UPDATE ON GOVERNMENT MEETING ON ROYAL MAIL & NEXT STEPS IN CWU CAMPAIGN
GOVERNMENT MEETING
The three-way meeting the CWU called for took place this week between the Government, the owners/CEO of the company and the union.
The meeting covered the following issues:
Quality of Service
The Secretary of State for BIST, Johnny Reynolds, made it abundantly clear to Royal Mail that the government expected the company to take whatever steps are necessary to significantly improve quality of service and that this would be under continuous review.
The Secretary of State also asked for a commitment from Royal Mail and CWU that we would work together to resolve these issues. The company and CWU both gave that commitment. However, we pointed out that ultimately quality of service cannot be fully restored unless resourcing issues are stabilised and the owners of the company honour the agreement they made to equalise new entrant’s terms and conditions.
We also pointed out that the recent joint statement to fix DM26 failures and increase resources and support for our members throughout the peak period – was ultimately dependent on the company delivering on the statement they agreed and allowing local solutions to determine the extra resources required. We raised these concerns because of Royal Mail’s track record in making promises that are not subsequently delivered.
Review of EP Groups agreements with CWU and Government
The union made clear it was time to review the agreements that EP reached following their takeover of Royal Mail with both the government and CWU. We told the Secretary of State that we did not believe that the owners were complying with these agreements and that the leadership of Royal Mail had never really been supportive of what had been agreed with the union. The owners and CEO disputed these views. The Secretary of State then informed both parties they should set out their views in writing to the government so that the facts could be established. The union welcomed this development.
Concerns on the role of Ofcom and the need for a level playing field
The company and CWU were aligned in welcoming the government’s recent announcement and consultation on ending bogus self-employment. The government also welcomed both parties commitment to making submissions to the next stage of the consultation process.
Both Royal Mail and CWU were also aligned in raising major concerns over the role of Ofcom, its regulatory framework and the ongoing negative impact this has had on the past and future of the company. It is important for branches to note that Royal Mail went as far as saying that they could not fix the business without government intervention on these matters. The Secretary of State committed to further discussions on these issues.
A framework for ongoing discussions
The main outcome of the meeting was that it was agreed, in line with a commitment from the previous Secretary of State, that a framework for ongoing discussions would now be
developed and the union raised as part of the next steps the need to review the current financial position of the business and the financial elements of the government’s agreement with the owner.
The union also took the opportunity during the meeting to set out our views on the need for an entirely new vision and business model for the future of Royal Mail and stated we would be campaigning for this.
We will provide further updates on our involvement with the government and politicians on all issues associated with Royal Mail as the situation develops.
CWU CAMPAIGN ON THE FUTURE OF THE ROYAL MAIL GROUP – NEXT STEPS
Following our successful recent briefing, the union will be taking the approach set out below as our immediate next steps of the campaign.
- We will be holding an online Local Reps briefing on Thursday 12th November and further details on this will be sent out on Monday. It is very important that branches share the national briefing positioning paper with all local reps prior to this meeting. We also want branches, divisional and area reps to attend the local reps meeting which will cover the full content of the positioning paper.
- We are developing the campaign structure and the role that we will be asking our representatives to play and will share this with you within the next couple of weeks.
- We will be launching an all-party parliamentary group on postal services in the near future. Alongside this we are talking to a significant number of politicians who have already shown their full support in developing an alternative vision on the future of Royal Mail.
- We will also be sending out further membership communications.
DELIVERING THE NATIONAL JOINT STATEMENT AT LOCAL LEVEL
It is important that all branches immediately put into practice the office tracker set out in the national briefing positioning paper to deliver the national joint statement – improving quality of service – fixing DM26 failures – providing additional support and resources for our members throughout the peak period. Where the company are not honouring this statement, this must be flagged and disagreements recorded. We will be asking Divisional Reps to monitor progress on this and it will be the subject of a further report at next week’s local briefing.
POLICY FORUM EARLY 2027
The Joint Statement commits both Royal Mail and the CWU to agreeing a new future delivery model by Summer 2027, with the key principles to be agreed by 31 March 2027. The new model will address the continued growth in parcels, including increasing volumes, tracked products, and doorstep transactions, ensuring that workloads on the core delivery are both achievable and manageable.
The model will also review and reduce the overreliance on data-driven conversations that too often place unnecessary pressure on frontline delivery employees.
The findings of the independent fatigue study into deliveries, including the impact of working in extreme weather conditions, will play a key role in shaping the new delivery model. In addition, we will hold a series of listening sessions with members to ensure their views and experiences help inform its development.
Alongside this work, the Policy Forum will focus on developing a One Parcel Strategy, including securing a sustainable future for employees currently working in Parcelforce. This will be supported by major work to tackle and reverse the levels of casualisation in Mail Centres, Parcel Hubs, and Distribution Centres.
Any enquiries on the CWU Campaign should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office, Dawn Lynch on dlynch@cwu.org. Any enquiries on the National Joint Statement and DM26 should be addressed to the Postal Department, Hayley Ford on hford@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward
General Secretary
Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
LTB 308/26 – UPDATE ON GOVERNMENT MEETING ON ROYAL MAIL AND NEXT STEPS IN CWU CAMPAIGN
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