Motion 51-Mail Centre Rationalisation Review.

[fishtank]

No. 576/2011 Ref. L22.11 Date: 28th June 2011

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS & POSTAL DIVISIONAL REPS
For immediate circulation to all appropriate Area/Unit Representatives



Dear Colleague

Motion 51 – Postal Group Conference

Reproduced below are the terms of the above Motion which was unanimously endorsed by delegates at Annual Conference 2011. The terms of the Motion are self–explanatory and in replying to the debate I explained that I had already received submissions which had already been acted upon.

Divisional Representatives (Postal and Engineering) and Branches wishing to submit Reports or add to their previous submissions as a result of the carriage of the Motion are requested to do so. In keeping with the terms of the Motion the Reports should detail the strengths and weaknesses of the current National Agreement and identify where it could be improved.

I would be grateful if Divisional Representatives would coordinate the submissions from Branches to be forwarded to my Department by no later than Friday 15th July 2011.

I appreciate that the timescale set will be tight but now having concluded an Agreement for the London Rationalisation Programme, we can now turn our sights on the wider issue of reviewing the exiting National Agreement.

All enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed as appropriate to Phil Browne, Acting Assistant Secretary, Indoor Department quoting reference number L22.11.

Yours sincerely


PHIL BROWNE
ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY







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GENERAL ISSUES
SECTION 2E : Wednesday (10.30 – 11.55)
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If Carried 53 and 113 Fall

51 CATEGORY A: COMPOSITE MOTION

The Postal Executive is instructed to carry out an immediate review of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement.

The review will include requesting [joint] written submissions from Local/Area Reps and Divisional Officers of all areas which have losing and receiving offices where a rationalisation has been proposed.

These reports should detail both the strengths and weaknesses of the National Agreement and where representatives believe it could be improved as we take the Business Transformation forward.

Once the submissions have been received the aims of the review will be:

• Engage the employer to secure improvements to the existing agreement.
• Identify the areas of the agreement which have fallen short of CWU expectations.
• Identify areas and give clear examples where Royal Mail have “mitigated job losses in losing units in the short-term by sensible phasing of work and in the longer term by scoping work to retain where it is cost-effective and meets customer and operational needs and introduced new work”.
• Identify where Royal Mail proposals have not dealt with people issues in line with National Agreements.
• Examine quality of service and service specification results at gaining offices where a rationalisation of another Mail Centre has taken place, this in order to identify maintenance, improvement or deterioration.
• Review the statement and have a full understanding of what “maintain or improve quality of service to the customer in line with our service specification” means in its application and practice.
• Identify improvements to the Mail Centre Rationalisation Process which places more emphasis on gaining agreement with the Union on people issues prior to any transfer of work.
• Review in its entirety paragraph 6.11 of the agreement to fully satisfy the CWU that this statement is commensurate with gaining agreement rather than employer dictat.
• To determine in Mail Centre closures thus far that economies of scale have been achieved and people issues were dealt with in line with existing agreements.

This list is not exhaustive.

The review will be completed by no later than 1st August 2011. Should this date not be achieved no further agreement to any Regional Mail Centre reviews will be given until the review of this agreement is complete and communicated to Branches.

Essex Amal
Northamptonshire Amal
Anglia Divisional Committee