or reject it all.