Eastern Region Report: National Briefing: Leeds 25th July 2023 11:00AM

National Briefing: Leeds 25th July 2023 11:00AM

Mick Kavanagh welcomed everyone to the briefing, explained the agenda and asked General Secretary to address the audience.

Dave Ward General Secretary

Dave Ward started by telling everyone that it was good to see so many of us here. Told us that HQ recognise the difficult time we’ve all been through. How draining and attritional things have been. Acknowledging that for some of us it has been too much and a lot have left.

He went on to say that we need to have a conversation about where we go next and what we do. How we get a handle on things, in the workplace and with the employer. He stated that if we don’t try to use the agreement to get a handle on things then we’d be giving up and letting Royal Mail have everything they wanted.

Said no one is pretending that the deal was great. Said it shows that Social Media an echo chamber. Members were tired of the dispute and wanted the money amongst other things. No old days coming back and this where we are is the new normal. Royal Mail are in dire financial straits. Truth is at the bitter end of the dispute, the truth is we were close to the end of Royal Mail and with it the end of our union. And we’re not out of the woods yet.

We now need to move beyond just saying no to things we don’t like. The CWU has to start coming up with solutions so that the CWU can fix the mess Royal Mail have made of things. The people at the top of Royal Mail are still the same old faces who have driven the company into the ground. They do not actually have a plan to get us out of this. Their only playbook is to do the same old things that have failed time and time again. We need to step up, we’ve now got to give our solutions. We’ve got to give support at local level like never before. 

DW started talking about the issue with the £500 how this came about. Bottom line is we don’t believe what they are saying. They initially claimed they didn’t have the money, but turned out Royal Mail finance director said not true actually problem with payroll. We threatened to withhold ballot result but came to realise that would be cutting off our nose to spite out face.

In terms of Sick Absence. Dave said call it what it is, it’s executive action pure and simple. One more meeting with the business to try and resolve this. Said in our summit meeting we raised issue of executive action and proposed solutions. Business told us that their problems were because of delayed real estate sale problems. But We’ve opened a crack for new way of doing business, Ricky MacAulay.

Said we need to look at how we re-engage branches and representatives in fixing this. Looking at how we can enable our reps to have the confidence to get back in front of our members locally. We need to get in front of members, give them answers, and give them confidence. 

Dave said that as a Union we need to start re-instate the discipline of the IR Framework. Even where Royal Mail are not interested in this. It’s understandable that this has gone down the wayside because of what we’ve all been through. We need to start getting back to us making proposals to them about how we fix things. 

He went on to say that the challenges we’re facing now would have come anyway. The unpleasant change that has been coming we were always going to have a reckoning on. We know that for some of our members the worst thing that could happen is working later and this was always going to be difficult. 

We need to use the expertise that we have in the field. Most of the Royal Mail managers literally don’t know what they are doing, how our industry works. But we do. They’ve ignored the working groups that were there to help our members and you can’t transform the industry without bringing workers with you. 

DW said RM need to start trusting their workforce to come up with solutions to make things better. Felt that the company might finally be in a place where they are prepared to actually listen to our ideas.

Went on to talk about recruitment and retention. Said the CWU has to refocus on recruiting new entrants. It’s been difficult for us because of what has been happening. Need to remember that the CWU has never agreed the new grade. It is only the CWU who will be able to deal with this. Need to use the JWG to get a hold of improving new grade terms and conditions. Labour Market going against RM and they are struggling to recruit and retain staff.

Said we’ll lose members who are against the deal. Said the CWU has to still be a voice for the 25% who voted no to the deal. They are our people and they have legitimate concerns about the change. We have to make sure that they feel we are all still a team, a Union.

To re-engage we really need to start talking about the future. Talked a lot about the future of the USO, where it goes in the future and what the risks are to our members and the Union. If we carry on with the same argument then it isn’t going to end up with just 5 days, it will actually end up being 3 days a week, or maybe not at all. Reminded us that what sets RM apart if the ownership of the doorstep. That we touch the public every day and the public trust us.

Went on to talk about a new political settlement. Talked about how the Union are working with the Metro Mayors such as Andy Burnham, they want to talk about improving local economies and using Royal Mail as a lynchpin of these approaches. Not just parcels. They are important but we need to cast our net a bit wider. 

Went on to talk about Darren Jones and the select committee. Ofcom review coming soon and we need to play some cards but it could be a double edged sword because of potential for massive fines. Could be double edged sword but we 100% cannot let their abandonment of the uso stand. 

Andy Furey

Andy started by saying that it was an opportune moment for the CWU to come together off the back of the ballot for the agreement. Said we need to remember that Unity is a Trade Union value. We are going to need to come together at all levels of the Union. Respect to those who felt differently and voted no but now we need to deliver on what has been agreed. 

Said that there will be a rocky road ahead. But that we are strong enough to deal with the problems we have. Stated that the gang of Union Busters that Simon Thompson appointed to break the Union are still in situ. We’ll see what the new CEO brings but there is going to be a bumpy road no matter what. The IR Framework is of paramount importance. We need to get back to using this as BAU. Talked about using the unilateral process. 

Talked about how the business in the dispute wanted to scrap the IR Framework, and decimate our structures. But we fought that off. CWU are aware that Royal Mail are today going to announce a new managerial structure. This is currently embargoed but will be released sometime today. Whatever they look like we need to adapt and face it up. 

Talked about 2.6.1. which talks about joint recovery and transformation boards will be set up. CWU Nationally pushing for a national one, and we need to set up the Regional boards too. They should be taking place.

Went on to talk also about how we have not agreed the new Ts & Cs for new entrants. Expect to start making progress on the JWG to enhance these terms and harmonise with the OPG grade. Said that the new agreement said that new terms are from 1st December. Therefore if someone joined on new terms before 1st December, then we need to push them getting put onto OPG terms. Similarly anyone employed before 1st of December remain on OPG terms if they change hours or transfer between offices. If Royal Mail try it on then use IR Framework and Grievance procedure.

Talked about recruitment. We only actually recruited about 15% of the 2400 people who’ve joined Royal Mail since the start of the year. 700 people starting this week and another 500 people next week. Huge recruitment and they are expecting around 6500 new entrants in 2023 by the end of the year. We need to get boots on the ground recruiting, retaining and organising the new entrants. They only way we’ll be able to get their terms up is to recruit them into the Union. 

He went on to say about 2.4 of the agreement about improving relations. Thanked everyone for their contributions in the dispute. We have to come together and deliver for our members.

Keving Beazer SW Regional Secretary paid tribute to Ben Watts who is leaving Royal Mail and CWU. Said that Ben wanted it to be said that this isn’t about doom spirals. Ben wanted it said that he still believed in the CWU as one of the best Trade Unions in the country. Said we cannot descend into finger pointing. We have to come together and rebuilt. In their Branch, and in the wider Union.

Dave Ward came back on the questions. Said that in respect of the £500 Union had difficult choices. Truth is we haven’t given up on getting the £500 sooner but it is difficult about raising expectations if that ends up not being possible. Said he understands the anger and frustration about it. CWU HQ were gutted when we heard. However he accepts the criticism about this. Talked about the issue in the Essex Amal with a particular office in their branch were CWU properly attacked in one of the worst ways in whole dispute. 

Andy Furey gave update on RM re-organisation. Rob Jenson leaving business august. Simon Scott new delivery director. Extra RODs, and RODs also taking on Mail Centres. Will be more OPLs and will be a North ad South field directors.RODs will no longer be direct reports to Grant McPherson.

Immediate Priorities 

Sick Absence Carl Maden.

Carl said where we are ATM the immediate priority is to pull business back from their executive action. Two days after agreement they announced something far beyond what was in the BRTG on sick. Said they’d been meeting with Royal Mail and were hoping to make progress in that JWG. But Royal Mail hadn’t even done the normal thing of sharing their comms. 

They announced that they were re-writing the attendance agreement. The BRTG did say about new standards AND welcome back meeting changed. What is not in that agreement is for example automatic issues. CWU wrote to them and told them that they are going further. The people doing this are the “Our business to run”. Another meeting planned this week but business playing so loose with what is agreed. CWU determined to get the JWG up and running. Talked about the IHR process and a suspicion that business deliberately dragging feet to save money on new terms. Must get members at risk of this to get grievances in prior to the 1stAugust. Talked about fleet (that part of agreement went down) currently consulting with the field. 

Mark Baulch QOS Checklist

Mark started by talking briefings in August. Said the we really need to start getting into the nuts and bolts of us using the agreement. We need to start proposing solutions. Said that the department has contacted the Div Reps about volunteers for working groups and that there will be a lot of work in the field on. 

Royal Mail are back to just having very simple core 5 day 1 in 6 Saturday duties. We do not want to move into that direction. Need to have menu of options still. Went on to touch on the USO. Said that department is starting to look at what a USO sans Saturday would look like for jobs in deliveries. Said we want to be proactive about that discussion and debate. 

On the later starts we need to get into the detail on this. Looking to set up the Mail Centre joint working groups in the next few weeks. Said we’ve put a document to company on a approach to the joint validation exercise on WIPWH. Crickets from business. Talked about how Rob Jenson leaving has left a void, and this has meant there has been a lull. CWU has forcefully put across that we need a more switched on response. It s useful that Simon Scott will actually be the delivery director, and has the authority, but he is a very difficult character. 

Business have suspended their expansion into the Sunday product because of lack of funds, but they always seem to have money available for loads more tiers of management. Problem is they aren’t prepared to invest to build the new product.

Just shared the outputs of the Joint Checklist, said we need to get on the front foot on the action plan. Said that we shouldn’t be moving forward with revisions in units that cannot meet the USO at present. Problems with the way the business are presenting targets. The data doesn’t fit, and CWU have asked them to present data in a way that is more comprehensible. Massive growth in the number of revisions that they say are needed has gone up by hundreds. Said that local productivity validation needs to move forward.

Davie Robertson Mail Centres and PFWW.

Started by talking about the tensions in the agreement between supporters an opponents of agreement. Talked about how no peace treaty because the people attacking us are still in situ and still attacking us. 

Said that for Indoor the QoS checklist is about trying to undo the damage from the Executive Action realignments, which we’ve tried to do. But business no playing ball or fair. On the Supernumeraries the business are trying to ignore the local disagreements. This is to get around the Status Quo provisions. Said it isn’t true. We can 100% put in disagreements on all the stuff around shifts etc. We need to get these in.

In regards to the Supernumeraries issue this was caused by Royal Mail. They did it by executive action. It doesn’t work. They wrote to members saying they’ll change their shifts but they could remain on something similar or be supernumeraries. What RM are doing is in clear breach of the MTSF. Have now escalated it for some time. Since the 25thMay, RM took exception to language. Re wrote and sent in on 6th June and RM have ignored. Carrying on regardless totally ignoring CWU looking to just manage people out of the business. We are as a National Union thinking about do we start pushing Rule 13 ballots for mail centres with this issue. Talked about getting the cross functional working groups on start times network window based on mail centres very soon. Closure agreement for the air hubs coming out of network. Business bringing forward proposals on Channel islands, Isle of Mann, Scottish Isles as new business. 

Said there won’t be a Network Review this calendar year. Currently in discussions around the roll out of PAD. 

In respect of PFWW wanted to touch in the major things that were happening in PFWW. They originally wanted to close, shrink PFWW or move to gig economy model. Load of revisions have been deployed that just aren’t any good. CWU had warned them of the failings. We need to be fleet footed and have good ideas to keep them engaged with us.

Answers to Questions

Mark Baulch started by saying he agreed that the business approach to CSPs is crazy. Obviously during Covid there was some logic to restrictions. CWU couldn’t oppose this but said they had real problem getting the hours back. 

Simon Thompson felt that the 40 Million a year that the business spent on CSPs annually wasn’t value for money. Mark said they are dead wrong and that if we are serious about improving our wider offer to public, growing the business etc, it is mad to close the Royal Mail shop front to the public. 

In the dispute they also tried to close CSPs outright but they were pushed back because of the public outcry. They are therefore trying to get their goals by stealth de facto closing the network with these changes. Can’t get deal on it because the business won’t negotiate in any way.   

MB talked about on QOS checklist. Backed up Ralph Ferrett’spoint about how this is an in for us to challenge the revisions. Promised that CWU HQ would back branches on disagreements, national intervention and rule 13 ballots.

Davie Robertson came in and explained the differences between the Supernumeraries and surpluses. Talked about Royal Mail not playing ball and by the back door trying to destroy the MTSF. The problems are massive and it is crucial for the CWU to get handle on this. Maybe biggest single issue facing the CWU.

Talked about how QOS was going down in Mail Centres, wanted to see a big expansion in Branches using disagreements.

In PFWW he said the big problem is that management basically saying all problems in the business unit is caused entirely by our members being lazy. They had a vision that all new employees will be owner drivers. We fought this off but the problem is the same managers are still in place. People who don’t understand the industry and don’t have a scrap of empathy for us. Talked about how with PFWW losing money it is only a matter of time before they come back with a closure or gig economy model. If it comes to PFWW it will come to Royal Mail.

Carl Maden talked about how the 7 days is one of the things that the business is taking legal advice. Feel that it can’t be right what business are doing here given that they have put standards in writing. Talked about the equality structure. Talked about how way HQ know about the anger in the field, says HQ shares this and is pushing it at Royal Mail al the time. Said about how members only come to the Union when things have gone wrong. 

He is upset that we can’t get an agreement. Said we have told the business that they will fight the sick proposals with every tool available to them. Talked about the armies of HR people in Royal Mail who are completely unaccountable. 

Lord Falconer Review

Started by saying it is an absolute disgrace what has happened with the two NAP decision outcomes. Basically the company is trying to add a compulsory transfer to the NAP decision results. Raised this issue in front of Lord Falconer. 

Talked about how business trying to get LF to chuck out 47 cases that Royal Mail claim aren’t actually dispute related. Talked about the cost of LF review. We think it might be possible that Royal Mail might be open to negotiations as they would like to avoid cost. They want to be in a position to communicate directly with the people in the Faulkner review. Will look to keep Union updated as far as possible.