Special Report: 2 TAKING THE CONSULTATIVE BALLOT FORWARD

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SECTION 2 TAKING THE CONSULTATIVE BALLOT FORWARD


The result of the Consultative Ballot is a significant boost in our fight against privatisation and unfair competition and represents a strong endorsement of the Union’s agenda to protect its members’ terms and conditions. Above all the Consultative Ballot again demonstrates that our key messages have connected with the membership.

In the coming weeks and months the Union will be committed to ongoing negotiations with the company in order to resolve all outstanding issues. Throughout these talks it is crucial that we retain our focus on the central policy questions that have been overwhelmingly supported by the membership in the Ballot. The following sets out how we intend to build on the results of the Consultative Ballot.

Privatisation – The 96% result was headline news and we will continue to remind Government and the company that their central policy has completely alienated the workforce. The result will strengthen our hand in negotiations, particularly around the need for an alternative. It will also be used as a visual image in our ongoing campaign and to get the Labour Party to embark on a serious fight against privatisation.

The Boycott – We always acknowledged the boycott was part of an overall strategy to highlight the Union’s concerns, it was always understood that at some stage we were likely to face a legal challenge. Having considered all the issues surrounding a potential injunction, which could have prevented the Union from taking legal Industrial Action on a range of issues, the CWU gave Royal Mail an undertaking that we would not call for a boycott of competitors’ mail on reliance of the Consultative Ballot result.

However, the legal undertaking also made it clear to the company that the Union would explore if there is any legal way of carrying out a future boycott as a form of Industrial Action following a properly constituted Industrial Action Ballot. The policy of exploring all legal avenues on the boycott has now been ratified by the Postal Executive.

The Union is committed to building pressure over the issue of unfair competition and we will also expose Royal Mail’s abject failure to tackle End to End competition. In recent months the company has moved from being a vocal critic, to publicly supporting Ofcom’s ‘wait and see’ approach. We want Royal Mail to explain to the workforce how they intend to protect revenue, jobs, and the pay and conditions of our members and we will invite the company to support the Union in a range of future activities focused on the actions of the Regulator.


The boycott policy has already been effective in creating a lot of publicity. As a direct result of the Union’s actions we have seen Ofcom backtracking on the damaging proposals they were contemplating from their user needs consultation. We have seen Ofcom, for the first time, layout a detailed process on what needs to happen for them to directly intervene on End to End competition. Furthermore, we have seen Ofcom publicly commit to a firmer monitoring of the ongoing situation with a major review in 2015. Now the CWU will focus on fresh strategies to tackle unfair competition. As part of this the Union will make it clear that we support workers who are being exploited in other companies by campaigning for all private Postal Operators to pay at least the living wage.

Non-Co-operation – The Union will enforce the policy of non-co-operation as set out in the Consultative Ballot on a consistent basis across every function. In applying this policy we are not asking CWU members to take Unofficial Industrial Action. What we do expect is that until we have reached an agreement on the company’s future strategy, then no local office should be supporting any further budget cuts, efficiency savings or revisions outside of the BT 2010 Programme, or any revisions or savings not covered by any existing National Agreements. As part of this policy, because of our concerns over the future parcels strategy, neither are we supporting any further mail centre/RDC rationalisation. The correct approach to implementing the policy will be via the Nationally agreed Industrial Relations Framework. The terms of a Generic Disagreement in line with National policy will be drawn up and circulated to Branches prior to the Policy Forum and this will provide further clarity on this matter. In the event that management threaten or take Executive Action, then a properly and legally constituted Ballot for local Industrial Action is the correct way to proceed.

CWU Pay Policy – The Union continues to press for a straightforward above inflation pay settlement in line with the policy supported by the membership.

RECOMMENDATION 2: That we continue to build on the central issues covered by the Consultative Ballot along the policy lines stated.