A message for all CWU members in the London Postcode Districts.

[POSTMAN]

A message for all CWU members in the London Postcode Districts.

You will be aware that the Union has achieved a negotiators agreement covering Pay , Pensions , Pipeline and the other issues relating to the 4 Pillars.

There are going to be briefings of the Divisional Reps , Area Reps , Branch Officials and your local reps over the next 2 weeks.

After which every office/ shift in London will have a CWU members meeting to explain the agreement and for you to ask any questions.

The London Division will also produce communications on the agreement including the impact on pay , pensions , part time increase in pay as a result of the shorter working week, if any offices have later finish times , the trials which will follow and the subsequent negotiations which will follow.

Every unit and every shift will have a CWU members meeting over the next few weeks prior to the closing of the individual members ballot over agreement.

Your Branch will make a recommendation over the agreement. However ultimately you have a vote and it up to you to decide after hearing the reasons why the agreement is worded the way it has been and hearing it from CWU negotiators point of view.

For all other CWU members who are not in London and want meetings please contact your own Branch.

In London we want to make sure those who vote on this agreement equal those who voted for the strike action in the yes vote.

Thanks you for your continued support.

A Statement by the London Divisional Committee

[hans solo]

so the brainwashing for acceptance begins

[aiden01]

so the brainwashing for acceptance begins

Don't be brainwashed then make your own decision.

[portadown]

If London says yes then that's it the rest off the uk can vote what ever way they want and never win good luck to my old buddies

[baldrick]

If London says yes then that's it the rest off the uk can vote what ever way they want and never win good luck to my old buddies

London only has a small percentage of total membership. The rest of the uk membership can easily outvote them if they want to.

[geordieboy123]

so the brainwashing for acceptance begins

I don't think this is a brainwashing exercise at all they purely want all members to be informed and given the opportunity to ask questions on the agreement, this is basic trade unionism this model should be what happens everywhere.

[Martin Walsh]

Let’s be clear , our members in London who voted by such high numbers yes deserve to have the opportunity to hear from their reps at meeting.

As someone who did over 70 members meeting during the dispute in different delivery and collections units as well as a Mail Centres , members rightly say that the CWU often hold meetings to get them to vote yes but don’t as often come back and explain the deal.

Well that is what we will be doing. Additionally we will also have been at briefings where the negotiators who have fought over each set of word know what they mean.

Additionally we now know the offices in London impacted by the pipeline move and whilst the vast majority do not move at all we have some offices who do move and they range from 3 minutes later to 30 minutes and we will be meeting with the revelant management once the agreement is accepted to try and change some of these which is in line with the agreement.

The National Briefing is today and the London units reps meetings on the 23rd February . Branch’s will than make there recommendations.

However let’s be clear if your voting no , why are voting no ?

You want to protect the DB scheme force Royal Mail to pay and extra half a billion pound per year ?

You want more pay as well

You don’t want to accept change to get a reduction in the working week ?

You don’t like future trials which will be subject to further negotiations and another vote at some stage of the membership ?

You don’t like the fact that the pipeline changes are safeguarded for a minuimn of 3 years with a cap of 15:30 and that the vast majority will not move to later finishes times and those that do joint work can occur to amend that change ?

I realise that a few become John Wayne whenever we get an agreement and for those nothing will ever be good enough.

On the pension change Royal Mail and the CWU have been lobbying hard and they genuinely believe they have the ear of the Government to become a pilot. Royal Mail have even stated they will be willing to pay for the writing up of the secondary legislation which is required.

In fact this is what Guy Opperman the Government Pension minster said :

Mr Opperman argued that since 2015, the appetite from employers and providers for CDC schemes "has not been forthcoming".

The only exception is Royal Mail, which is in talks with the Communication Workers Union to create a CDC as a way of solving its pension dispute, which the government is "watching developments with interest," Mr Opperman added.

However, this is not the view of all stakeholders.

Unite, the UK's largest trade union with more than 1.4 million members, would welcome the introduction of CDC schemes.

In its submission to the Work and Pensions committee inquiry, the union said: "We believe CDC schemes have the potential to deliver much better benefits for employees than the individual DC schemes that are becoming the norm.

[LouBarlow]

London based postmen might have a shock if they vote yes to this agreement, and it achieves some kind of parity with the rest of the country.

[Martin Walsh]

What parity ? In London we adopt a strategy to get the best out of any agreement and if we can’t we will fight for one together.

[kevbo]

Let’s be clear , our members in London who voted by such high numbers yes deserve to have the opportunity to hear from their reps at meeting.

As someone who did over 70 members meeting during the dispute in different delivery and collections units as well as a Mail Centres , members rightly say that the CWU often hold meetings to get them to vote yes but don’t as often come back and explain the deal.

Well that is what we will be doing. Additionally we will also have been at briefings where the negotiators who have fought over each set of word know what they mean.

Additionally we now know the offices in London impacted by the pipeline move and whilst the vast majority do not move at all we have some offices who do move and they range from 3 minutes later to 30 minutes and we will be meeting with the revelant management once the agreement is accepted to try and change some of these which is in line with the agreement.

The National Briefing is today and the London units reps meetings on the 23rd February . Branch’s will than make there recommendations.

However let’s be clear if your voting no , why are voting no ?

You want to protect the DB scheme force Royal Mail to pay and extra half a billion pound per year ?

You want more pay as well

You don’t want to accept change to get a reduction in the working week ?

You don’t like future trials which will be subject to further negotiations and another vote at some stage of the membership ?

You don’t like the fact that the pipeline changes are safeguarded for a minuimn of 3 years with a cap of 15:30 and that the vast majority will not move to later finishes times and those that do joint work can occur to amend that change ?

I realise that a few become John Wayne whenever we get an agreement and for those nothing will ever be good enough.

On the pension change Royal Mail and the CWU have been lobbying hard and they genuinely believe they have the ear of the Government to become a pilot. Royal Mail have even stated they will be willing to pay for the writing up of the secondary legislation which is required.

In fact this is what Guy Opperman the Government Pension minster said :

Mr Opperman argued that since 2015, the appetite from employers and providers for CDC schemes "has not been forthcoming".

The only exception is Royal Mail, which is in talks with the Communication Workers Union to create a CDC as a way of solving its pension dispute, which the government is "watching developments with interest," Mr Opperman added.

However, this is not the view of all stakeholders.

Unite, the UK's largest trade union with more than 1.4 million members, would welcome the introduction of CDC schemes.

In its submission to the Work and Pensions committee inquiry, the union said: "We believe CDC schemes have the potential to deliver much better benefits for employees than the individual DC schemes that are becoming the norm.

I think the problem for a lot of people who might reject this deal is not that they want more but they don't trust Royal Mail to honour whats in the agreement. There is too much vague language and strings attached. Take for instance the SWW. I remember last time this happened it took ages to go through with different offices getting it at different times. What's to say this won't happen again? We need something firm in writing to show what we can do if RM try to wriggle out of this one.

[Danelectro]

The negotiators who have fought over each set of word know what they mean.

Did they fight for every word like John Wayne? and BTW as we found out last November it's the judge who knows what the words mean.

For what it's worth I thought the 4Pillars campaign was spot on and Terry did a great job of fronting it and involving members at grass roots level was key with a network of apps to get the info out quickly.

Unfortunately this has now stopped and the flow of information is now being managed

Members pay their money and are entitled to whatever opinion they have on the deal.Whats disappointing a lot of members with this negotiators deal is the spin on it.It would have got far more respect if they played it straight.

Not one of the big ticket items but 4 weeks local mediation in a company rife with B&H with the strictest trade unions laws in Europe.Power of the Union? Get a grip.