Terry Pullinger writes to Royal Mail Group CEO on Pay

Terry Pullinger writes to Royal Mail Group CEO on Pay.

RMG PAY AWARD 2022

I am writing to you in regard to the above with a deep frustration and a growing sense of injustice which I believe is shared by all CWU members. This is an open letter because the silence of the Board on this issue is deafening.

I wrote to Zareena Brown, Chief People Officer, on 24th February 2022. The thrust of that pay claim letter was crystal clear – to genuinely reward CWU members for all that they have done during unprecedented times and also to get in front of and protect them from the current cost of living crisis. I appreciate that we have spoken since then where I have repeated that message and urged an early response.

I have been involved in pay negotiations for many years and therefore know that the RMG Board has to clear a pay remit for you to make an offer. As far as we are concerned the RMG Board has had plenty of time to do this and yet have failed to do so.

The RMG Board’s failure to do that is quite frankly hugely disrespectful to a workforce that have surpassed themselves as key workers during the pandemic, and have served with distinction.

The trust agenda is a fundamental strand to our cultural change agenda, it is all about emotional intelligence, empathy, real connection and understanding of the needs of our brilliant workforce working at the ‘coal face’ as it were. The Board’s behaviour in this regard is extremely damaging to that agenda.

The perception and the reality is that shareholders are more important than the business’s greatest asset and ambassadors – its workforce.

CWU members played a crucial role in helping maintain the mental health of UK citizens by keeping them connected and delivering letters, packets and parcels throughout the pandemic lockdowns.

CWU members played a crucial role in maintaining the health of UK citizens and controlling the spread of the pandemic by delivering and collecting test kits.

CWU members delivered the very financial turnaround that allowed the Board to rush to afford shareholders a return and bonus worth £400 million. Yet when it comes to our members they are dragging their heels. Our members are battling the cost of living crisis now, they need and deserve a cost of living matching pay rise now.

We absolutely believe that there is a debt of honour owed to our members, they have stepped up for the last two years and now it is time for the Board to step up. Our claim is just and we are determined to ensure our members get justice in this regard.

In closing I urge you to make us a serious offer now which demonstrates that you respect all of the above and that you genuinely have pride for what our members have done.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)