LTB 494/16 - POST OFFICE: INDUSTRIAL ACTION BALLOT RESULT-THE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE, JOB SECURITY AND PENSIONS

[TrueBlueTerrier]

LTB 494/16 - POST OFFICE: INDUSTRIAL ACTION BALLOT RESULT-THE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE, JOB SECURITY AND PENSIONS

No. 494/2016

19th August 2016



POST OFFICE: INDUSTRIAL ACTION BALLOT RESULT-THE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE, JOB SECURITY AND PENSIONS

Dear Colleagues



83% Vote Yes to take strike action



Ballot Result

Yes Votes

1,459

83.2%

No Votes

295

16.8%

Spoilt papers



3

Turnout



50.3%

Associated with this LTB is a copy of the ballot result from Electoral Reform Services



We are pleased that our members working in the Post Office have returned a good Yes vote to take strike action over THE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE, JOB SECURITY AND PENSIONS. Clearly many members are feeling extremely vulnerable in respect of job security and are dismayed by the scale of the detriment linked to the proposed closure of the DB scheme.

This ballot result is being sent direct to all of our members via a home mailing. However Branches are still encouraged to bring the ballot result to the attention of all our members directly in the workplace. Branches are advised that the statutory 28 days for the life of the ballot expires on Thursday 15th September, therefore in the absence of an agreed way forward strike action will need to be taken by this date.

We wish to thank all Representatives, Branches, Area & Territorial Representatives and Postal Executive members for their efforts in arranging and attending members’ meetings in order to ensure that our members were aware of the reasons for voting Yes for strike action.

Our objective going forward is to reach a fair and reasonable agreement therefore we will be writing to Paula Vennells, Chief Executive, urging her to authorise a negotiating team led by a senior Director to enter into talks as a priority . It is essential the Post Office provides formal confirmation that they are prepared to enter into meaningful negotiations.



Finally attached to this LTB is a copy of the Union’s press release regarding the ballot result.



Yours sincerely





Andy Furey Terry Pullinger Dave Ward

Assistant Secretary Deputy General Secretary (Postal) General Secretary

[TrueBlueTerrier]

CWU Press Release:-
For immediate release
19th August 2016
Union calls for government intervention after strike vote shows Post Office in crisis
Members of the CWU in the Post Office have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action following a series of announcements this year of cuts to jobs, services and staff pensions.
The union has warned that the Post Office is on the path to extinction and has said the government must now intervene to avoid strike action.
Following the 83.2% vote for industrial action, the General Secretary of the CWU Dave Ward said “staff in the Post Office face 2,000 job losses this year, the closure of their pension scheme and a strategy of slash and burn from the board of the company. The Post Office is at crisis point and the government has to step in.”
“The government separated the Post Office from Royal Mail and declared it would be safe in public hands. In reality we have seen public funding being withdrawn, falling from £210m in 2013 to £80m this year, and a complete failure from the board to grow its revenues to make up for this. Staff and customers are the ones who are paying the cost.”
“We have a very simple demand. The government has to step in, convene a summit of key stakeholders and hammer out with us and the board a strategy that will give the Post Office a future. It cannot wash its hands of this and simply stand by as a national institution goes under. Just as we have seen with Tata steel, this is another clear example of the government having no plan whatsoever to stand up for British industry.”
CWU Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Terry Pullinger said “what we are experiencing is a massive attack on one of this country’s great institutions, which is crucial to communities up and down this country, as a consequence of being left for dead by Post Office management and the Government.”
“What is needed is product imagination, investment and inspired thinking which we believe can ensure that the Post Office remains a fundamental community and national asset.
“The strength of feeling demonstrated by this ballot result should not be used as a standalone measure of our determination to lobby for a change of direction and protect the service and our loyal members because we are absolutely confident that our members have massive support from the public we serve.
“No one should underestimate our determination to ensure that this is not another British institution which is only spoken about in an historical context. It is and must remain part of this country’s future infrastructure.”
Notes
Ballot Result details
Yes – 83.2%
No – 16.8%
Turnout – 50.3%
Post Office announcements
Staff have been hit with a series of announcements from the Post Office this year:
1. 60 Crown Office branches are being franchised by the Post Office. These are the largest branches which are directly owned and managed by the Post Office. This involves closing the branch, paying existing staff to leave and high street retailers providing an alternative service in their own premises. Typically this means bringing in new staff in part-time minimum wage roles. Around 600 jobs will go from the Post Office as a result of this with millions of pounds of public money being spent on compromise agreements.
2. The Post Office is seeking approval from the Trustee of the Defined Benefit RMPP pension scheme to close it from 1st April 2016. The scheme has over 3,500 active members represented by both the CWU and (for management grades) Unite (Unite is also currently balloting its members in the Post Office on industrial action over these proposals). The scheme has a surplus of over £130m and members’ benefit entitlements were changed in 2008 and 2014 in order to provide longevity for the future.
3. The Post Office announced it will shut down half of its Supply Chain operation, which securely stores and transports cash and valuable items for the Post Office network and for other ‘external’ customers. The Post Office is withdrawing from the external market which will mean 600 job losses in its Supply Chain segment.
4. The Post Office is also cutting over 500 jobs from Network transformation roles and over 50 Financial Specialist roles from its Crown network.

[daveyeff]

according to the news. the post office are saying the turnout was only 41.5%. lies probably.

[aiden01]

according to the news. the post office are saying the turnout was only 41.5%. lies probably.

50.3% is not much better

[Martin Walsh]

Always makes me laugh that most media are happy too accept the referendum ballot on 52% yes and 48% no with roughly a third of the public not voting but when 83% vote yes in a ballot on 50% turn out during the summer leave period they say it should not count ! Touch Hypocritical me thinks !