Urgent: Can you please forward the comms below to all reps and members groups :
London Calling Update :Dispute Update Latest :
Dear Colleagues
How can anyone trust a word Royal Mail says ?
Royal Mail announced that you can take their word that “ The changes we need to make to this business will NOT involve ANY compulsory redundancies. Royal Mail has not used compulsory redundancy before. And we’re not going to start now. “ is meaningless unless it is within an agreement with the CWU and has a third party overseeing the governance of that agreement.
The fact that all the Executive Board members with no more that 10 years Royal Mail experience between them signed it is equally baffling and it is clear that they do not know the recent history.
In 2012 , Royal Mail decided under the London Mail Centre Rationalisation process to close two mail centres and move the international workload from the Mount and sell Rathbone Place.
Royal Mail’s plan was going to lead to compulsory redundancies. The London Branch’s balloted and forced Royal Mail into an agreement which enhanced MTSF and agreed a process which prevented compulsory redundancies.
So it was an agreement with the CWU which prevented compulsory redundancies rather than Royal Mails word.
The MTSF agreement and the Agenda for Growth Agreements, both which Royal Mail have torn up, gave a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
Why would any one trust Royal Mail to honour a commitment signed by the same board members who have launched a full frontal attack on their hard fought terms and conditions ?
It is welcome that Royal Mail have climbed down on their previous position that there would have to be compulsory redundancies.
They talk about union lies but let’s examine their recent position on compulsory redundancies.
Royal Mail announced that their plans would try and avoid compulsory redundancies but they could not guarantee it. Then their Director Alister Wood wrote to the union detailing the criteria for compulsory redundancies.
Royal Mail then said there would be no compulsory redundancies until March 2023 and even posted it on their Workplace app.
Last Tuesday, Stuart McDonald then wrote saying that as long as there is no strike action, that Royal Mail would commit to no compulsory redundancies until January 2024.
Then two days later, on Thursday after the 48 hour strike, Royal Mail claimed that they always meant there would be no compulsory redundancies.
However they are asking you to take their word for it, rather then agree it with the CWU.
After all, this is an employer who has recently :
1. Ripped up agreements.
2. Stopped sick pay for genuine absences.
3. Reduced your annual leave allocation.
4. Introduced new entrants on 20% less pay.
5. Put agency before it’s own workers.
6. Cut overtime and allowed the USO to fail.
7. Allow a punishment charter for managers to target reps and members for simply putting their case on why strike action should be supported.
8. Laid off Fixed term contract staff when units are flooded with agency and the unit is failing
Royal Mail will therefore find that no one trusts them to keep their word on anything.
Some cynics believe this is just another classic union busting tactic to make promises to the workforce directly, in an attempt to undermine and weaken the union.
However all CWU members can see through this strategy and will only stop this dispute when there is an acceptable agreement which they can vote on.
The other point within their letter where they accuse the union of lies and inflating the number of job losses also needs to be questioned. Royal Mail have announced 10 thousand job losses . The other jobs losses would come from the following:
a)They have made a request to the Government that the USO should be reduced to five days and they estimate that this will mean 4000 job losses
b) Royal Mail in the negotiations suggested that there will be between 5 to 8 mail centre closures in the next 18 months
c) They also know when they serve notice on the cessation of flights that 4 Air Mail units will close.
d) They have announced that Sac Vides will close next year and LAMU’s future will be reviewed.
e) The new Midland Hub will see further jobs cuts from the surrounding mail centres and RDCs.
f) That there will be further revisions next year.
So unless Royal Mail can confirm in an agreement none of the above are going to lead to job losses, how can they accuse the CWU of lies ?
Remember, Royal Mails Financial recovery plan relies on their revision and realignment headcount reduction.
The scale of the savings they want in offices are the biggest reductions ever.
They may have the necessary volunteers for VR, however, many units will simply collapse due to the number of duties Royal Mail will be removing.
Royal Mail must realise that their revision and financial recovery plan will fail without an agreement which reduces the number of job cuts.
This is their
Achilles heel in this dispute. It is essental that all units refuse to get involved in any aspect of this revision.
Your magnificent support for the strikes have already meant that Royal Mail have backtracked on the following ;
1. Sundays to be voluntary
2. ill health retirement process still in place.
Now no compulsory redundancies are off the table.
However they now need to move on owner drivers, site closures, new entrants, revisions, MTSF, annualised hours, technology being used for conduct and individual performance standards, sick pay, allowances and on reps and members being reinstated.
Keep supporting the strikes and stand proud as your efforts are making Royal Mail move.
A Statement by the London Divisional Committee