Last week, Royal Mail announced that they had put a three year pay deal to the CWU. The CWU are claiming that Royal Mail are playing games as they released their pay deal press release minutes after a meeting between the CWU and Royal Mail negotiators. Specifically, the CWU are claiming Royal Mail are muddying the waters by mixing up negotiations on pay with negotiations on terms and conditions and the Four Pillars agreement signed by both parties two years ago. The next step is CWU Gate Meetings to be held at every branch across the country rallying support for another strike ballot.
Our negotiators met Royal Mail today. Minutes after the meeting they released these pre-prepared comms everywhere.
They aren’t serious and are playing to an audience.
Our focus now must be to deliver the biggest YES vote possible in the national ballot #IAmTheUnion ?♀️?♂️ https://t.co/czcRxXWGZM
— The CWU (@CWUnews) February 20, 2020
On one of the Four Pillars – Pensions, the CWU are in agreement with Royal Mail as the collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions giving everyone in Royal Mail retirement security has moved another step closer, with the House of Lords completing its Second Reading of the Pension Schemes Bill
“Look what we can achieve together when the company works with us rather than against us”
– Terry Pullinger
On the remaining three of the Four Pillars Agreement – a shorter working week, extended legal protections and a re-designed operational pipeline the two sides could hardly be further apart. By mixing up negotiations on pay with these three for the Four Pillars which was supposed to be already agreed, the CWU say that Royal Mail aren’t negotiating in good faith.
The CWU will be holding Gate Meetings at every Royal Mail branch on Tuesday this week, the 25th of February as part of their steps in preparing for a second strike ballot, the first having been blocked by the High Court due to voting irregularities.
In preparation for the CWU Gate Meetings, the Union have prepared 10 questions they would like postal workers to ask Royal Mail managers:
- The Four Pillars agreement was signed only 20 month ago. Can you explain why it was affordable and deliverable then but not now? What has changed?
- Can you explain why every manager bar one who had an involvement negotiating with the CWO on Four Pillars agreement no longer works for Royal Mail Group or are in lead positions?
- How can Royal Mail plead poverty when awarding it’s CEO £6m to move from one area of the company to another?
- Every single privatisation in history has seen managerial levels drastically reduced prior to an attack on frontline staff. Will you join your union Unite and fight back against Royal Mail attacks?
- When Rico Back changed the senior management team months were wasted by the company. How given these delays can you justify saying executive action across the country is urgent and you don’t have time to delay? Surely this is an issue of your own making and you have to take responsibility for that and sit down with our Union in a calm environment?
- If Royal Mail Group get their way and separate Parcelforce this is just the start. Do you seriously believe ours and your jobs will be safe if we were Delivery LTD, Mail Centre LTD, MDEC LTD, Engineer LTD or Logistics LTD?
- The USO is up for review. A reduction of just one days service will remove 20,000 jobs from the industry. Less postal workers = Less managers. Surely you can see how important it is for the Union to win this debate?
- Royal Mail Group management plans to wait until the ballot result and then deluge our members with propaganda about the threat and potential impact of strike action. Wouldn’t their time be better served negotiation with the Union now to avoid any strike action?
- In 2017 the Union negotiated a new Pension arrangement. If it wasn’t for the CWU every single manager would be in an inferior pension scheme. Do you recognise that balloting and taking action delivers results? Not just for us but for you as well.
- Where is Rico Back?
