…er sorry that’s the “period of calm” Dave Ward is offering Royal Mail “to avoid a national strike.” This is a lovely way of saying they’ll ban strikes, and bin the tremendous 76% strike vote we just worked our a*ses off to achieve.
Ward’s proposal is that Royal Mail agrees to negotiate on its business plan (with the union pledged ahead of time to agree cuts), and we agree the strike ban for negotiations to “resolve all current local disputes”…which means agreeing more cuts! If this is what success looks like…
If any such agreement is struck it will be a blow to morale. It will make it much harder to restart a strike when Royal Mail dropped talks like it did in 2007. Let’s face it, Royal Mail is about as likely to withdraw the massive cuts they’ve made since Spring and jack in their business plan without a fight as Ward and Crozier are to be whisked away to Brigadoon to feast with the fairy people. Time to bombard them with protest emails or ring em up at the Wimbledon HQ. Get your branch to make the protest official.
In a way, you can’t help but be touched by Dave’s faith in Royal Mail: “If Royal Mail really is sincere about reaching an agreement we expect them to take up this offer.” Let’s not forget that the leadership’s lame excuse for the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement that got us into this mess was that if Royal Mail had sincerely interpreted the agreement in the spirit it was meant, it would have been an OK deal! Royal Mail bosses sincere?! Crozier, Higson and Co must have laughed when they heard that and thought “Blimey, it’s like stealing candy from a baby.”
This shows more than ever that we need to urgently develop a rank and file control of our own struggles and the union itself – this won’t be the last time Hayes, Ward and the PEC wobble.
The CWU offer:
- That Royal Mail will reveal its business plan for the whole of the planned transformation programme. This will create an open environment that will allow Royal Mail and CWU to reach a 3 year agreement aimed at providing long term stability for the business, employees and our customers.
- That Royal Mail recommit to the key principle which underpinned the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement i.e. that “change will be introduced by agreement”. This means Royal Mail will unequivocally agree planned 2010 change, including the rollout of new walk sequencing machines.
- That we agree, in principle, that improved Job Security arrangements and a new benefits package that rewards postal workers for delivering success for the business will form part of the final agreement.
- That Royal Mail agrees the principle that budgets should not drive staffing levels and that what constitutes a fair day’s workload will be based on transparent and agreed standards with the Union. We should jointly consider utilising independent experts in the field of work measurement to facilitate a resolution to all workload issues.
- That Royal Mail is prepared to step back from imposed change and resolve all current local disputes by agreement.
- That Royal Mail agrees to an independent enquiry into the bullying and harassment of postal workers and immediately ceases the use of unagreed HR procedures.
- That Royal Mail is prepared to jointly approach the Government on the urgent need to find a resolution to pensions and regulatory issues.
- That the national parties clear our diaries to allow for an intense period of negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and conclude a comprehensive national agreement.
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