CWU LIVE - Postal Special with Dave Ward & Martin Walsh at 5pm

[toonshola]

Over the last few months the union and Rm stated that to account for the USO change that our rounds would reduce in size as we will essentially be doing double mail every single day. Now the change is on the horizon like magic it’s going to be a “method change” and not revisions to ram this new USO in. We can’t clear our delivery’s now when the call rate is even slightly above the quiet Monday/Tuesdays yet we are somehow expected to complete double mail in the future. It’s going to be a complete mess but if we can all be on a 9 day fortnight as a minimum then I suppose we will just about accept it.

[Perseus]

With no fixed duty anymore, people will surely just be signing for an attendance pattern instead?
Any firming up of 'slightly less staff needed' that was mentioned in the previous CWU video?

[sindba]

Over the last few months the union and Rm stated that to account for the USO change that our rounds would reduce in size as we will essentially be doing double mail every single day. Now the change is on the horizon like magic it’s going to be a “method change” and not revisions to ram this new USO in. We can’t clear our delivery’s now when the call rate is even slightly above the quiet Monday/Tuesdays yet we are somehow expected to complete double mail in the future. It’s going to be a complete mess but if we can all be on a 9 day fortnight as a minimum then I suppose we will just about accept it.

Exactly. Can't see how it won't result in the quality of service getting even worse.

But RM don't care about service, only profit for themselves, they just want to bleed the company dry.

In fact, it works well for RM - the worse the service gets, the more they can argue that we're just another courier company, and the race to the bottom continues.

[norris9]

Not sure we want longer days! longer days = more walking. We walk ~10miles a day, I don't want to have to walk anymore than I already do.

Mark Baulch has said he's aiming for us to work 9 days within a 14 day period, sounds good, but that obviously means longer days. Longer days also potentially means working in the dark in winter, or finishing close to school finish rush hour, or some may finish in the 5-6pm work rush hour.

I definitely don't want to work longer days.

IMO, the USO should simply be reduced to 4 or 5 days. Walks should be genuinely fair and manageable. The job should be job and finish. The last hour of your contract is paid on overtime and you agree with your own DOM which hour will be your last hour of the day. You are given a duty which reflects the finish time you have chosen. I wouldn't even care if the business bought in some owner-drivers to deliver parcels, as long as the general postie duties are kept. Would Royal Mail even want mail to be delivered by people in their own cars or vans - it's not a professional look. I am not sure the public would be happy with someone turning up in a banged up Passat to deliver their new debit card, bank statements, NHS letters... so I am not sure Royal Mail would ever go down the owner-driver route for mail duties.

[Acca Dacca]

Not sure we want longer days! longer days = more walking. We walk ~10miles a day, I don't want to have to walk anymore than I already do.

Mark Baulch has said he's aiming for us to work 9 days within a 14 day period, sounds good, but that obviously means longer days. Longer days also potentially means working in the dark in winter, or finishing close to school finish rush hour, or some may finish in the 5-6pm work rush hour.

I definitely don't want to work longer days.

IMO, the USO should simply be reduced to 4 or 5 days. Walks should be genuinely fair and manageable. The job should be job and finish. The last hour of your contract is paid on overtime and you agree with your own DOM which hour will be your last hour of the day. You are given a duty which reflects the finish time you have chosen.

You keep repeating this idea but maybe its just me missing something but I struggle to fathom how on earth it would feasibly work in practise

[Woody84]

Will the new contracts be re formed?

What do people think about re balancing the workforce and bringing new contracts up in line with legacy contracts. Obviously not straight away but over a period of time? (I never expected to be put in line with time served posties when I started, but the prospect of ‘working my way up’ to that wage).

My thoughts there are the retention of new staff *should* be better which *should* take pressure of existing staff, instead of what I’ve been told with the turn over of staff being so high surely it then impacts the work load on long serving posties?

I say this as a new starter that absolutely loves the job, but the prospect of better pay in the long term (and perhaps more hours/FT contract) would make me want to stay for as long as my body holds up.

What are people’s thoughts.

I’m guessing there is more chance of the workforce being ‘levelled down’?

[kazardaimenu]

Certainly should have a one tier workforce with wages rising during the first year to level up as it used to be. Sundays could be baked into attendance patterns based on seniority and any additional staff paid overtime to come in.

[buchanpeter]

So the 9 days in 12 would mean about 50 mins time would be added to existing times.
In Scotland that would mean rurals would have 5pm as their finishing times.
Could still sign for a duty.
Just something I thought about.
Van share: all mail out 1 day.
Next day driver does packets and parcels on that 2 duties.
Walker rotates between 2 van shares.

We gotta watch royal mail doesn't try and make us give up terms & conditions on the legacy contracts as a bargaining tool to "level up" the new ones.
Legacy contracts need to remain as they are.
New entrants should get a level up to legacy ones after a year in the job or something.

[scotchy1962]

It's a strange one at the moment, CWU keep bleating on about innovative shift patterns and all i can hear is we are about to get screwed yet again!
The job has changed the union say, no kidding, do they think we haven't noticed or something?
Their job is to protect us from the sort of s**t we are going through at the moment and to get us a decent rise, not play footsie at the negotiating table and sell our t&c's out for another hobnob.
They don't like it when we challenge them, but what else can we do, when we pay into something we expect some sort of return.
Just like the investors in RM!

[kazardaimenu]

Any word on a pay rise with all this extra work they want to pile on us?

[yellowbelly]

Any word on a pay rise with all this extra work they want to pile on us?

It also worth pointing out the agreement we have reached with EP also states that our support for any USO reform is conditional on making progress and resolving the following :

1. A Pay Rise from April 2025.

2.5% inflation rate in December, so that's your lot I would imagine - if we're lucky. We'll get it in about October after RM and CWU have
exhausted the supply of hobnobs.

[Acca Dacca]

Van share: all mail out 1 day.
Next day driver does packets and parcels on that 2 duties.
Walker rotates between 2 van shares.

This is the current plan

Probably with the the two drivers of the three ( if one is a non driver ) alternating between packets/1st class and ''all mail van share'' on a weekly basis

[nuisance]

It's a strange one at the moment, CWU keep bleating on about innovative shift patterns and all i can hear is we are about to get screwed yet again!
The job has changed the union say, no kidding, do they think we haven't noticed or something?
Their job is to protect us from the sort of s**t we are going through at the moment and to get us a decent rise, not play footsie at the negotiating table and sell our t&c's out for another hobnob.
They don't like it when we challenge them, but what else can we do, when we pay into something we expect some sort of return.
Just like the investors in RM!

Very well said. Most of us wouldn't mind more Saturdays off but the fact is, almost all of us do this job because we want or need an early shift pattern job. We knew Saturday working was part of the deal when we signed up, but the positive was the early finishes. There are countless other jobs out there with full weekends, every weekend, off if that's your priority, the early shift pattern was what specifically sold this job. Can the union please stop trying to dress up, or whitewash this issue. It is too big and important to a great deal of your members. No to later finishes even if you could offer every Saturday off.

[Londonsburning]

The CWU are so out of touch with their members in delivery it's become a bit of a joke. Delivery members subs are just a charity donation at this point

[Dingo99]

Wish Walsh and Co would listen to what the members want and not decide for us!

The last 2 deals the Union have made have been a disaster and a complete sell out for their members. When I hear these Cwu guys talk they just sound like royal mail managers. Don't trust them at all.

Here's what people want

1.a good pay rise that takes us further away from minimum wage not closer to it.

2.Achievable rounds were post and parcels get cleared everyday.

3. No 2 teir workforce, same conditions for all.

4.propper sick pay not stat, as job is physically demanding.

5.Good redundancy terms not that 9months pay nonsense.

Ward and Co are trying to pull the wool over our eyes offering us every other Saturday off (but having to deliver all 1st class mail on day you are in which is completely retarded as you might as well just take it all then. Well all or nothing.) Who cares people signed up to job knowing we would have to sacrifice Saturdays.

Secondly it's obvious the only escape for Royal Mails predicament and becoming a good nationally treasured company again was/is

1. Going under, with us continuing strikes (2023) and rebuilding from scratch (the government would have saved us, you falled for Thompsons big bluff)
2. This time don't negotiate with management (Kreninsky), go all out trying to get government trying to re nationalise royal mail!

HEAR HEAR!