Postal conference agrees motion on Royal Mail

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Postal conference has this afternoon voted through emergency motion 3 that deals with issues in Royal Mail, the prospects of privatisation and the seperation of Post of Ltd.

Read emergency motion 3 in full.


If carried 35, 36, 37, 54, 108 and 111 Fall

This Postal Group Conference agrees that the recent actions of the Royal Mail Group and the prospect of privatisation and separation of Post Office Limited are not in the interests of CWU members, customers or the future of the UK postal industry.

There are clear parallels between the introduction of a new Business Plan that downgrades the future expectations of the company, announcements on Colleagueshare and the Governments privatisation and separation agenda. These developments are at odds with the agreed shared vision of modernisation, the agreed approach to Business Transformation and other existing National Agreements.

The Company’s actions threaten existing job security commitments and raise the very real prospect of compulsory redundancies.

The company’s actions and their open support for privatisation and separation has destroyed trust and confidence in the commitments to build a new relationship and develop a culture of mutual interest.

This conference recognises that the published PEC Policy which set out the Unions position in response to Royal Mail’s actions has not resolved the situation by the April deadline. The PEC received a full report on this situation at its meeting on the 11th May 2011. Furthermore given the imminent and likely Royal assent of the Postal Services Bill, tensions will be heightened and the legitimate industrial concerns that potential privatisation will have on CWU members jobs, terms and conditions will come to the fore. As the owner of the company we recognise the Government will have had a direct input into the new Business Plan and decisions on Colleagueshare.

Given the aforementioned developments the CWU will continue to oppose privatisation beyond the end of the parliamentary process and must now seek urgent negotiations and agreements with Royal Mail and where appropriate the Government covering the following:

Agreements to secure the Unions policy as set out in PEC Doc 52/11 (response to Royal Mail’s Business Plan and Colleagueshare announcements) published to branches at the National Briefing.

Agreements to extend and strengthen job security commitments with the absolute need to avoid compulsory redundancies in light of the new Business Plan and Governments privatisation agenda.

An agreed joint action plan to get all Business Transformation revisions back on track. Central to this and in line with the agreement is the need to finally ensure a fair and manageable workload for all employees. This means an end to the unacceptable managerial pressures being placed on our members on a daily basis. Instead offices must be run on the basis of agreed local and nationally co-ordinated resourcing and manpower planning.

Confirmation that our shared vision of modernisation is still at the core of all company and Government plans.

Confirmation that Royal Mail will remain the sole provider of the USO within the UK and that Royal Mail will continue to operate as an end to end service provider with no further break up or sale of the individual Businesses or functions within the group.

Agreement that there will be no casualisation of the workforce and that the delivery model set out in the National Agreement will continue to be supported throughout the duration of the new Business Plan.

Agreement that in addition to the Government taking on the historical pension deficit, CWU members pension entitlements will be fully protected including the use of RPI as the measure of uprating pensions.

In order to create a culture of mutual interest we need to reach agreement on a new form of governance including consideration of the principles of industrial democracy. This means ending the continuing command and control managerial culture that has been a constant obstacle to progress.

In order to pursue this policy the Union will take whatever steps are necessary up to and including National Industrial Action for all CWU members within the Postal Group.

Prior to any Industrial Action ballot the Union will immediately embark on a major consultation and communications exercise with all CWU members.

Postal Executive Committee