Cumbernauld delivery office: How the CWU is enforcing Royal Mail’s USO reform pilots

[postslippete]

Personally, I would have preferred to keep the USO Monday-Friday like the Union wanted originally as it would be a lot easier to implement and work. In the words of Dave Ward earlier this year "RM has been grossly mismanaged in recent years and the Board have deliberately manufactured circumstances to make a purely financial case for change. This includes abandoning customer quality, attacking postal workers terms and conditions and pursuing a pricing strategy designed to accelerate letter decline in favour of parcels." He also said that OfCom "must be exposed" regarding their relentless drive to promote artificial competition in a declining market, allowing competitors to cherry pick profits through DSA of RM's network and thereby inflating the cost of last mile delivery.

However, when RM and OfCom are both in step with driving these changes what else can this Union do? Go on strike? Don't think there is any appetite for it considering the last dispute do you? So whether we like it or not, the Union nor any rank and file movement, are going to stop the fact that these USO reforms are going to be introduced and imposed. We will get a chance to vote for whatever sh*t sandwich we want and move on. You might think that I'm surrendering, but what is the real alternative to opposing these changes? Stand at the gates in solidarity with unofficial action? No thanks, I would rather keep my job.

[moon71]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Appearances are deceptive. Thousands of CWU members are fed up with the current leadership. Dave Ward has no popular mandate to lead the CWU. He was just reinstalled unopposed.

How do you know this? Or is this just your gut feeling?

People in my workplace have never uttered " I hate the union" but your telling us it's common place around the business.

What a depressive, far from my own, experience of the workplace you have, to have thousands of people telling you how they hate the cwu regularly.

I wouldn't want to work where your at, I'd probably leave before depression sets in.

[Londonsburning]

Take a look at the newest poll in the blueshirts forum. 85% unhappy with CWU

[clashcityrocker]

85% of how many people?

How many CWU members are there?

[tramssirhc]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Appearances are deceptive. Thousands of CWU members are fed up with the current leadership. Dave Ward has no popular mandate to lead the CWU. He was just reinstalled unopposed.

How do you know this? Or is this just your gut feeling?

People in my workplace have never uttered " I hate the union" but your telling us it's common place around the business.

What a depressive, far from my own, experience of the workplace you have, to have thousands of people telling you how they hate the cwu regularly.

I wouldn't want to work where your at, I'd probably leave before depression sets in.

This is why moon71 can't be trusted to tell the truth. CWU members in every workplace are fed up with the CWU. No one said hate. That's a very different thing.

[tramssirhc]

Personally, I would have preferred to keep the USO Monday-Friday like the Union wanted originally as it would be a lot easier to implement and work. In the words of Dave Ward earlier this year "RM has been grossly mismanaged in recent years and the Board have deliberately manufactured circumstances to make a purely financial case for change. This includes abandoning customer quality, attacking postal workers terms and conditions and pursuing a pricing strategy designed to accelerate letter decline in favour of parcels." He also said that OfCom "must be exposed" regarding their relentless drive to promote artificial competition in a declining market, allowing competitors to cherry pick profits through DSA of RM's network and thereby inflating the cost of last mile delivery.

However, when RM and OfCom are both in step with driving these changes what else can this Union do? Go on strike? Don't think there is any appetite for it considering the last dispute do you? So whether we like it or not, the Union nor any rank and file movement, are going to stop the fact that these USO reforms are going to be introduced and imposed. We will get a chance to vote for whatever sh*t sandwich we want and move on. You might think that I'm surrendering, but what is the real alternative to opposing these changes? Stand at the gates in solidarity with unofficial action? No thanks, I would rather keep my job.

The CWU are part of the three way attack. The CWU is in bed with the regulator and the industry.

[tramssirhc]

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/ ... -m18.html



Cumbernauld delivery office:

Workers at Cumbernauld say they have been included in the USO reform pilots without their consent. They are angered at CWU local and regional officials who have brow-beaten and threatened workers to accept the pilots and Royal Mail…

I have to correct you on the notion that workers ‘did not consent’ to the Pilot. All workers agreed to trial different delivery methods when they voted by a majority to accept the agreement with RM which ended the strikes.

Trialing delivery methods is mentioned specifically in the agreement.

So no separate agreement or consent was required for the Pilots.

If trialing delivery methods as per the USO pilots is "specifically mentioned in the agreement" why not cite the relevant section in the 35 page BRT&G agreement?

For now let me quote a very relevant section

"2.5. Improving Quality of Service and USO Compliance
RMG and CWU are committed to urgently improve and achieve Quality of Service for all
products across all functions and USO compliance in all offices. To facilitate this both parties
commit to implement an agreed set of measures to address current issues, restore
performance where necessary, and will jointly develop a process involving RODs/General
Managers/Divisional Reps. Future revision activity will involve the restoration of joint working
in all functions in line with current national agreements including the IR
Framework. Revisions will be based on efficient, fair, and achievable workload. RMG and
CWU recognise that this is an essential step in fostering improved relationships in the
workplace and delivering the aims and objectives of this agreement."

It is hardly necessary for me to go into detail on how "improving quality of service", "USO compliance" and "revisions based on efficient, fair and achievable workloads " has panned out in reality. This was a bad faith agreement drawn up by Dave Ward and the Postal Executive with Royal Mail management to foist on the membership a sellout agreement based on a de facto pay cut the tearing up of terms and conditions, sick pay and to introduce a two-tier workforce.

A far larger majority (96 percent) voted to renew strike action to defeat this onslaught but this was vetoed by the CWU Postal Executive to cook up the sellout agreement at ACAS and secure their partnership with management which is being taken to a new level with the wrecking operation against the mail service and their embrace of the Kretinsky take-over. This is why workplace meetings held independently of management such as at Cumbernauld to address workers concerns not pro-company messaging by the CWU are sabotaged by union officials and underscores the need for organising the rank and file.

You are going to get people sacked.

So its fair to say you can't back up your argument that members have consented to the USO pilots through the BRT&G agreement. All you offer is a one liner the scare mongering tactic routinely employed by CWU officials which the article reports.

The chief enabler of getting people sacked or forced to quit in their thousands since the dispute has been CWU officials and the rotten agreement they co-authored with management both with the stitch-up of the victimised reps and members via the Falconer Review and the introduction of the two-tier workforce. This incentivised management to replace senior posties with new entrants on inferior pay and terms. This hostile workplace environment against 130,000 posties would not last a minute without the collusion of the CWU leaders who are embedded in management.

Here is the relevant section of the agreement.

Not one word about ODM.

[tramssirhc]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Exactly obviously all the branches who recently voted the leadership back in are not calling for them to be (booted) out.

That being the branches who never meet, never hold mass meetings and have no idea what the rank and file want. Dave Ward's reelection was unopposed.

It was unopposed, because no one stood against him.

It was in opposed because no could stand against him.

[Barnacle]

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/ ... -m18.html



Cumbernauld delivery office:

Workers at Cumbernauld say they have been included in the USO reform pilots without their consent. They are angered at CWU local and regional officials who have brow-beaten and threatened workers to accept the pilots and Royal Mail…

I have to correct you on the notion that workers ‘did not consent’ to the Pilot. All workers agreed to trial different delivery methods when they voted by a majority to accept the agreement with RM which ended the strikes.

Trialing delivery methods is mentioned specifically in the agreement.

So no separate agreement or consent was required for the Pilots.

If trialing delivery methods as per the USO pilots is "specifically mentioned in the agreement" why not cite the relevant section in the 35 page BRT&G agreement?

For now let me quote a very relevant section

"2.5. Improving Quality of Service and USO Compliance
RMG and CWU are committed to urgently improve and achieve Quality of Service for all
products across all functions and USO compliance in all offices. To facilitate this both parties
commit to implement an agreed set of measures to address current issues, restore
performance where necessary, and will jointly develop a process involving RODs/General
Managers/Divisional Reps. Future revision activity will involve the restoration of joint working
in all functions in line with current national agreements including the IR
Framework. Revisions will be based on efficient, fair, and achievable workload. RMG and
CWU recognise that this is an essential step in fostering improved relationships in the
workplace and delivering the aims and objectives of this agreement."

It is hardly necessary for me to go into detail on how "improving quality of service", "USO compliance" and "revisions based on efficient, fair and achievable workloads " has panned out in reality. This was a bad faith agreement drawn up by Dave Ward and the Postal Executive with Royal Mail management to foist on the membership a sellout agreement based on a de facto pay cut the tearing up of terms and conditions, sick pay and to introduce a two-tier workforce.

A far larger majority (96 percent) voted to renew strike action to defeat this onslaught but this was vetoed by the CWU Postal Executive to cook up the sellout agreement at ACAS and secure their partnership with management which is being taken to a new level with the wrecking operation against the mail service and their embrace of the Kretinsky take-over. This is why workplace meetings held independently of management such as at Cumbernauld to address workers concerns not pro-company messaging by the CWU are sabotaged by union officials and underscores the need for organising the rank and file.

You are going to get people sacked.

So its fair to say you can't back up your argument that members have consented to the USO pilots through the BRT&G agreement. All you offer is a one liner the scare mongering tactic routinely employed by CWU officials which the article reports.

The chief enabler of getting people sacked or forced to quit in their thousands since the dispute has been CWU officials and the rotten agreement they co-authored with management both with the stitch-up of the victimised reps and members via the Falconer Review and the introduction of the two-tier workforce. This incentivised management to replace senior posties with new entrants on inferior pay and terms. This hostile workplace environment against 130,000 posties would not last a minute without the collusion of the CWU leaders who are embedded in management.

Here is the relevant section of the agreement.

Not one word about ODM.

By ‘ODM’ do you mean the Optimised Delivery Model? It doesn’t have to be mentioned by name, just as Delivery 2.0 and Delivery 2.1 weren’t.

A trial of different delivery models was agreed.

[Barnacle]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Exactly obviously all the branches who recently voted the leadership back in are not calling for them to be (booted) out.

That being the branches who never meet, never hold mass meetings and have no idea what the rank and file want. Dave Ward's reelection was unopposed.

It was unopposed, because no one stood against him.

It was in opposed because no could stand against him.

Incorrect. Someone else in a senior position in the union could have stood against him if they had the backing of 5 or 6 branches. Then it would have been a competition. But either no one else stood, or no one else gained enough backing.

[Londonsburning]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Exactly obviously all the branches who recently voted the leadership back in are not calling for them to be (booted) out.

That being the branches who never meet, never hold mass meetings and have no idea what the rank and file want. Dave Ward's reelection was unopposed.

It was unopposed, because no one stood against him.

It was in opposed because no could stand against him.

Incorrect. Someone else in a senior position in the union could have stood against him if they had the backing of 5 or 6 branches. Then it would have been a competition. But either no one else stood, or no one else gained enough backing.

No disrespect Barnacle,but have you seen the turnouts for CWU elections over the past few years?

[Barnacle]

The hate for the CWU is oozing in some people.

Sad they have an agenda to sell.

It's not hate for the 'CWU'. It's a challenge to the leadership who have no concept of collectivism and rank and file activism. If they did postal workers wouldn't calling for them to be booted out.

Who's calling for them to be booted out?

My office, our sister office and something like 20 satellite offices appear to be happy with the CWU.

Hence my surprise for your hate campaign.

Exactly obviously all the branches who recently voted the leadership back in are not calling for them to be (booted) out.

That being the branches who never meet, never hold mass meetings and have no idea what the rank and file want. Dave Ward's reelection was unopposed.

It was unopposed, because no one stood against him.

It was in opposed because no could stand against him.

Incorrect. Someone else in a senior position in the union could have stood against him if they had the backing of 5 or 6 branches. Then it would have been a competition. But either no one else stood, or no one else gained enough backing.

No disrespect Barnacle,but have you seen the turnouts for CWU elections over the past few years?

Do you seriously think turnout would have been low if members had had a chance to vote for someone standing against Dave Ward?

[Londonsburning]

Yup, because the only reason most posties still sponsor the CWU is for backup when they are accused of wrongdoing.

[Cexpress]

Moon71 just to rectify a couple of your random comments. Colleagues in my old delivery office would laugh at the idea of me being militant. I was a CWU member for 31 years and they let me down when I needed them most. I always went on strike but I’ve never been on a picket line in my life. I didn’t do what I was accused of and the 2 managers know this. Until this happened to me I had no issues whatsoever with the DOM. In fact he went out of his way to assist me in obtaining the holidays I required not long before I was dismissed. I first met him when he was gardening for a living aged 19. In fact I’ve often wondered if he became a postman after seeing how much I enjoyed my job. Ironic eh? I spoke to the PWRFC as I wanted a platform to tell my story. I think you will find it’s a story many dismissed posties can relate to. The PWRFC certainly had nothing to do with my case and I hadn’t even heard of them at that time. Let’s hope you don’t find yourself in the same position. Des Beach (not Beech)

[moon71]

Starting to lose track of the thread.

If you don't adhere to the thinking that RM CWU OFCOM are colluding or that you don't support a rank an file in your workplace, your simply bamboozled with replies that tie your brain up now.

Nope, I don't want a rank an file telling me how out of touch the cwu is. I think Dave is doing a good job steering the employer into a better but still s**t direction than if the employer just steered itself into deep s**t for us. It's not like there's an alternative.

Every reply by some members is constant jeer. We understand your thinking and trying to steer opinion. I'm just not buying your politics.

And it won't be recognised by the employer anyway so keep pushing the agenda that's going no where.

Why not set up an alternative union.......