Commenting on Royal Mail Group’s announcement today (Wednesday 21st May) of pilot Sunday deliveries within the M25, to implement nationwide Parcelforce Sunday delivery service and open the 100 busiest enquiry offices on Sundays, CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail’s announcement today about expanding delivery and collection services to seven-days-a-week is an exciting innovation which we welcome. We have worked closely with Royal Mail to develop how best we can go forward to grow the company together and improve the services for customers.

“We appreciate that in order to stay competitive in a broadly unregulated sector Royal Mail has to expand its services to its customers. We believe that offering Sunday delivery and collection services is the right response from the company. With ever-increasing numbers of people opting to shop online, Sunday services are necessary to deal with the growing demand in parcel delivery.

“Earlier this year we delivered a ground-breaking deal for Royal Mail workers and we are committed to continuing to set the benchmark for terms and conditions across the postal industry. The union is negotiating with Royal Mail nationally to ensure that postal workers who are affected by these changes receive good terms and conditions and where appropriate, that work is performed on a voluntary basis.”

See Dave’s letter to members working in Royal Mail here: Introduction by Royal Mail of Sunday Services

The CWU and GMB announced today (Thursday) a “first of its kind” trade union legal firm. UNIONLINE will provide a comprehensive legal service to almost one million trade union members as the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) granted its licence today.

New law firm, UNIONLINE, was formed as the two unions saw a significant opportunity where a deregulated legal profession allowed for new organisations to operate in the legal marketplace.

UNIONLINE, based in Sheffield, has been set up by the CWU and GMB as an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) offering comprehensive legal services to the whole membership of the two unions. Unions have a long and proud history of providing top-class access to justice for their members. The new rules allow GMB and CWU to bring that tradition right up to date.

A partnership of UNIONLINE approved solicitors firms will act for the many thousands of CWU and GMB members legal cases each year under the authority of the UNIONLINE monitoring board, ensuring that CWU and GMB members retain access to legal redress.

CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: “UNIONLINE is a unique opportunity for both the CWU and the GMB to compete in a previously highly-regulated industry. We want to make sure our members get the very best legal advice and by creating and operating our own legal services we can ensure that.

“This is the first legal service of its kind. With legal assistance being such an integral part of the benefits offered to trade union members this is a truly exciting innovation of which we are immensely proud of and will be overseen by CWU head of legal services, Tony Rupa.”

GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said: “GMB is delighted that the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) has granted a licence to this highly innovative new law firm jointly owned by GMB and the Communication Workers Union to serve the needs of almost one million trade union members.

“We look forward to providing a one stop shop for members which will provide a comprehensive legal service, and unlike the High Street, there will not be deductions from their personal injury awards. We have significant plans for the future and look forward to giving trade union members a unique advantage in their choice of legal services.”

Contact UNIONLINE for free comprehensive legal advice on FREEPHONE 0300 333 0303. The UNIONLINE website will be launched in early June.

The Labour Party conference today (Wednesday) unanimously agreed a motion continuing the opposition to a sale of Royal Mail and went further by unanimously agreeing the re-nationalisation of the postal service under a Labour government.

CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said he was delighted with the decision. “I strongly welcome the decision of Labour conference to both continue opposition to the sale and to re-nationalise Royal Mail if it has been sold by the current government.

“A postal worker will deliver to every address in the UK today, six days a week, every week of the year. Royal Mail is part of the fabric of a One Nation society.”

The decision by the Labour Party conference comes after the government announced their intention to float the public service as it approaches its 500th birthday.

“Labour’s conference decision should raise a warning flag for potential investors” said Billy, adding: “Poll after poll has shown public opposition to the sale, and with the company making substantial profits, there is no economic argument for the sale.

“There is still time for this government to listen to the public, consumers and the businesses and user groups who have campaigned under the Save Our Royal Mail banner and drop this politically dogma driven sale” concluded Billy.

For Billy’s full speech in moving contemporary motion 8 visit his blog.

Labour shadow minister Ian Murray announced this week that the Labour Party will force another vote in the Commons on the privatisation of Royal Mail in the coming weeks.

The Communication Workers Union has today (Friday) served formal legal notice to Royal Mail of the intention to ballot members for strike action. Ballot papers will go out on Friday 27 September, and the ballot will close and the result announced on Wednesday 16 October. If there is a yes vote, the earliest that strike action could take place would be 23 October.

This is the first national strike ballot in Royal Mail since 2009 and will affect 115,000 postal workers in Royal Mail and Parcelforce (but not the Post Office, which is a separate company). The dispute is over pay, pensions and the impact of privatisation on job security, terms and conditions.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary said: “The government’s privatisation agenda has destabilised everything. Postal workers are rightly concerned about their future so we want a legally-binding agreement on protections for jobs, terms and conditions – regardless of who owns the company. We don’t want a race to the bottom in the postal industry where companies compete on poverty pay, few employment rights and poor services simply to maximise payouts to wealthy shareholders. Without an agreement strikes are inevitable.”

“Royal Mail and Parcelforce workers deserve a fair pay rise and one that is not attached to unacceptable strings that include changes to pensions and a no-strike deal. The company made £403 million profit last year so it’s not about affordability – especially when the government says the company would pay out £133 million to shareholders next year if privatised.

“We want the company to recognise its main asset – its workers – who literally deliver the success of the business. This union still wants an agreement and we are hoping this strike ballot will focus the minds of Royal Mail and bring us to a legally binding deal that will protect the interests of postal workers for the long-term foreseeable future.”

Legal Protections

Regardless of who owns the company, postal workers need protections for their terms and conditions. The union is determined to achieve a ground-breaking agreement that provides legally binding protections for terms and conditions for the foreseeable future and ensures any changes are negotiated with CWU.

Dave Ward said: “Attacks on terms and conditions and the threat of new employment models in a potential race to the bottom with competitors are a real risk for postal workers and we intend to achieve legally binding protections that mean the future of postal workers jobs are secure and Royal Mail continues to set the benchmark for pay and conditions in the postal industry.”

Pay and conditions

CWU has already rejected a below-inflation pay offer for 2013 which was linked to accepting major pension changes and a no strike deal. CWU is demanding a straightforward, above inflation, no-strings pay deal which 99% of workers voted for in a ballot in June.

Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail continues to prepare for privatisation with relentless rounds of budget cuts and there is no understanding that the pace of change can really only be led by how hard people can work. Postal workers are being driven to absorb absences, carry increasing amounts of mail and work harder than is possible in many cases. We have to change that culture and establish a new consensus on what constitutes a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.”

Pensions

Royal Mail has created more concern for its staff by announcing new problems with its pension scheme. Despite the government taking control of the assets in 2012 to pave the way for privatisation, the company wants to use remaining assets to reduce its own contributions. The company completed a formal consultation in August and the union is calling for an agreed process to protect members’ benefits.

“There is a great hypocrisy in the way the scheme is being managed by Royal Mail” said Dave Ward. “The company wants to keep its contribution rate to 17% whilst maintaining managers’ benefits at 40%. They can afford higher contributions to protect postal workers’ benefits.”

For more information and access to a range of resources visit Royal Mail strike ballot.

Follow @CWUnews on Twitter for live updates and tag your comments with #voteYES.

Dear Colleague

National Industrial Action Ballot (Royal Mail Group including Parcelforce)

At last weeks National Briefing we indicated that there may be some slippage on the Industrial Action timetable.  We can now advise that a new timetable has been agreed as follows:

–         Notice served on the 20th September 2013

–         Ballot opens on the 27th September 2013

–         Ballot closes Wednesday 16th October 2013

It is essential that every single CWU Representative now plays a full part in maximising the yes vote in the coming weeks.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the DGS (P) Department.

CWU representatives from workplaces across the UK have filled a hall at Birmingham’s ICC conference centre this morning (Thursday) as they prepare for the forthcoming national strike ballot.

The meeting opened with a short presentation from Royal Mail CEO Moya Greene (pictured).

Following this, representatives will hear from the union’s general secretary, Billy Hayes and deputy general secretary, Dave Ward on securing a Yes vote in the forthcoming strike ballot.

“Reps are geared up to take on Royal Mail to achieve a fair, no-strings attached pay rise; oppose proposed changes to their pensions; and seek legal assurances on terms and conditions to deal with the impact of any privatisation,” explained Dave Ward from the briefing.

“We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us but judging from the level of enthusiasm and support in this packed hall, we’re confident our members will return a yes vote in this crucial ballot.”

THURSDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2013

CWU Local Representatives from across the country gathered in Birmingham to discuss issues relating to the proposed privatisation of Royal Mail and the pending Official Industrial Action Ballot.

Along with CWU General Secretary Billy Hayes and CWU Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Dave Ward, Royal Mail Chief Executive Moya Greene also addressed the Forum.

The Forum began just hours after the official announcement regarding the floatation of Royal Mail and Dave Ward wasted no time in commenting on the announcement. “No Government announcement changes the fact that we will be going to an Industrial Action ballot to protect our members. All the announcement does is make it more important to stand together and return a massive yes vote in the ballot”.

Dave continued “There is still no dates or details of the sale, but be under no illusion, whoever owns the company this union will fight to protect the terms and conditions and keep them the best they can be. The CWU is bigger than any plans for privatisation. The CWU is here for the long haul. The CWU representatives like those here today have one big job – go and deliver a resounding yes vote in this ballot”.

The applause for Dave Ward’s inspiring speech was short lived as Moya Greene was then asked to address the Forum; and was greeted with jeers and a chorus of “Royal Mail, not for sale!”. The Royal Mail CEO gave a brief speech full of rhetoric and cliché similar to the material that has arrived on the doorsteps of CWU members recently. The monotonous speech was soon interrupted by laughter and more jeering as the statement “I don’t understand why we should be headed for a dispute” was made by the CEO.

Moya Greene went on to say that “We need to make good of privatisation” and also gave a hint that negotiations were not closed on what was already, in her opinion, a ‘good’ pay offer.

Questions from the floor to the Royal Mail boss included issues of bullying & harassment, the uncertainty of the privatisation, the debacle of the proposed pension changes and the future strategy of the company. On bullying & harassment, Moya Greene stated that “most cases involve member against member” which was poorly received on the floor and led to ‘time running out’ on the question and answer session and, perhaps ironically, a ‘comfort break’ was called for.

Dave Ward was quick to return to the rostrum as the second session began and defend comments made by Moya Greene. The Forum was informed that no deal would include a ‘no strike clause’ and that a better pay deal, inclusive of the benefits and minus the ‘strings’ – as demanded in the Consultative Ballot – would be reached by the union and employer. “Our members deserve better pay, living wage pay, and proper incentives including a replacement for ColleagueShare which the company stole from our members” Dave Ward claimed. “Let me also be clear that a boycott of competitors mail is also not out of the question. We could not take any action on the back of the Consultative Ballot, but we will be exploring every tactic in beating the threat to this industry and this union’s members” he added.

The momentum with Dave Ward grew and he outlined exactly what the CWU was striving for in addition to the demands of the Consultative Ballot and relied on its Reps to ensure members were aware of:

Legally binding protections
No break-up of the company; ParcelForce, Mail Centre sales etc
No outsourcing/franchising of delivery rounds
Avoidance of ‘race to the bottom’ of terms and conditions similar to TNT
No Zero-Hour contracts or 2-Tier workforce

Billy Hayes added to Dave Ward’s comments by stating that “We have fought privatisation for 21 years. Moya Greene, like Leighton and Crozier did, claims that things were terrible when she arrived and that she has improved them. We all know the improvements have been made by you (Reps) and the members”. He added that the company is profitable and not a ‘basket-case’ which is why there will be interest in buying it – from capitalist vultures not “businessmen and women who feel sorry for their postie”. Billy also committed to putting pressure on the Labour Party at its Conference with a motion that calls for renationalisation should the sale go ahead “Labour needs to start acting as an opposition, rest assured we will be taking a firm stance at Conference and we invite you to attend”,

Both Dave and Billy emphasised the importance of a YES vote in the upcoming ballot. All Reps present were challenged to ‘go and deliver’ the return and stated that this was a ‘defining moment’ in the history of Royal Mail, the industry and the union. Both were confident of winning the dispute.

It is now down to the reps and the membership to take the next step and return the YES vote needed to save the future of our terms and conditions at work.

There will be Gate Meetings and correspondence from Reps regarding the ballot. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Carl Harper
Sectional Secretary
CWU Eastern 5
PMC Deliveries

The government has today (Thursday) announced that it is pressing ahead with plans to privatise Royal Mail at the very same time that 125,000 postal workers are voting on strike action.

CWU says the plans to sell are a betrayal of the British public – 70% of whom are against privatisation according to a Sunday Times poll at the weekend.

The announcement this morning said an initial public offering (IPO) is “expected to take place in the coming weeks”.

Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “This isn’t about what’s best for the Royal Mail, it’s about vested interests of government ministers’ mates in the City. Privatisation is the worst way to access to capital as it’s more expensive than borrowing under public ownership. There’s no competition with money for schools and hospitals as the government would have you believe – look at Network Rail which has borrowed billions on private markets at cheaper rates under an arrangement which doesn’t affect public debt. This is simply about dogma from old fashioned Tories wedded to privatisation.

“We remain convinced that privatisation is the wrong decision for Royal Mail. It would be bad for customers, bad for staff and bad for the industry. Privatisation would put jobs and services at risk and lead to higher prices for customers. We’ve seen it happen time and again in other industries.

“We’re taking this to Labour Party Conference and we want a commitment that a Labour government would renationalise Royal Mail if privatised. Privatisation is an old-fashioned idea and a breach of the public’s trust. It would destroy a centuries-old public service.”

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “Today’s announcement gives us little new information. Everyone knew the government’s intention to float Royal Mail this financial year but we’re surprised they’ve chosen to start this process at the very time we are balloting our members for strike action. This could put investors off.

“We’re pressing ahead with our ballot 125,000 postal workers and we will continue to fight privatisation and the potential impact of a sale on jobs, terms and conditions. CWU is here for the long-haul. Any owner will have to deal with issues in the industry and take the workforce with them.
“Investors should take note of public opinion too – 70% of the public are against privatisation according to the latest poll this weekend.”

The ballot will be the first national strike ballot since 2009. Ballot papers are due to go out to 125,000 Royal Mail and Parcelforce (but not Post Office) workers on 20 September with a result to be announced on 3 October. If there was a yes vote, the union would then be able to give 7 days’ notice for strike action, with the earliest strike action possible from 10 October.

Around 1,500 reps from across Royal Mail are meeting in the ICC in Birmingham today for a CWU-called meeting.

“This Bill is about state control of free trade unions” Tony Kearns told Congress when seconding emergency motion 5 on the government’s controversial Lobbying Bill. Accusing the Government of “messing up big time”, Tony said there was “no evidence that the measures in the Bill are needed.” Yesterday, Lib Dem MPs refused to vote for any amendments to the Bill, prompting Tony to challenge: “Nick Clegg needs to get a dictionary and look up what the words ‘Liberal’ and ‘Democrat’ mean. This Bill is about gagging democratic debate and saying that politics is not for ordinary people. It’s about trying to get the trade union movement to shut up. But we won’t be shut up.”

In moving the motion, James Anderson from Unison said: “These rotten Tories – yellow and blue – have turned a scandal about their rich lobbying mates into an attack on democracy.” He pointed out how the Bill had brought together “the widest coalition imaginable, from the Countryside Alliance to Greenpeace” against the Bill. “Such an illiberal attack is being supported by the Lib Dems. We need to not water down this Bill but defeat it.”

Congress unanimously passed the motion.

Today (Wednesday) is the final day of TUC 2013.

Ongoing growth in unaddressed mail volumes will allow Royal Mail to capture more of this expanding market and protect jobs, CWU outdoor secretary Bob Gibson said yesterday (Tuesday).

In an upbeat message to members, Bob explained that the previous limit of six ‘door-to-door’ items per walk, per week will rise to seven in some areas of the country as the company continues its drive to increase its share of this important revenue stream.

Back in 2010, the union agreed to remove the then three-item cap on these products as part of the Business Transformation 2010 agreement.

“The union agreed to this change as we could see that this was a potential growth area and, had we maintained the cap, then this work would have been lost to competitor companies such as TNT,” Bob pointed out.

“The agreed switch from a per-item, piecework-type payment system to a universal, weekly payment went hand-in-hand with placing door-to-door work into general workload – changes which were also part of the 2010 agreement.”

The CWU’s position appears to have been vindicated by recent market reports showing this activity up by both volume and expenditure on a year-on-year basis. A UK study by the Direct Marketing Association reports 3.5 per cent (volume) and 3.9 per cent (expenditure) growth respectively. Read the full report here: UK door drop industry growth returns, report reveals.

And a continent-wide analysis by the European Letterbox Marketing Association (ELMA) reported an overall volume rise of 2.3 per cent and placed the UK in fifth place among the 22 countries surveyed. Read the full report here: Unaddressed marketing mail rebounding from recession, says study.

According to the ELMA study, the average European household receives 12 of these items per week – compared to a UK figure of five.

“It’s clear this is a growing area – and one set to increase further,” said Bob, adding: “The Quality of Service provided to current Door to Door customers by our members continues to improve and deliver a powerful message about the value of the service provided and the response customers can expect to their advertisements.”

Read Bob’s full message to members, along with detailed advice in LTB 604/13 Door 2 Door growth – 7 items per week