NOTICE FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION - Monday 29th April

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Letter to Branches

No: 267 Ref: 101 Date: 22 April 2013

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS

Dear Colleague

POST OFFICE: PAY 2012 AND BEYOND AND THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN OFFICE NETWORK – NOTICE FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Further to LTB 254, dated 18th April.

Following our hugely successful Easter Saturday strike, Branches will be aware that our members in the 373 Crown Offices took further industrial action last Friday, 19th April.

The action was again, overwhelmingly supported by our members. The Post Office announced that 218 Crowns were actually closed due to the action, this compares with 220 on the Easter Saturday strike. However the reality is those Crowns that remained open were staffed in the main with managers. We naturally wish to thank all members for their support and our representatives who contributed significantly in making this strike successful.

In respect of media activity, the coverage was very good in regard to the community campaigns outside Crowns earmarked for franchising and/or closure. Our dispute featured prominently in local and regional press and interviews were also given on BBC Radio 5 Live. Thanks go to Sian Jones, Press Officer, for her efforts in raising the profile of our dispute.

All reports of the strike on 19th April, together with photographs, can be viewed under the news section of the website.

The Times newspaper article - 22nd April 2013

In addition to the press coverage for the strike, the following article has been published in the business section of The Times, today, by the Industrial Editor, Robert Lea. This is transcribed below:

UNION FORCES POST OFFICE TO WITHDRAW PAY CLAIM NUMBERS

The dispute at the Post Office is turning increasingly bitter after workers accused their employers of dirty tricks by misrepresenting the extent of their pay claim.

The Communication Workers Union called 4,000 of its members working in the 373 largest, or Crown, post offices out on a half-day strike on Friday; a second action after closures at Easter. The dispute is over pay and Post Office plans to close and transfer the business of about a fifth of the main branches into local retailers.

The atmosphere between the CWU and the Post Office has soured after the Union forced executives to withdraw statements over the pay claim. The Post Office had said that the claim would add £12 million of costs.

The CWU said that its two year claim for pay rises of 3.5 per cent and 3.25 per cent would cost only £6 million, less than half the amount the Post Office has offered in staged payments of £3,400 to each employee, tied to an acceptance of the closure plans.

In an internal memo, Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office’s sales director, has now accepted the misrepresentation.

Andy Furey, the CWU National Official said “The Post Office has been caught out inventing fictional claims to make our pay claim look unreasonable. If the Post office is getting its maths wrong at this level, what else is management getting wrong?”

Further Strike Action

In regard to next steps, the Postal Executive has already authorised the next bout of industrial action which will be:

- Monday 29th April – from 13:00 until the completion of normal duties

This further strike action is necessary as the Post Office has made no attempt to initiate meaningful dialogue to resolve this dispute. Clearly, the Post Office is testing the resolve of our members; they are making a huge mistake as all evidence indicates that our members are determined to achieve a better pay offer and job security for all.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey Dave Ward
Assistant Secretary Deputy General Secretary (Postal)