POL: Crown Office Pay Dispute Joint Statement

[POSTMAN]

I am pleased to be able to report that the Industrial Action which took place over the Bank Holiday weekend was as well supported as any previous Crown Office strike.

My appreciation and thanks go out to all representatives/activists who have contributed so much to this success and last, but not least, I wish to record my thanks to our members for supporting the Union's vision for higher pensionable pay for all.

It should be noted that this strike action was a significant escalation in comparison to the first nine strikes which were all part days. A strong indication of the ongoing level of support is demonstrated by the fact that 82 Crown Offices were actually closed on the Saturday prior to the Bank Holiday. This needs to be compared with the figures from the previous strikes where the highest number of closures occurred on the occasion of the first strike, Friday 29th June, which was 25. Attached to this LTB is a list of Crown Offices which were closed during the Bank Holiday strikes.

The above clearly proves that there is a significant level of support from the members for the dispute and, against this background, it is no coincidence that a meeting was held earlier this week with Alan Cook, Managing Director. During the course of this meeting, it was agreed to re-establish negotiations and the principle of a joint statement was agreed.

The following joint statement was unanimously endorsed by the Postal Executive at the meeting yesterday afternoon:


"Crown Office Pay 2007/08

Both Post Office Ltd and the CWU are fully committed to making every endeavour to establish a joint resolution to the current dispute. It is jointly acknowledged that the negotiations scheduled for the next 2 weeks will be exceptionally challenging, however there is a genuine desire and commitment to work together to resolve the dispute.

The CWU and Post Office Ltd accept that reaching agreement will entail some level of compromise and both parties are open to considering alternative and innovative ways to overcome the existing stalemate.

Against this background of positive intent, the negotiating teams will focus their efforts and concentrate on agreeing a way forward. To facilitate the negotiations whilst we are making progress, there will be a pause in the industrial action with no further strikes being called prior to Wednesday 12th September.

Alan Cook Andy Furey

Managing Director, Post Office Ltd Assistant Secretary, CWU"


In accordance with the above joint statement, negotiating meetings have been scheduled for three consecutive days next week. Whilst this is clearly a positive development, our members should still be prepared, if necessary, to take further industrial action in the event that talks break down again.



Further developments will be reported. Branches are urged to ensure that this LTB is brought to the attention of all relevant members.