POST OFFICE: PAY NEGOTIATIONS – JOINT STATEMENT

POST OFFICE: PAY NEGOTIATIONS – JOINT STATEMENT

Further to LTB 576/20 dated 30th November, the following Joint Statement regarding Post Office pay negotiations has been published:

JOINT STATEMENT POST OFFICE AND CWU
Pay Negotiations

We are pleased to be able to advise you that a constructive meeting was held between the two negotiating teams earlier today.

We are conscious that everyone has been very patient and we are obviously in extraordinary times which has hindered progress. As a consequence, we have now agreed it makes sense to extend the negotiating process to include pay for 2021/22.

Our new focus means we will be seeking to conclude a two year agreement up to 31st March 2022. We hope you will acknowledge this new emphasis is designed to provide certainty for 2021/22 pay.

Neither party is underestimating the scale and complexity of the task we have set ourselves. To facilitate these negotiations, both parties have agreed to the principle of an intensive timetable of talks and we have also agreed a cut-off date of the end of February 2021 to conclude an agreement, although we would prefer to finalise this earlier if possible.

We remain hopeful we can jointly deliver a good solution and would wish to thank everyone for their efforts during these unprecedented times. Once again your patience is appreciated.

Lee Kelly                                                                                  Andy Furey
Employee Relations and Policy Director                         Assistant Secretary, CWU

It should be noted that the principle of seeking to conclude a two year agreement was instigated by the Union given that we would normally lodge our pay claim in February each year prior to the 1st April pay date. As the next pay review date is only a few months away, it made sense to incorporate next year’s pay into these negotiations, giving our members a degree of certainty and stability in terms of their pay, terms and conditions.

Earlier today a meeting was held with our Post Office Representatives and following an extremely positive conversation, all of them confirmed they are fully supportive of seeking a two year pay agreement.

Clearly the outcome of yesterday’s meeting was positive. Both parties will now be making pay a priority and a series of meetings will be scheduled over the course of the next few weeks.

Branches and Representatives are urged to bring this LTB and associated Joint Statement to the attention of our Post Office members.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 592/20 -Post Office – Pay Negotiations – Joint Statement