GBP1.7 billion warchest to destroy union - Williams & Thompson

[Mungeys]

Unbelievable

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... ss-picket/

Royal Mail vows to ignore striking workers as thousands cross picket line
Company leaders say they have built up £1.7bn war chest to defeat union

By
Oliver Gill,
CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT
15 December 2022 • 4:51pm

The leaders of Royal Mail have vowed to ignore striking workers as thousands cross the picket lines and support for industrial action crumbles.

Chairman Keith Williams and chief executive Simon Thompson said that they intend to ram through reforms to the business with or without the backing of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), ahead of another round of walkouts in the days before Christmas.

In an interview with The Telegraph, they said that 12,000 postal workers are prepared to cross the picket lines each day - a sixfold increase since autumn - and that the company has built up a £1.7bn war chest to defeat the CWU.

The interview came just hours after CWU general secretary Dave Ward upped the ante on Wednesday evening, describing the Government as a “shower of corrupt b******* in Westminster" as he voiced support for striking nurses.

Royal Mail is pushing through automation that it says is essential for the future of the business, but which the CWU claims will lead to waves of unnecessary job cuts. Workers have been offered a 9pc pay rise which the CWU has so far rejected.

Mr Williams said: “It's an important point which people miss, which is: we have the ability to change.

“The change is going to happen anyway. We'd like to secure the change that we need from the people, which is pretty limited, to give them the 9pc pay rise that's on offer.

“[But] change can happen as a result of the cancellation of the agreements [earlier this year], and will happen regardless of whether there's an agreement with the union or not.”

A wave of strikes has forced Royal Mail to warn that customers should post all their Christmas cards and presents by Friday this week or risk them not arriving in time. Workers walked out on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and will be striking again on Dec 23 and Christmas Eve.

Strike calendar – Winter of discontent
Proposed reforms include Royal Mail’s parcel arm switching to hundreds of freelance “owner-driver” postal workers. Until recently, only a quarter of Parcelforce drivers could be self-employed, but the changes will mean this can be lifted to 100pc, for instance.

Royal Mail expects to rack up losses between £350m and £450m this year.

Mr Williams, a veteran of disputes during his time as British Airways chief executive, said: “Most of that loss is not attributable to strikes. it's actually attributable to the change that you need in the business.

“As you change the business, you're actually improving the business. Yeah, they can be out on strikes, but the strikes are not are not the big element of the loss.”

Mr Thompson said that Royal Mail was determined to ensure that Christmas parcels would be delivered on time, with 2,000 administrative staff dispatched to the front line to help.

Mr Williams said: “We've now got all the accountants and lawyers on the front line delivering post.”

In autumn around 2,000 postal workers were prepared to cross the picket line, a figure that has now swelled to 12,000 members of staff.

Tempers have flared with the police called in earlier this month amid claims of physical violence and vandalism. One CWU representative is facing accusations of headbutting.

Mr Williams said: “The irony of this one is that because it's Christmas, the parcels market holds up nicely.”

But the strikes did impact on the letters business, he added. A quarter of Royal Mail’s letter volumes are typically delivered in December. “They [the CWU] are actually destroying Christmas cards, which are letters, which is what they're trying to preserve.”

The CWU will ballot its 115,000 members at Royal Mail for another six-month mandate to strike in January.

Mr Williams said: “What they're saying is that we're threatening 25,000 compulsory redundancies. It is nothing more than a scaremongering tactic going into the next ballot.”

Meanwhile he sprang to the defence of Mr Thompson, who Mr Ward has attacked for being “out of his depth” as CWU members held placards saying “Thompson out”.

He said: “If you look at the history of this one, it was [ex-CEO, Adam] Crozier out. Moya [Greene] out. Rico [Back] out. And now it’s Simon [Thompson] out. There’s a fact pattern here of playing the man not the ball.”

Mr Thompson added: “I am representing the voice of the customers. So is it ‘customers out’ when they say ‘Thompson out’?

“I don't think it is nice. And I don't think it's necessary. But I think more fundamentally, it diverts us away from what are the real true issues.”

[norris9]

Well they can afford a 10% pay rise back dated....

Cheers Thompson.

[Clappedoutpostie]

£1.7bn warchest to destroy Royal Mail should be the headline.

[diballday]

Narcissistic bastards.

[FirstPost]

Well they can afford a 10% pay rise back dated....

Cheers Thompson.

Now now norris, you were happy with a 5% and no back pay, remember?

[Bellaber]

Managers to become working foreman within 3 weeks, Fantastic

[norris9]

Well they can afford a 10% pay rise back dated....

Cheers Thompson.

Now now norris, you were happy with a 5% and no back pay, remember?

na bro, they got billions. We deserve 20% and back pay to 1984.

[SPECIALTRACKED]

See I said he had a plan backed up by the board and they believe they are in the right and us lowly scummy workers will bend to there will no matter what, Royal Mail is finished as we know it, like it or lump it

[JoeWagg]

£1.7 billion eh? Someone’s lying then. Who is it?

[Jb1969]

Good grief, why would you give such an interview?
Why would you admit to having 1.7 billion?
That’s akin to shooting your self in the foot with both barrels!

[theotherone]

Why would they disclose this? You don't want the other guy knowing your hand!
No £££ for a pay-rise but we have this amount of money for back up.
Told the markets they are losing £1 -1.2 mill a day doesn't look too smart.
The letter today that they are so desperate.Why do they need an agreement then?

[Mungeys]

I'm sure a public company can't just hide £1.7 billion, and in what world would any shareholder want the company to blow that amount on breaking the union if they can just bring in the changes they want anyway?

Feels like a last ditch attempt to break morale

[enskied]

They call it a "warchest"
So we are at war then and always were under attack.
Half of that was probably to pay the huge fine that OFCOM let them off with, because of the false figures they supplied to them.

Bring on the fight .

[Chitchat]

They would better spend the money modernizing royalmail with the workforce behind them. Rather than waste it trying to destroy the union.

[2chorizon]

Managers to become working foreman within 3 weeks, Fantastic

Where?