COMMUNICATION ON NATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS FROM ROGER POOLE

[Martin Walsh]

I fully understand people naturally want more information about what is happening in these talks, however the process which has been agreed is that if either Royal Mail or the CWU relay any detail in what is happening within the disucssions then it will simply lead for a tit for tat response and make the negotations harder.

Acas for the first time got involved in the delivery talks today and a process for moving forward these talks have been suggusted by acas with their involvement..

Roger Poole"s statement reveals some important points , despite the lack of progress he is determind to ensure the parties keep to the timetable of reaching agreement by the end of this month.

The ground rules are important in particular the part that nothng is agreed until everything is agreed. This has caused a number of problems as in the delivery talks Royal Mail want to put Door to Door into workload but the benefit for this is being discussed in the benefit talks. The SWW is being dicussed in the benefits talks while the need for this will be disucssed in the operations discussions.This is allows for the CWU to agree issues in principle in one set of talks but to then decide whether the price is right for that change in another free from the pressure of conceding anything. Makes negotations a lot easier on what are big ticket issues for members.

With regards to the other commitments the commitment to any changes in 2010 will fully reflect the new national agreements , mean that the quarter 4 proposals due to go to offices in Janauary will protentially have to be revised by the national agreements.Plus all these regional reports which have come out including the Scottish report will not be introdced and that Royal Mail will honour the new national agreements.

Roger Poole feeds back to Brendan Barber who feeds back to the Govenment. The last thing the Government would want is more problems in the new Year. Roger Poole reputation is also at risk and he has put pressure on both parties and is determind to make this process work.

[BELIAL]

Would that be the R Poole chosen by management and agreed to by CWU negotiators? :mfo

[dvbuk55]

I don't see how joint statements at various stages is cause for a tit for tat situation.

This Poole to Barber to the Government worries me. I thought they had made it clear that this is a matter for Royal Mail and the CWU and they did not want to be involved - so exactly what input do they have. I wouldn't have thought that embarrassing this Government was of any concern to any of the interested parties - what should concern them is making sure the agreement is going to be acceptable to the membership.

[Martin Walsh]

Belial your right he was not in the unions chosen 3 but he was never rejected. its just Royal Mail
and the CWU had to choose 3 people who they would want to be the independent person. Strangely enough Royal Mail choose 3 ex trade union leaders John Edmunds , Brenda Deane and Roger Poole and the CWU choose 3 non trade union indivuduals probably says quite a bit about new Labour that.


But you could also take argue that Royal Mail at first rejected acas and the independent person altogether and sound no for ages.

[Martin Walsh]

Dvbuk joint statements do not.

However if Royal Mail publish a brief to managers and staff about what is and isnt happening in the talks maybe spin things in a way which sets hares running ie the unions agreed longer spans , door to door or later Saturdays, less mail centres then that is not explaining the whole of the disucssions and is likely to cause anger amongst the membership.

[damo]

It looks like another one involved in negotiations telling you there will be no strikes in christmas pressure.I think it is now plain for all to see that the membership have been hoodwinked by RM and CWU.Union apologists said dont worry the strike is still alive,wrong,it died the day the interim agreement was agreed.I hope for all your sakes that the agreement is a good one,but i doubt it,as i suspect so do most of you.The choice will of course be yours,accept a bad deal or go on strike in jan or feb what a choice.

[chickenwittle]

there is some serious moaners on here no matter what is going on just let them get on with it and we will find out in a couple of weeks and as for rm walking away after xmas it aint gonna happen

[mydaily]

there is some serious moaners on here no matter what is going on just let them get on with it and we will find out in a couple of weeks and as for rm walking away after xmas it aint gonna happen

when it comes to it if we don't like the agreement when it finally comes we vote against it. easy as!

[fishtank]

there is some serious moaners on here no matter what is going on just let them get on with it and we will find out in a couple of weeks and as for rm walking away after xmas it aint gonna happen

when it comes to it if we don't like the agreement when it finally comes we vote against it. easy as!

And then what?

[Ahebban]

RM have a track record of walking away from agreements when it suits .. riding rough-shod over the IR framework, imposing change and a complete disregard in respect to phase 4 of the 2007-2009 Agreement are recent examples.

I admire your confidence in RM, chickenwittle, I just hope for all our sakes it is not misplaced!

[dvbuk55]

there is some serious moaners on here no matter what is going on just let them get on with it and we will find out in a couple of weeks and as for rm walking away after xmas it aint gonna happen

when it comes to it if we don't like the agreement when it finally comes we vote against it. easy as!

And then what?

Well if we vote to accept Royal Mail will continue to use whichever part of the agreement suits their purpose and if we vote no Royaal Mail will continue to do as they please.