POST OFFICE: PAY DISPUTE 2021/22 & 2022/23 – NOTICE SERVED FOR STRIKE ACTION (CROWNS/ADMIN) & ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE (SUPPLY CHAIN)
Branches are advised the Postal Executive has today authorised strike action and action short of a strike for our Post Office members. The two-week legal notification has been served on Post Office today as follows:
Crowns & Admin – Strike Action
48 hours’ strike action commencing at or after 06.00 on Monday 12th December 2022 and before 20.00 on Tuesday 13th December 2022.
Supply Chain – Action Short of a Strike
Overtime and Scheduled Attendance ban for two weeks from Midnight on Monday 12th December until 23.59 on Saturday 24th December
The Union remains available for negotiations, either directly with Post Office or via Acas. Hopefully Post Office will agree to meaningful negotiations, which is evidently required to resolve this dispute.
It should be noted that the action described above has been discussed with our full-time IR Reps who fully support the strategy.
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
As part of our ongoing commitment to report annual proportionality data, the Equality, Education and Development department has produced the attached 2022 proportionality report for branch’s attention. Unlike previous reports, we are excited to announce that this year’s data includes the diversity make up for all CWU positions at branch, regional and national level.
In addition, for the very first time we have begun reporting on membership and activism rates for CWU members who identify as having a disability, as such this report sets out the make-up of our activist base, specifically looking at sex, ethnic background, age and disability.
The information used in the attached report has been gathered from the On-Line Service (OLS) membership database and is a sample taken from the period of March/April 2022. Any data illustrating 2021 figures were gathered in November 2021.
During the last data gathering process, 90% of branches updated their branch activism data, as such the data used is the most accurate available but cannot claim to be one hundred per cent accurate or complete.
The next full data report will be produced in early 2023, prior to CWU Annual Conference.
Any queries on this LTB should be directed to equality&education@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
Kate Hudson Head of Equality, Education & Development
🚨 BREAKING: CWU make further attempt to resolve ongoing Royal Mail Group with offer of urgent negotiations.
The ball is firmly in the court of Royal Mail Group CEO, Simon Thompson.
Please share the letter below as far and wide as possible.
…….
Dear Simon
As you know your proposed agreement has been unanimously rejected by the union’s Postal Executive.
The number of job losses associated with your plans for the future are completely unacceptable and represent the biggest assault on any group of UK workers in decades.
Only 18 months ago your employees and our members were praised as key workers that kept the country and the company going during the pandemic. It is outrageous that you now want to force through mass job losses, including compulsory redundancies, as part of what can only be described as an asset stripping plan.
It is also totally immoral and potentially illegal, for you and the Board to implement these proposals by choosing to simultaneously recruit unlimited numbers of self- employed drivers and new entrants on significantly inferior pay, terms and conditions, rather than retaining loyal and hardworking Royal Mail employees who still want a job.
There is no union or worker in the country that would accept this position.
Your proposals will also lead to the destruction of a 500-hundred-year old public service and the end of the Royal Mail brand as we know it. Imposing up to 3 hour later starts means you are abandoning the a.m. delivery period, forever denying the opportunity to develop new products and services. This amounts to the company deliberately running down customer services and turning Royal Mail into just another gig economy employer.
On pay, you keep claiming that what you are offering is worth 9%, you know this is not true and our members have seen right through it.
It is now incumbent upon you to re-engage in intensive negotiations with the union to resolve this dispute – this is what your employees, our members and the public expect of the CEO. Nothing else can be more important. This means you personally investing the time required to reach agreement. No more picking and choosing when you attend the negotiations.
The CWU remains committed to a negotiated settlement and will make ourselves available for talks later today and on Monday and Tuesday.
During our ACAS talks, the union put forward an alternative plan for the future, which you and your team acknowledged had a lot of merit. It was also stated by your team that the RMG Board had a similar view. We now want to put our plan in front of the RMG Board and I will be writing separately to the Chair Keith Williams and all Board members on this.
In the meantime, let’s talk later today and make ourselves available as soon as possible for further direct negotiations or talks facilitated by ACAS.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward General Secretary
CC: Marina Glasgow, Keith Williams and Stuart McDonald
2022 Dispute Relating to Royal Mail Group Breaking the “Pathway to Change” and Associated National Agreements and Protections for CWU Represented Grades Employed by Royal Mail Group Consisting of Royal Mail, Parcelforce and Fleet
Branches and Representatives will know that negotiations have been continuing with Royal Mail Group on our disputes. Having rejected the latest offer as not meeting the aspirations of our members and in order to keep the pressure on it was important that the union today served the statutory notice of discontinuous strike action to RMG.
The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Friday 9th December 2022 and before 04:00 on Saturday 10th December 2022. The industrial action will be discontinuous.
The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 00:01 on Sunday 11th December 2022 and before 20:00 on Sunday 11th December 2022. The industrial action will be discontinuous.
Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.
Yours sincerely,
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Royal Mail Area Representative & Royal Mail Area Representative Substitute Elections – 2022
Branches will be aware that the Senior Deputy General Secretary is required to publish a standard election timetable for the RM Area Rep/Substitute positions. The timetable applies to positions that cover more than one branch area, i.e. those RM Area Rep elections, which are currently organised by the Regional Secretary. Accordingly the timetable for the 2022 RM Area Rep elections is as follows:
Nominations Open: 25th November 2022
Nominations Close: 16th December 2022 (3-week nomination period)
In line with the above policy, I have asked Regional Secretaries to co-ordinate these elections and to contact branches and advise them of the arrangements for the positions which are subject to election within their respective areas.
Branches are reminded that candidates must have received the nomination of their own branch and if ballots are required, we will advise the respective branches of the ballot timetable in due course.
Branches should also note that any ballots will be conducted on an individual member basis of those members eligible to vote and that the costs incurred for the ballots would have to be met from the relevant Branch(s) funds. The Regional Secretary will discuss the detail of this with the Branches.
Due to the current unprecedented circumstances in relation to the National Industrial Action taking place throughout the Union, Branches should note that any ballots for these elections that occur may be deferred until the New Year.
Also, please note that it has been agreed that any candidates taking part in a ballot will be entitled to submit the following biographical and election information:
Biographical Details up to a maximum of 100 words.
An Election Statement of no more than 300 words.
Please note that the biographical details and election address will need to be provided to the respective Regional Secretary by the close of nominations on 16th December 2022. Any information received after this date will not be included with the ballot information.
In addition, any elections will be conducted in line with the attached Guidelines and I would also take this opportunity to remind branches and candidates that they have a responsibility to treat fellow candidates with respect and they must ensure that no election material is published that could be deemed as either offensive or abusive.
Please note that elections for Area Representatives that fall wholly within one Branch boundary are the responsibility of the Branch, however if required, assistance can be sought from the Regional Secretary regarding these elections.
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
Election of CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conferences 2023
Please find attached the Regulations, Nomination Forms, and Candidate Consent and Biographical Details Form for the above conferences. The details of which are as follows:
TUC Women’s Conference
Date: 8th – 10th March 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
TUC Disabled Workers Conference
Date: TBC
Venue: TBC
TUC Black Workers Conference
Date: 21st – 23rd April 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
TUC LGBT+ Workers Conference
Date: 29th – 30th June 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
The Timetable for the elections is as follows:
Nominations open: 24 November 2022
Nominations close: 8 December 2022 (14:00)
Dispatch ballot papers from: 10 December 2022
Ballot closes: 22 December 2022 (14:00)
Reminders:
All candidates for election to the TUC Women’s Conference must be women.
All candidates require the nomination of their own Branch.
Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
Election of CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conferences 2023
Please find attached the Regulations, Nomination Forms, and Candidate Consent and Biographical Details Form for the above conferences. The details of which are as follows:
TUC Women’s Conference
Date: 8th – 10th March 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
TUC Disabled Workers Conference
Date: TBC
Venue: TBC
TUC Black Workers Conference
Date: 21st – 23rd April 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
TUC LGBT+ Workers Conference
Date: 29th – 30th June 2023
Venue: TUC Congress House, London
The Timetable for the elections is as follows:
Nominations open: 24 November 2022
Nominations close: 8 December 2022 (14:00)
Dispatch ballot papers from: 10 December 2022
Ballot closes: 22 December 2022 (14:00)
Reminders:
All candidates for election to the TUC Women’s Conference must be women.
All candidates require the nomination of their own Branch.
Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
We have this morning met with Royal Mail Group. CEO Simon Thompson did not attend the meeting.
We put a further offer to the company yesterday aimed at settling the dispute. Royal Mail have rejected this approach.
They have presented their proposals as a final ‘take it or leave it’ offer and the Postal Executive have just met and unanimously voted to reject their offer.
We will hold a CWU live event tonight at 7:30 pm and we want the whole union online. We will set out exactly why Royal Mail’s offer will destroy our members’ jobs, terms and conditions and the service, as we know it.
This is the most serious situation that has ever faced postal workers. We are facing compulsory redundancies and thousands more job losses than what the company will admit to. It will also result in later starts, total flexibility, Royal Mail being turned into a gig economy employer and the end of Royal Mail as a public service.
Make no mistake; this attack directly impacts every single member, workplace and function in the Royal Mail Group.
The job of all is us is to deliver the biggest ever support for strike action.
We will also hold a session with our Senior Field Officials, Branch Secretaries, Area Reps and equivalents at 5.00 p.m. todayon the following link:
The strikes are on why would we call off the strikes to put an offer to you which is totally unacceptable.
The new Royal Mail fell short in so many areas :
No back pay and it is still 7% on pay and 2% on a lump sum based on a successful revision.
2.,The CWU had to sign up to all the jobs losses and all the change program some of which we fundamentally disagree with. This includes no disagreement at local level. The offer of no compulsory redundancies is for 5 months.
The pay offer is conditional on all the changes listed.
Unlimited owner drivers now with a first phase up to 1000 but with no cap who would do Royal Mail larger format 3&4 parcels.
Annualised hour trial will include scan in scan out linked to what your paid by payroll
Later start time of last delivery 17:00 and closing 4 Royal a mail air hub depots.
SSP still on first 3 days of any second or more absence.
RRIS which over 30 thousand of members will be removed in three phases meaning these members will lose from £5 to £35 per week. So they will be receiving a pay cut.
All larger parcels to the 346 depots will be delivered later with almost immediate effect.
Alternative indoor preparation methods with trials which willl conclude by January 2022 which will mean potentially frameless offices and then a review of attendance patterns.
The use of new technology to introduce individual performance standards and the words in the draft agreement state key data points that impact business performance will be made more visible and help individuals see how their daily work underpins both unit and unit and company performance. This will provide an opportunity for self initiated improvement whilst making it easier to tailor training and guidance for those falling short of standards set.
We have this morning met with Royal Mail Group. CEO Simon Thompson did not attend the meeting.
We put a further offer to the company yesterday aimed at settling the dispute. Royal Mail have rejected this approach.
They have presented their proposals as a final ‘take it or leave it’ offer and the Postal Executive have just met and unanimously voted to reject their offer.
We will hold a CWU live event tonight at 7:30pm and we want the whole union online. We will set out exactly why Royal Mail’s offer will destroy your jobs, terms and conditions and the service as we know it.
This is the most serious situation that has ever faced postal workers. We are facing compulsory redundancies and thousands more job losses than what the company will admit to. It will also result in later starts, total flexibility, Royal Mail being turned into a gig economy employer and the end of the public service as we know it.
Make no mistake, this attack directly impacts every single member, workplace and function in The Royal Mail Group.
The job of all is us is to deliver the biggest ever support for strike action.
See you at 7:30pm.
Dave Ward General Secretary
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
