POST OFFICE: PAY DISPUTE 2021/22 & 2022/23 – NOTICE SERVED FOR ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE CROWN OFFICES AND ADMIN UNITS
Branches are advised the Postal Executive has authorised action short of a strike for all of our Post Office members working in Crown Offices and Admin Units. The two-week legal notification has been served on Post Office today as follows:
Industrial action consisting of action short of a strike (specifically a sales boycott in Crown Offices and work to rule in Crown Offices and Admin Units) as follows:
The sales boycott and work to rule will cover all Crown Office (DMBs) and Admin Unit duties (for the entire duration of the scheduled duty) commencing at or after 07.00 on Thursday 29th December 2022 and before 19.00 on Saturday 14thJanuary 2023 inclusive.
Summary of all strike action/action short of a strike for PO members
We have now served notice for the following:
Strike Action
Crowns – Saturday 24th December
All members across Admin, Crowns and Supply Chain – Wednesday 28th December.
Action Short of a Strike
Overtime and Scheduled Attendance ban across Supply Chain from Monday 26th December until Sunday 15th January inclusive.
Sales Boycott in Crowns and Work to Rule in Crowns & Admin – from Thursday 29th December until Saturday 14th January inclusive
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Royal Mail Group Disputes 2022 – ‘Grounds of Complaint’ for Individual Claims against the company due to Unlawful Deduction of Sick Pay
The department have received enquiries from Representatives, Branches and Members about what seems to be a vindictive policy from Royal Mail to stop sick pay for any members who have been / are taking strike action.
The reports we have received have included members who have been stopped sick pay for many instances including, preparing for operations as requested by their hospital / surgeon, being sick with an asthma attack, members who are sick with COVID, some have even stated they have had to come to work with COVID as they were threatened by their manager, members who have had accidents on duty, plus people who were already off on sick leave who have had the whole absence deducted.
We have made representation to Royal Mail and have been told there is no central policy, however, there seem to be too many cases for there not to be some sort of coordination.
Royal Mail did put out a communication yesterday stating the normal sick pay rules apply. However, if this was the position previously, we don’t understand why some managers have gone to the lengths they have to stop sick pay and therefore don’t believe this will cease.
The actions of Royal Mail are also breaking their own guidelines. They produced a document – Managing IA People Guidelines. Within this document it states: –
“We want to treat everyone fairly, so if you’re in any doubt, please take further advice before acting.”
“Of course, we must make sure we pay everyone who comes to work, is on a rest day, on holiday or off sick.”
“Normal procedures apply. For those employees already on self-certificated or medical certificated sick absence, it should be regarded as continuing absence.”
“If an employee is already on certificated sick absence on the first day of industrial action such absence should be regarded as continuing until the final medical certificate expires.”
As stated above, we don’t believe the communication from Royal Mail will cease this practice and we are now calling on all members who have been stopped sick pay to put in a grievance and also use the online claim form for detriment of being associated with a Trade Union and unlawful deduction of wages using the link below. The form takes less than 5 minutes to fill in.
Should you need any assistance with the process / filling out the form, this is laid out in Letter to Branches 379/2022 and 383/2022. The responses will be gathered from these forms centrally and then circulated to Branches. The Branch Secretary or Legal & Medical Secretary will then need to submit the details gathered to Acas for early conciliation as soon as possible. All the details required for Acas will be provided on the form. Postal Executive members Rob Wotherspoon, Saf Khan and Luke Elgar will be acting as the liaison points between the DGS(P) Department and Branches, and providing assistance where required.
We will continue to make representations to Royal Mail on this matter and any further developments will be reported.
Any enquiries about this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department quoting reference 401, email: khay@cwu.org.
POST OFFICE: PAY DISPUTE 2021/22 & 2022/23 – NOTICE SERVED FOR NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION
Further to LTB 493/22 dated 12thDecember, Branches are advised the Postal Executive has authorised national strike action for all of our Post Office members working in Crown Offices, Admin Units and Supply Chain. The two-week legal notification has been served on Post Office today as follows:
The strike will cover all duties (for the entire duration of the scheduled duty) commencing at or after 00.00 on Wednesday 28th December 2022 and before 23.59 on Wednesday 28thDecember 2022.
Whilst informal talks are still being held, the Union remains available for formal 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. As members would expect, we are treating this as a priority.
It should be noted that the action described above has been discussed with our full-time IR Reps who fully support the strategy of combining strike action with action short of a strike tailored to the different grade groups.
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
ROYAL MAIL PROPERTY FACILITIES SOLUTIONS LIMITED (RMPFSL) – DISPUTE ON PAY AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES
Further to LTB (Letter To Branches) 486/22, issued on 7th December which updated Branches, Representatives, and Members alike on the union’s attempts to seek further talks to progress an acceptable resolution and agreement to the dispute with Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions Limited (RMPFSL).
As a further update, talks did indeed take place today in the hope that RMPFSL management would formally set out a further improved offer that reflects what the union had believed was progress at the meeting held on the 7th December. Sadly, this was not the case and RMPFSL is yet to formally set out an improved offer against what they labelled as their ‘full and final offer’ which was outlined in LTB 434/22, issued on the 4th November.
Whilst the failure of RMPFSL to seek to use our meeting today as a genuine attempt to seek an acceptable mutual agreement which can be placed in front of the members is disappointing, the union has still provided RMPFSL management with the opportunity to bring forward an improved offer and made ourselves available for further negotiations, building on the talks which were held on the 7thDecember.
However, given the current position with no acceptable agreement, the strike action planned for our members employed by RM Property & Facilities Solutions Limited will go ahead as planned on the 15thDecember.
In order to provide our members and representatives with a more comprehensive and fuller update we are in the process of arranging a Facebook Live session which all RMPFSL members are encouraged to join via a link the details of which will be communicated shortly.
Any queries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department quoting reference number 312 – email khay@cwu.org or the Outdoor Department, quoting reference 120.12 email address: njones@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
Mark Baulch Carl Maden CWU Assistant Secretary CWU Assistant Secretary
Royal Mail Group Disputes: National Briefing – Tuesday 10th January 2023
Further to LTB 488/22 dated 9th December 2022, a National Briefing will be held on Tuesday 10th January 2023 to provide Branches with an update in regard to our disputes with Royal Mail Group. Hopefully progress will have been made at this point however if this is not the case, we will need to build support for the re-ballot required under the Tory Anti-Trade Union laws.
The Briefing will commence at 11:00 and conclude no later than 15:00 at:
Friends Meeting House
173-177 Euston Road
London
NW1 2BJ
All Branches are requested to make this a priority engagement and attendance arrangements should be in accordance with normal protocols for National Briefings whilst ensuring the importance of our proportionality requirements.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department – hford@cwu.org or acorbett@cwu.org
Yours sincerely, Yours sincerely,
Andy Furey Dave Ward Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal) General Secretary
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 