Peace deal in Plymouth post row

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A dispute over the use of agency workers by Royal Mail in Plymouth appeared to be reaching a solution last night following several days of discussions between local CWU representatives and managers.

Spontaneous protests took place at the city's West Park and North Central delivery offices earlier this week after the business brought in several agency staff without the agreement of the union and the situation had "remained tense" for the past few days, according to local branch secretary Ralph Ferrett.

Ralph Ferrett Ralph explained that "an interim local arrangement has been agreed that agency resource will not now be used by the company without first exhausting all other in-house alternatives - such as overtime or increasing part-time workers' hours - and in that event, they will then consult with the union about the use of agency workers."

"This is an indication of the frustration our members are facing."
Bob Gibson, CWU outdoor secretary

In the longer term, there is now a joint commitment to address some of the underlying local resourcing problems and this is likely to include revisions at both units.

"Through this process, we'll be looking to increase the contractual hours of existing part-time workers in line with the national Agenda for Growth agreement," Ralph pointed out and added: "Many thanks to our members for their patience and their support in reaching a solution to a very tense situation and also to the reps for their tireless efforts."

Bob Gibson, CWU outdoor secretary, said: "This is an indication of the frustration our members are facing and it's clearly down to Royal Mail's failure to adhere to national agreements."