AFG AND PENSIONS AGREEMENTS : NATIONAL BALLOT RESULT

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Letter to Branches http://www.cwu.org/ltb-084/14-agenda-fo ... esult.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; <<< USE THIS LNK TO DOWNLOAD THE LTB IF YOU CAN - LESS BANDWITH FOR POSTMAN





No: 84/14

5th February 2014

To: All Branches with Postal Members


Dear Colleague

AGENDA FOR GROWTH AND PENSIONS AGREEMENTS – NATIONAL BALLOT RESULT

We are pleased to announce that CWU members have returned a resounding yes vote on both the Agenda for Growth and Pensions National Agreements.

The result of both ballots is as follows:-

Legally Binding Agenda for Growth, Stability and Long Term Success Agreement

Yes 61,963 94.5%
No 3,595 5.5%

Legally Binding Pensions Agreement

Yes 62,508 95.5%
No 2,965 4.5%

We have attached to this LTB the full result as certified by the Independent Scrutineer. We have also attached a copy of CWU’s press release.

We want to thank all CWU Branches and Representatives for the work they have done in conveying the terms of these agreements to CWU members.

We do not underestimate the challenge of deploying the agreement and there will be further communications explaining the interim arrangements that will be put in place prior to full deployment of the agreement. Please also remind our members of the pay arrangements which were communicated in LTB 58/14. (For ease of reference a copy of this is also attached).

Please ensure these results are immediately conveyed to CWU members in all workplaces.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the DGS (P) Department.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)


Ground-breaking deal confirmed by CWU with Royal Mail on pay and job protection

The Communication Workers Union today (Wednesday) welcomed a resounding ‘yes’ vote from postal workers who agreed a ground-breaking agreement with Royal Mail to significantly boost pay, provide extensive legally binding job security commitments, improve industrial stability and safeguard pensions. 

The landmark agreement was negotiated by the CWU following members’ support in an industrial action ballot and after privatisation was confirmed.

Over 94 per cent of Royal Mail employees who voted agreed to the deal, which will see pay increase by 9.06% over three years and also give workers legal protections on their terms and conditions. The single member postal ballot opened on 22nd January and concluded today (Wednesday 5th February). 

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “We are extremely pleased to secure this ground-breaking deal with Royal Mail, which postal workers have overwhelmingly voted to accept.  We have achieved extensive and unprecedented legally binding protections for employees that not only strengthen their job security but also shape the values and principles that the Royal Mail Group will operate under as a private organisation.”

“The pay deal is at the very top of the range in either the public or private sector and the commitments to legal protections and industrial stability changes the dynamic of privatisation.  The agreement bucks trends in UK employment and means Royal Mail, as a private company, cannot adopt the type of employment model and practices that are undermining workers everywhere.  Although we retain the right to strike, a fresh approach to industrial relations will help create industrial stability and new governance arrangements will increase CWU influence in the day to day running of the business.”
“This agreement commits Royal Mail to an agenda for growth, rather than managing decline. There will be no tolerance for a race to the bottom on services and jobs and we believe this agreement will set the standard for pay, employment rights and services for the rest of the postal industry.”

The agreement includes a pay deal for three years that amounts to a 9.06% compound increase over the three years to 2016.  This is broken down as:

April 2013-14 3% increase on pay and overtime rates backdated to April 1st 2013 (against a 2.9% RPI)
April 2014-15 3% increase on pay and overtime rates
April 2015-16 2.8% increase on pay and overtime rates subject to a review if RPI is 0.5% higher or lower. 
A one-off lump sum of £200 paid before Christmas 2013. 
New incentive arrangements to be introduced by April 2014.

The legal protections agreed for employees are not time limited and will be reviewed in January 2019 or if there are exceptional circumstances which threaten the very future of the business.  They provide postal workers with unique protection against the type of employment practices that are undermining workers everywhere in the UK.  The protections include the following undertakings from Royal Mail in a legal contract with the Union.

The employer will not outsource, sell or transfer any part of its business.
The employer will remain an end-to-end service provider and will not franchise out any part of its business or make any employee self-employed.
The employer will not engage any new employee on inferior terms and conditions (no two-tier workforce).
The collectively agreed terms and conditions of employees will not be worsened in any respect or changed unless amended by agreement.
The over-riding objective will be for the employer to deliver all future change without recourse to compulsory redundancy. 
The employment model will remain predominantly full time and the agreed resourcing mix will be monitored on a quarterly basis.

The agreement also includes a strategy to grow parcels, retain letters and sustain and grow the USO.  There will be new approaches to improved efficiency coupled with incentive arrangements for employees, actions to deliver cultural change and a national review of workloads and resourcing.  

It has also been agreed that both parties will create industrial stability with a re-launch of industrial relations arrangements and the introduction of mediation procedures alongside new governance arrangements.

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For more information please contact:
Sophie Kimber, Press Officer, tel: 020 8971 7267, mobile: 0779 3314249, e-mail:skimber@cwu.org
Kevin Slocombe, Head of Communications, mobile: 07714504413, e-mail:kslocombe@cwu.org
http://www.cwu.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; http://www.cwutv.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Twitter: @CWUnews


Letter to Branches







To: ALL POSTAL BRANCHES



Dear Colleague

AGENDA FOR GROWTH AGREEMENT – PROPOSED PAY ARRANGEMENTS

In the event of a yes vote in the ballot we have been discussing with the company the earliest opportunity for implementing the pay increases and back pay due.

Given that the ballot concludes on the 5th February 2014, the company has now confirmed that subject to ratification of the Agreement the following pay arrangements will be implemented:

The 3% basic pay increase flowing through to all normal allowances, scheduled attendance and overtime rates, will be introduced for weekly paid staff on the 21st February 2014. For monthly paid staff these increases will apply from the 28th February 2014.

The above mentioned increases are backdated to the 1st April 2013. All back pay due from these increases will also be paid to weekly paid staff on the 21st February 2014 and monthly paid staff on the 28th February 2014.

The additional increase to overtime rates over 10 hours is backdated to the 1st April 2013 and any back pay due from this will also be paid on the 21st February 2014 for weekly paid staff and the 28th February 2014 for monthly paid staff.

This part of the Agreement was designed to eliminate the shortfall between the hourly overtime rate over 10 hours and the national standard hourly rate for the grade. It has now been confirmed that this increase applies to all CWU Grades where this shortfall currently exists, including MGV Drivers for whom overtime rates after 8 hours until now were based on OPG rates.



The Agreement also provides for improvements in SA holiday pay in Royal Mail core operations and these increases are also backdated to the 1st April 2013. However, as these require individual calculation, payroll has advised that the arrears will take some further time to arrange and a payment date will be notified shortly.

In notifying CWU Branches, Representatives and members of these proposed payment dates, it must be remembered that these are dependent on the ratification of the Agreement in the current ballot.

Further information regarding the new pay rates will be sent out in due course.

Any enquiries on the content of this LTB should be directed to the DGS (P) Department.

Yours sincerely


Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)

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05 FEBRUARY 2014

INDEPENDENT SCRUTINEERS' REPORT OF VOTING

CWU NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE BALLOT – ROYAL MAIL GROUP
AGENDA FOR GROWTH, STABILITY AND LONG TERM SUCCESS (INCLUDING PAY) - PENSIONS

Our independent scrutineers' report of voting, for the above ballot which closed at first post
on Wednesday, 05 February 2014, is as follows:-

AGENDA FOR GROWTH, STABILITY AND LONG TERM SUCCESS (INCLUDING PAY)

QUESTION
DO YOU ENDORSE THE AGREEMENT?

RESULT OF VOTING

Number of ballot papers returned: 65,640
Number of papers found to be invalid: 82
Thus, total number of valid papers to be counted: 65,558

Number voting YES 61,963 94.5%
Number voting NO 3,595 5.5%

PENSIONS

QUESTION
DO YOU ENDORSE THE PENSIONS AGREEMENT?

RESULT OF VOTING
Number of ballot papers returned: 65,640
Number of papers found to be invalid: 167
Thus, total number of valid papers to be counted: 65,473

Number voting YES 62,508 95.5%
Number voting NO 2,965 4.5%

The ballot papers will be stored for a period of six months.

Yours sincerely,
John Gallogly
Section Manager